NCS Post-Qualifying Report – Daytona International Speedway
Four Toyotas qualify in the top 10 at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 9, 2020) – Defending Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin led four Toyotas in the top 10 in qualifying at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Toyota Racing Post-Qualifying Report
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Daytona International Speedway – February 9, 2020
TOYOTA STARTING POSITIONS
1st, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*
2nd, Alex Bowman*
3rd, Chase Elliott*
4th, Jimmie Johnson*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
6th, KYLE BUSCH
9th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
10th, ERIK JONES
21st, MARTIN TRUEX JR
36th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Qualifying Position: 5th
What’d you think of your run out there?
“I was happy with it. I thought that anywhere inside the top five I was going to be pretty happy with. Other than maybe 2016 or one of those years when we got the front row, it’s better than all the other results. Pretty happy with it. It gives us a great starting spot for Thursday and I know our car is going to handle really well. All is good.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Qualifying Position: 6th
Really solid lap out there. Talk about that lap on track and what you are looking forward to in The Clash.
“It was good. I don’t remember the last time we qualified that well, so that’s a positive, but only the front row is locked in, so we will go race in the duel – I’m looking forward to that. We get some racing in here this afternoon – that’s going to be fun. It’s pretty warm out, so it should be a good race. Hopefully, we can learn some things today and kind of set ourselves up. Even though they are different cars, I think you can still have a sense of what you are looking for in order to get ready for next Sunday.”
All of the Toyotas seemed like they drafted well in practice.
“There is four of us in the top 10, so that’s a good positive as well too. I’m looking forward to keeping all of us working together and having some good momentum.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 95 Procore Toyota Camry, Leavine Family Racing
Qualifying Position: 9th
Talk about your lap.
“It was nice. I think the car is really, really fast. I think we will have a great opportunity at it on Sunday. Just have to go out there and make the most of it.”
Did it feel any different out there?
“It’s obviously a really cool event and it’s one of the biggest events in motorsports. It’s got a lot of clout. Qualifying in an Xfinity car or a truck here versus a Cup car isn’t entirely different, so the feel on the track is the same, but the atmosphere is a little more in depth.”
ERIK JONES, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Qualifying Position: 10th
You were fastest in practice yesterday. How did the car perform in the draft?
“It felt pretty good. We kind of stuck to our normal practice plan at superspeedways, running in a pack with the Toyotas and just doing a couple of single-car runs. It felt good. It handled okay. I’m excited and just ready to get back in the car. Qualifying today and The Clash later should be a lot of fun.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Qualifying Position: 21st
Are Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota capable of having the same success they had last year?
“I think for us, our mindset is to try to do that again. I think we have confidence that we can do it. With that being said, it’s going to be difficult. Nineteen wins is a lot. Yeah, we’ll just have to wait and see, but I think we’re all excited about the season and looking forward to the low-downforce package on the short tracks and road couses. I think that’ll be good for us. You’ve got to try and continue to evolve and push things forward and I think that’s what the company is good at. With that said, I think we’ll have a great season and looking forward to it.”
James Small is not unfamiliar to you guys, but how’s it been having him call the shots these first few days?
“The first few days feel really normal. James is obviously – he’s been a huge part of what we’ve done the last few seasons. Honestly, I feel like we haven’t missed a beat yet. That being said, Daytona is a little bit unique. It’s kind of a lot simpler than what we’ll do starting in Vegas. We’ll see, but so far he’s doing a great job and everything feels normal.”
DANIEL SUÁREZ, No. 96 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota Camry, Gaunt Brothers Racing
Qualifying Position: 36th
What does it feel like to have to race in on Thursday?
“We have to race. We have to race hard. We knew that we would have a lot of challenges and that we didn’t also have the raw speed, but I know what I can do. I just have to go out there – what is it Wednesday, no Thursday – Thursday and get it done.”
Not running The Clash even though you were eligible, were you part of that decision to focus on the Daytona 500 car?
“That was really the main goal, to focus on the Daytona 500 car. Obviously, we just didn’t do enough of a good job, but we have to push hard and we have to keep working and try to keep up. I know that – obviously, we all know that the car doesn’t have the raw speed that we were expecting. We all were pretty shocked yesterday to see that, but I now what I can do and I know that I’m fast. I think we’ll be in good shape on Thursday. We just have to stay out of trouble.”
Do you feel like you need to stay with the Toyotas on Thursday?
“I think at this point we just have to do our thing and try to do what is best for myself. Unfortunately, there is not many Toyotas out there. Who knows? I hope I get lucky and get as many (Toyotas) as possible in my duel, but we’ll see. If that happens, great. If it doesn’t, I will have to just do my thing.”
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