Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race 13 of 36 – 600 miles, 400 laps
May 27, 2018
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, KYLE BUSCH
2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR
3rd, DENNY HAMLIN
4th, Brad Keselowski*
5th, Jimmie Johnson*
15th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
19th, ERIK JONES
27th, PARKER KLIGERMAN
31st, GRAY GAULDING
32nd, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA DRIVER POINT STANDINGS**
1st, KYLE BUSCH 573 points
5th, MARTIN TRUEX JR 430 points
7th, DENNY HAMLIN 429 points
13th, ERIK JONES 314 points
18th, DANIEL SUÁREZ 245 points
**unofficial point standings
· Camry driver Kyle Busch was victorious at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night as he became the only Cup Series driver to win at all active NASCAR tracks.
· Busch led a race-high 377 laps and captured all three stage wins on the way to his fourth win this season.
· Busch also became the 10th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 15,000 laps as he has now totaled 15,256 laps led following tonight’s race at Charlotte.
· Toyota drivers finished 1-2-3 with Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin all finishing in the top three, respectively.
· Busch captured his 100th career pole in a Toyota after winning the Cup Series pole on Thursday. He has the most poles in a Toyota (28 MENCS, 53 NXS and 19 NCWTS).
TOYOTA QUOTES
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Red White & Blue Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
How special is winning this race for you?
“This one’s very special. I don’t think there’s anything that can top Homestead, just with the meaning of what the championship is, but the Coca-Cola 600 – I’ve dreamt of this race since I was a kid and being able to win this race. Always watching the All-Star race and then the 600 the following weekend and being able to come out here and now win the Coca-Cola 600 is just phenomenal. It’s a little boy’s dreams come true and man, I just want to say that I thank NASCAR, for one, for giving me a chance to come out here and have this opportunity to race for my dreams and to accomplish those things. I don’t know if it’s ever been done before, but the first one to check off all the tracks and get it all done. I don’t want to go to any new ones. That would just have to start the whole process over, but holy moly, I can’t say enough about M&M’s. Love the red, white and blue scheme and what it means. All of our heroes, whether they’re fighting for us right now or whether they’re fallen heroes, certainly want to give remembrance to (SGT) Eric Toth who’s with us and who is riding on our car tonight and his family who are with us here this weekend. That’s very very special. Appreciate NASCAR doing that with NASCAR Salute the troops. Can’t say enough about M&M’s Red White and Blue, Interstate Batteries. This Toyota Camry was awesome tonight. Adam Stevens (crew chief) and all my guys are just phenomenal to work with and it’s so much fun right now. This NOS Energy Drink is going to keep us rolling for a long time tonight, that’s for sure. Also want to thank Cessna and Rheem and DVX Eyewear. Of course the fans. The fans for coming out here and supporting us all through all this. Man, Black Clover, DVX Sunglasses. I don’t know who else I’m forgetting. I’m sorry. Man, this is so huge.”
How does it feel to get your first win in a points event at Charlotte Motor Speedway?
“It feels amazing. Man, there’s no greater feeling than winning this race. I’ve dreamt of this race since I was a kid and being able to come and get to victory lane with the Coca-Cola 600 is just awesome. I can’t say enough about M&M’s Red White and Blue. Everybody on this car. Adam Stevens (crew chief). All my team. Everybody that’s done such a phenomenal job of preparing such a fast race car. It was glued to the race track anywhere I wanted to go, she wanted to go, so that was really awesome. You don’t have cars like that very often. Really want to thank Interstate Batteries, Toyota, NOS Energy Drink, Cessna, Rheem, DVX Eyewear, Black Clover and of course, the fans. It may have been a little unaction-packed at the front of the field, but I tell you what, it was plenty exciting with nerves from my vantage point and certainly want to give a shoutout to Rowdy Nation and everybody that’s pulling for us all the time and don’t take no crap from all the haters and everything else. You guys are awesome. This one is for all of us.”
Your team came through flawlessly tonight, didn’t they?
“Yeah, my guys were on it tonight. They were certainly really really good on pit road. I can’t say enough about my crew. They’ve been that way all year long. You know a lot of wins are due to a lot of circumstances going right and certainly we’ve got the pit crew going right with us right now. Fast race cars as well too. There were a few other fast cars out there I was keeping my eye on as they were coming up through the field. The 4 (Kevin Harvick) for one, the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.) for another and it just seemed like they could never really get into our territory, but you know all in all just a phenomenal night.”
