FOUR TOYOTAS IN THE TOP-FIVE FINISHERS AT DAYTONA
Camry drivers crossed the line in positions two through five in the season opener
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 16, 2025) – Tyler Reddick (second), Jimmie Johnson (third), Chase Briscoe (fourth) and John Hunter Nemechek (fifth) gave Toyota four of the top-five finishers in the rain delayed season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday evening.
Denny Hamlin nearly added to his incredible history at Daytona International Speedway as the Virginia-native was leading on the final lap, when he was taken out battling for his fourth Daytona 500 win.
For Reddick, last season’s Championship 4 finalist, it matches his best Daytona finish and his best-ever Daytona 500 result. Johnson scored his best finish in the Next Gen car, and his best finish since the fall Dover race in 2020. Briscoe, who earned Toyota their first ever Daytona 500 pole earlier in the week, earned his second Daytona 500 top-five in his official Joe Gibbs Racing debut, while Nemechek earned his first Cup Series top-five finish. With Johnson and Nemechek both earning top-five runs, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB placed two Camrys in the top-five for the first time.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Daytona International Speedway
Race 1 of 36 – 500 miles, 200 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, William Byron*
2nd, TYLER REDDICK
3rd, JIMMIE JOHNSON
4th, CHASE BRISCOE
5th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
12th, ERIK JONES
16th, TY GIBBS
17th, RILEY HERBST
24th, DENNY HAMLIN
29th, BUBBA WALLACE
31st, CHRISTOPHER BELL
38th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Nasty Beast Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How were you able to finish second?
“Yeah, with that restart with 15 to go, we kind of checked up in the middle and ended up further back than we wanted to be. We didn’t really want to, but we ducked out of it hoping for the caution and we got it. But we were still lined up 16th there on the green-white-checkered. When they started to spin on the dogleg, I kind of jumped out of line thinking that was going to be it, and we just kept going. I knew that me and the 24 (William Byron) had a good run and they were throwing big blocks, and when they started spinning on the inside and I had a run on the 24, I thought, man, if I can just make it through on the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and not scrub my speed, I would have had at least an opportunity to do something. All in all, I never really finished a race here unless it was 40 laps down, so I’ll take second. We wanted to get a good start to the year, and we scored a lot of points today. So, I’m really happy with everyone’s effort on this No. 45 Nasty Beast Toyota Camry.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 3rd
How were you able to get up to the front?
“What an experience. We tried to play it smart. Chad (Johnston, crew chief) had a great strategy for the third segment. Unfortunately, on one of the pit stops we got blocked in and lost our track position. Still had a good car and a straight car and there at the end I was able to make my way through the crash in the back. I was in a good position and here we are. This is great.”
What does it mean to get two LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Camrys in the top five?
“Yeah, two in the top five. I hate it that Erik (Jones) had some trouble. Shaq, I hope you’re listening. We got your car on the podium. Just an incredible experience. Thank you to Carvana, Toyota, Dollar Tree, AdventHealth. There are so many partners part of this program that are helping us grow as an organization and I thought we had a good night.”
How good does this one feel for you?
“This feels incredible. I have emotions that I didn’t expect to have. I’ve never been in this position as an owner, and it’s really opened up a different set of emotions, and the pride that I have in this result and the pride that I have in this company, now that we’re trying to achieve and the journey we’re on – I am so satisfied, so happy right now. Excited that we have two cars in the top five. I hope Shaq is watching. Thank you, buddy. We got your car in the top-three. A big thanks to Carvana and their continued support, Mobil 1, AdventHealth, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree. It’s been an interesting couple of years and to have our cars come out and be this strong, this Toyota was rocket ship fast. I’m just smiling inside and out.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
Can you take us through that final restart?
