Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Auto Club Speedway
Race 5 of 33 – 300 miles, 150 laps
March 16, 2019
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Cole Custer*
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
4th, Tyler Reddick*
5th, Chase Briscoe*
7th, BRANDON JONES
20th, TOMMY JOE MARTINS
27th, JOEY GASE
30th, JOHN JACKSON
32nd, CHAD FINCHUM
34th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver
Supra driver Kyle Busch was the highest-finishing Toyota in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Auto Club Speedway after placing second.
It was Busch’s third-consecutive finish of second or better in the NXS this season.
Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell (third) and Brandon Jones (seventh) also finished inside the top-10.
For Bell, it was his second top-five finish of the season and for Jones, it was his fourth top-10 of 2019.
TOYOTA QUOTES
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Extreme Concepts iK9 Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
Did something change on the final stop that kept you from being able to catch Cole Custer in the closing laps?
“I just wasn’t fast enough. At the end there, he (Custer) was really good and really fast and had a good car. They got better throughout the day and got closer to our rear bumper there on that second-to-last run before we had our pit road problems and dropped us back in the pack. Obviously, we were able to rebound, but when you have a fast guy out front and a fast guy in second, they run the same times and they stay the same distance apart. We just weren’t quick enough there at the end to chase them down. Hate it for all the iK9 Supra guys and everybody that supports us and supports our program. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Did you learn a lot today that you can use in tomorrow’s race?
“A little bit, it was alright. You move around all over the race track to try find some stuff so we were just doing some of that and seeing what we can do.”
Did something change on the final stop that kept you from being able to catch Cole Custer in the closing laps?
“I just wasn’t fast enough. At the end there, he (Custer) was really good and really fast and had a good car. They got better throughout the day and got closer to our rear bumper there on that second-to-last run before we had our pit road problems and dropped us back in the pack. Obviously, we were able to rebound, but when you have a fast guy out front and a fast guy in second, they run the same times and they stay the same distance apart. We just weren’t quick enough there at the end to chase them down. Hate it for all the iK9 Supra guys and everybody that supports us and supports our program. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
What happened on pit road with the penalty in the final stage?
“We had a problem on pit road. They didn’t get the jack high enough and they couldn’t get the tire off. We lost track position there and we had an uncontrolled tire on the same stop and had to go to the back and rebounded. That’s all there is to it.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How was your race today?
“It was a pretty awful race for us. One of the worst ones I’ve had. My pit crew was outstanding. They got us out front almost every time. That’s how we got this Rheem Supra to finish third. As soon as they dropped the green flag, we had the back-up lights on.”
Were you having issues with the throttle today?
“The throttle, I noticed whenever the first yellow came out my throttle was hanging up. I am hoping that was part of the issue of why we were so bad. It wasn’t returning all the way to idle. I am hoping that has something to do with why we were struggling.”
What’s it like to run here with a stuck throttle?
“It wasn’t too bad. Especially early in the run because you’re not trying to get out of the gas. As the tires wear, you need to be out of the gas. It wasn’t sticking wide open or anything, so it was drivable. It just really hurt the handling of the car. It didn’t make it much fun to drive.”
BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
How was your race today?
“This was by far the best day I’ve ever had at this race track. We really made some really good changes and I think that’s what kind of amplified our day some. To get going, I was like, ‘Gosh, this is going to be another tough day at Auto Club.’ Stayed with it and the team made really great adjustments. I don’t know on the spin what happened there, it was just a big dump of air or something maybe that caused the car to get really loose on us. This was a big, big upgrade for myself and Texas is coming up and we ran really good there in the past so I’m looking forward to taking my Supra back there.”
How close do you feel this team is to a win?
“I think when you’re in the top-five like this every week and you’re competing with the best, it’s just going to eventually come. We just have to keep doing the top-five thing and keeping ourselves in position. I keep saying it all year, but the pit crew has been phenomenal this year and everyone has just really come together on the team. We’re making it happen.”
How has the transition been to the Supra this season?
“The only thing that I can tell different from the Camry is the nose is a little more slanted in the front, so you lose a little bit of hood visibility for a driver. I’m actually looking at boosting the seat up maybe a little bit for the rest of the year and seeing if that will help us a little bit.”
