- Toyota driver Denny Hamlin (third) was the highest-finishing Camry in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Joey Logano won tonight’s race.
- Hamlin started from the pole – ahead of three other Toyotas to make up the first two rows – and led three times for a total of 54 laps (of 500).
- Camry drivers Clint Bowyer (fifth), Carl Edwards (seventh) and Kyle Busch (eighth) also earned top-10 finishes at the half-mile Tennessee short track.
- Bowyer’s finish marked his fourth top-10 finish in the last five NSCS races.
- Busch started alongside his teammate Hamlin on the front row and led a race-high 192 laps, but a late-race pit road speeding penalty under caution forced him to restart 14th.
- Four Camry drivers are now in the top-15 in the NSCS point standings with Kenseth (seventh), Hamlin (ninth), Edwards (14th) and Clint Bowyer (15th).
- Kyle Busch (29th) also remains in the top-30 in the driver point standings, making him Chase eligible
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How was your race?
“Pretty good run for us, but we just didn’t have the speed those guys had there those last couple runs and just fought the balance of the car really all day. Either way a decent day but we expect a little bit more out of our FedEx Ground Toyota but still a third-place ain’t too bad.”
Did you feel like you had a race-winning car?
“We could see the leaders all day. That was important. But, the biggest thing is just didn’t have the speed those guys had once we got going on the long runs so just a little bit off. I don’t know what we could’ve changed — a little bit more speed out of our cars on the long runs.”
Did you think you could catch the leaders?
“I saw those two guys getting close to each other and all I could hope is maybe I could squeeze up in there and steal one but third place is kind of where we were at all day.”
How was your race car?
“We were a top-five to top-seven car most of the night and then there at the end our car was actually pretty good, but we didn’t have anything right there for the 22 (Joey Logano) and the 4 (Kevin Harvick) that last run. Third place is about where we were at and that’s where we finished. Still proud of this whole FedEx Ground Toyota team. We battled but just didn’t have enough.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your race?
“You hate to have that good of a car – have two good cars and the last person you want to get into and have trouble with is your teammate. I’m sick to death about that. We had two top-five cars and MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) really needed that run. With that being said we desperately needed a solid run right there. I mean obviously you’re hungry for a win with this organization given everything it had and I drove my ass off we just come up short. I’m really proud of all of these guys on the 5-hour ENERGY Toyota. They’re digging man. It’s fun to be a part of this. It’s fun to be a part of a group that can answer the call when you gotta dig down and reach down a little bit more to get in that Chase and be a part of that elite group. These guys are up for the challenge.”
Was this a big night for your race team?
“This was a big night for us. We needed this. Driver got us behind last weekend after Michigan, but man, when you step up to the plate like this and you’re running at the level that it takes to be a part of the championship caliber elite group like you have in the Chase. You don’t want to just go into that Chase and be a part of it and be the first guy out, you want to go into that Chase with some confidence and momentum and some good runs where you can maybe go a few rounds in there. Great night for us given everything that’s happened this week this was certainly what we needed as a group, as an organization to have two cars run in the top-five. Sick with what happened with the 55 (David Ragan). David has done such a good job of stepping in and filling in that seat and being a good teammate. We certainly didn’t want to see that.”
CARL EDWARDS, No. 19 Stanley Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
How strong was the race car tonight?
“It’s so great to have these fast cars and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and Toyota and everybody at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) are just bringing really fast race cars. Right now everyone at JGR is working really hard and they’re working well together. We’re not arguing too much and we’re motivating each other and that’s fun.”
Were you having fun during the race?
“I don’t know what it looked like, but it was a lot of fun from the driver’s seat – working the traffic. I like the long runs here because the track changes. It’s like a dirt track, that rubber builds up and changes and you have to find the right line and you have to work the traffic right. It’s really fun. Up until that flat tire I was literally out there smiling and having a good time. That’s what racing is about.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Skittles Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 8th
ADAM STEVENS, crew chief, No. 18 Skittles Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How frustrating is it to have the speeding penalty happen on the final pit stop?
“It’s frustrating. We put another car on the track that’s capable of winning and it’s tough to do. We’ve been able to do it I don’t know how many weeks in a row. We had a race-winning car at Watkins Glen and Pocono and just keep coming up short. This one’s on us. We made a mistake at Pocono, we weren’t aggressive enough at Watkins Glen and now just make a mistake on pit road. We had a loose wheel and we battled back from that and then you speed on the last stop – you can’t win if you speed on the last stop. That’s all there is to it.”
What were you told about the section where NASCAR reported you were speeding?
“They (NASCAR) told us that we were speeding in section five – our pit box is in section five. You can’t speed if you’re stopped on pit road. That could have just been – maybe they meant to say a different number, I don’t know, but there is no earthly way that you can speed in the segment that your pit stall is in, it’s not possible.”
MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 83 Cosmo Motors Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 33rd
JJ YELEY, No. 23 VooDoo BBQ & Grill Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 34th
DAVID RAGAN, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 40th
What happened to take you out of the race?
“The 48 (Jimmie Johnson) jumped on my outside and we were really good on the bottom and it kind of surprised me by getting out there and he held me tight coming off of turn 2 and then I guess the 15 (Clint Bowyer) got a little bit of a run and there just wasn’t enough room for the three of us. That’s the way things happen at Bristol sometimes. It’s unfortunate. Our Aaron’s Dream Machine was really fast and we had a chance to win. It’s uncalled for to get wrecked and to be involved in a wreck like that but all in all just one of those racing things.”
How disappointing is this knowing how good of a run you had going tonight?
“Anytime you’re in that top-five or with a chance to win it’s disappointing. This is one of my favorite races and we did the best we could.”
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 42nd
What happened to the engine?
“It broke in the middle of the straightaway – it had that hop and that noise that it makes when you know you dropped a valve. Unfortunate, but man these guys at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) have been doing such an awesome job, we’ve had so much power and everything has been really reliable here the last year and a half. Things like this happen every once in a while. It’s a short night. Felt like we were really competitive – we were one or two adjustments away from where we needed to be, but I thought our Dollar General Camry had good speed. Wish I was out there mixing it up.”
What exactly broke to end your race early?
“Something in the valve train, we dropped a valve or something it felt like and sounded like. Things like that happen. Our stuff has been pretty reliable the last year and a half and we’ve been making a lot of power. Things like that happen and we’ll go back and get it fixed up. The encouraging part is that our cars are really fast and I thought we were an adjustment away from having what we really needed to run with everybody. Wish we were still out there.”
Was there any warning?
“They never warn you, it would be cool if they would send you a text or something. Just the middle of the straightaway it made that pop where you knew that was it.”