“Man, it was crazy. We restarted I think eighth and the seas kind of just kept parting for me. Everything honestly went my way up until the very end there down the back straightaway. They all split off kind of three-wide and the 11 (Denny Hamlin) car was just sitting there for me, and I was like, ‘I’m going to push Denny to the win. JGR is going to win with my first race here. When I hit him, we all came together – I haven’t seen it yet – and somehow I was able to keep it straight and obviously move forward. A great way for us to start the year. Obviously, would’ve loved to win the race, but for us to come here and run in the top five is really cool for our first race. Hopefully this is what we’ll be doing all year long.”
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 5th
Can you describe the chaos in the final laps?
“It’s a green-white-checkered at Daytona. I wouldn’t really expect anything less. I don’t really know what happened on the back straightaway there. I know everyone was pushing hard and the next thing I knew there was smoke. I got hit in the left side door, right side door and managed to keep it straight. Jimmie (Johnson) blew my doors off. I don’t think he ever lifted for it. Strong run by LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. Erik (Jones) in the Duels and then up front for the majority of the day. Then, Jimmie came home third and myself fifth so a solid day. A solid week I would say and Speedweeks for the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB group. Excited to see what this year has. We already know that we’re better than last year, it’s just how much better is unknown.”
How big is it to get off to this start?
“Well, Daytona really won’t make your season – unless you win it – but I feel like coming out of Daytona wrecked and in a hole, isn’t very good either, so that definitely sucks, when you are deep in a hole like that and you have to crawl your way out of a points deal, but having a solid run like we did, coming home fifth was a really solid day, a really solid effort, really solid Speedweeks from the whole LEGACY MOTOR CLUB group. Excited to see where 2025 goes – we already know we are better than 2024, just how much is the question. We hired a lot of good people in the offseason, so looking forward to seeing what all of the hard work, processes, procedures, personnel, everything that went into the offseason – see what it does for us in 2025.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 24th
What were your thoughts on what transpired there?
“Yeah, I thought we were in a great spot many times in the last 10 laps. Appreciate National Debt Relief coming on our Toyota and we gave them a great ride. We had the caution on the front straightaway spin – I measured up the 2 (Austin Cindric), and got a run on him. I stayed with him long enough where I could kind of control which side I wanted to pass him on, and then we had pulled away from the pack slightly so I knew a run was going to come. The 41 (Cole Custer) had a run, and I chose not to block him because these races, you have to live to make it off of turn four, and we just didn’t. I thought the 41 came down. I’m pushing the 2 down as low as I can to give him all of the space, and not stopping his run, and I thought he, not hung a left, but steered left and was trying to crowd it. I understand what he was trying to go for – he’s going for it – all of us are, but you know, in those situations, you’ve gotta do it off of (turn) four – then we can we do this, but we never made it – and someone else won. I don’t even know where he was running.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 31st
What happened in that wreck that took you out of the race?
“Just Superspeedway racing. That’s how it goes. It takes pushes. You’ve got to be pushing otherwise you’re going backwards. I don’t know. I was in position and that’s all you can ask for.”
Did that push you got cause the accident?
“I had my hands full for a while. It’s Daytona. You have to be doing that otherwise you’re not going to be going forward. It’s a product of the racing that we have here.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 38th
Are you disappointed to be out of the Daytona 500 early?
“It’s always disappointing when you don’t finish no matter what situation especially in a race like this when it’s probably our only shot this year. Thanks to Bass Pro, TRICON and everybody that helped us put this together. It was fun while it lasted, but unfortunately, we were just wrong place, wrong time there.”
What happened out there?
“I’m not sure – a big stack up – and by the time they got to me, it was really aggressive – I guess you would call it. Just no time to react and knocked the nose off of the thing. Just unfortunate for all of our guys. We had a fun week down here, making the race. Thank you to Bass Pro, TRICON Garage, Toyota, TRD – everybody that helped us put this together. We were hoping to have a lot more fun than that. We were just biding our time, and just in a bad place on the restart there.”
Are we going to see you again?
“Yeah – just don’t know when or where or what. We will see.”
About Toyota
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