GIBBS, WALLACE ADVANCE TO ALL-STAR RACE
Gibbs leads every lap in All-Star Open
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) – Toyota’s Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace advanced to the All-Star Race by finishing 1-2 in the 100-lap All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro on Sunday evening.
Gibbs, who led every lap, will advance to his second All-Star Race, while last season’s All-Star Race runner-up Wallace looks to be one spot better. Gibbs and Wallace join four other Toyota drivers in the All-Star Race – Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
North Wilkesboro Speedway
All-Star Open – 62.5 miles, 100 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TY GIBBS
2nd, BUBBA WALLACE
3rd, Josh Berry*
4th, Justin Haley*
5th, Noah Gragson*
14th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
18th, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
You won in dominate fashion. How good was it?
“Yeah, we were pretty good. I feel like it is pretty solid. It’s good to make it – and good to see Bubba (Wallace) make it too. Hopefully, we can go and win it. I think (Michael) Waltrip did it once. Let’s go win a million bucks – maybe we can go buy some sprint cars or something.”
Did you learn what you needed to learn?
“I think we are solid enough, and good enough to go do it. I feel like we learned a lot about what we are going to do. Thank you to Monster Energy, Mitch Covington – everybody at Interstate Batteries, Norm Miller. I’ve got some good friends here. Let’s go win this thing.”
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Alltroo Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What was it like knowing you had to race hard there to get in?
“When we saw the rules change, Jamie (Little), it was like what do I have to do to make it? So, it just made us work extra hard. I appreciate everyone on this Alltroo Toyota Camry, everyone at Airspeed. You have to earn everything, so I can’t say we deserved to be in the All-Star. You have to go fight for it every once in a while. We are just lacking a little bit. It is definitely different – a different feel than what we had in practice. We have a little bit of time to make minimal changes and make it better. All-in-all, we are in the show. I appreciate the 48 (Alex Bowman) and the 4 (Josh Berry) for running clean there. That was fun – that was short track stuff, right there. We were able to sneak away there and hang on to second. That is the most stressful spot to be in. You never want to look in the mirror – and we know how good Josh (Berry) is on short tracks, so it was like hey, I kind of did some short track stuff too, so I think I have a little bit of it figured out, but we were able to hang on and have a good day so far.”
What did you learn and what did you tell your teammate Tyler Reddick?
“The balance migration was different. It caught me and him, when I told him, by surprise. We need to have a quick debrief with the team and see if we can get the right rear under us a little bit more, but none-the-less, I thought the tires – I don’t know how the back of the pack looked – but I know I was fighting it. Hopefully there was passing, and hopefully it will be a good show for tonight, but we have to go make some changes if we want to win a million dollars.”
Can you be one spot better tonight?
“We came from the back last year, so let’s do it again.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