First driver in the modern era to win at every active track, what does that mean to you?
“It’s awesome. I mean I’ve dreamt of that – not only winning here and winning the Coke 600 as a kid and being in victory lane here for this race, but to just be a force that people got to be reckoned with, you know. I go across the country and race Super Late Models because I want to win at every single race track. I just want to show that there is no weakness. My guys have given me that chance here tonight and being able to get to victory lane with this M&M’s Toyota – it sure looks pretty in victory lane here tonight. I definitely want to give a shoutout to all of our men and women, all the service men and women across the world past and present, fallen and of today’s heroes – we had (SGT) Eric Toth with us here and his family riding along with us this weekend, so that was a pleasure. Got to meet up with them earlier and spend some time, so that was really cool.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour Energy Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
If you had more miles, could you have caught Kyle Busch?
“Maybe with a caution. I don’t think without. I mean we definitely gained some ground that last run, but I think he might have just been taking care of it. Just definitely just a battle-back night for us. The speeding penalty and then the pit road penalty right after that in just two stops. It really hurt us and it’s hard to pass – hard to come from behind with these cars right now with the flat splitters and everything they’ve done to them the past month and a half or so. It was good to be able to get back up to second. I thought we had the second-best car all night. I don’t think anybody had anything for that 18 (Kyle Busch). He was stout. We gained a little on him that last run under green, but like I said, I think he was just taking care of it a little bit.”
Are you as whipped as you’ve been in a race in a long time?
“It was tough for sure. I’ve been in worse shape before. For us, it was just a battle. I felt like we had the second-best car early on and we finally got some track position. We didn’t qualify that well. We got up there behind Kyle (Busch) and I thought we were pretty, pretty somewhat close, but on the long runs man, he was just really stout. Those last 20, 30 laps a run he could really check out. I had some trouble with that all night, but to have two pit road penalties, to come back from that, just proud of the team – the guys on pit road, Cole (Pearn, crew chief) and Jazzy (Jeff Curtis, lead engineer), all the guys on the box. They called a good race and we just had to battle. It’s tough to pass right now with these cars and with the flat splitters and the things we’ve done in the last three or four weeks rules-wise. It took us a while to get back to the front, but we still got back to where I thought we should have. That last run made quite a bit of ground on Kyle, but I feel like he was probably just taking care of it and managing that lead. Overall, it was a good night and definitely got to clean some things up here and there and find just a little bit more speed, but we’re getting close.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Talk about finishing third here tonight.
“Yeah, we were just the best of the rest. We just didn’t had the speed quite that the 18 (Kyle Busch) had and we had to battle back there with the contact with the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and then 2 (Brad Keselowski) on that restart. Overall, I thought that we had a really good car here tonight. Second at times, third at times and so good to kind of get a good finish and really happy for my teammate, Kyle, there and getting a win at all of the active Cup tracks. Great accomplishment for his team and just got to thank FedEx and Toyota and Coca-Cola and Coke 600 weekend. Got to say thank you to all of our military veterans and those active as well and remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
What area of your car did you need just a little bit more on?
“I had my guys looking at it to try to figure out where all the speed was and you know, it’s just a half a tenth a lap adds up to big time over a long run and we just couldn’t – we were just a half a tenth a lap slower. I would’ve liked to have controlled a restart. There was one time we came out of the pit road side by side with him (Kyle Busch) and I just needed to control one restart to maybe get in front of him and give him some bad air and maybe have a chance at it, but his car was exceptional, so I doubt it would have worked. Proud of our FedEx team. We’ll keep moving and see what happens at Pocono.”
What was the defining moment for you guys tonight?
“No real defining moment. You know I wish we would’ve got more stage points, but we were – I think we finished third, sixth and eighth. I just had to go to the back of the back there with the damage with the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and then we had some other – the 2 (Brad Keselowski) stayed out and that jumbled us up on the one restart. All day we just battled back to where we should’ve been and really third is a good spot where I felt like our car belonged all night.”
Overall happy with the race?
“I wish we would’ve won. I wish we had a little bit more speed. We were just a little bit off the 18 (Kyle Busch). It seemed like a half a tenth a lap or so. Every now and then on the long run we could bust off a lap as good or better, but in the short run, they were just exception and we couldn’t run with them there.”
