DENNY HAMLIN WINS THE TOYOTA 500 AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY
Hamlin scores his second win of the season
DARLINGTON, South Carolina (May 20, 2020) – Denny Hamlin drove to victory in a rain-shortened Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Darlington Raceway
Race 6 of 36 – 311.4 miles, 228 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, DENNY HAMLIN
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, Kevin Harvick*
4th, Brad Keselowski*
5th, ERIK JONES
10th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
11th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
27th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
33rd, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx “Delivering Strength” Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Are you happy to have won tonight’s Toyota 500 at Darlington?
“I’ve got my happy face on and made sure I brought it with me today. Just can’t thank FedEx and Toyota and Coca-Cola, Jordan Brand – the whole JGR engine and fab shop. The pit crew did a great job today. Everybody really. I was pretty happy with how it all turned out.”
What does it mean to win at Darlington again?
“This is a driver’s race track. You can move around, you can do different things to make your car handle. We got it right today.”
What was going through your mind on old tires coming to the final restart?
“The weather really didn’t play a factor in our call there. It was really, we were limited on tires. We had just come to take tires, which was our last set, but we had a set of one-lap scuffs. They weren’t glued up in time. We didn’t have time to glue them. The only choice for us was to stay out. We were really the best car on that long run anyway. I think the right car won.”
Did you feel the field was more intense with a shorter race and a threat of weather?
“It was good. The distance was perfect. It’s not too little and it’s not too much. I think the distance was perfect. I think it gives you enough racing to where things work out and you can still make your way from the back to the front and be able to win the race. It’s not too short. I’m in favor of these types of races.”
What is it about Darlington that suits your driving style?
“I run good here. Sometimes I run a different line here than most. It just works and it’s always worked. I don’t know what it is. It’s awesome to win here with the Toyota 500. Ever since I came here for my very first Xfinity start and got a top-10, that essentially got my job in the Xfinity Series, there’s something about me and this track that works.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What took place between yourself and Chase Elliott?
“There’s no question I know, I made a mistake and just misjudged the gap. When we were racing there with the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and the 9 (Chase Elliott) had a run on him. I knew he was there and I knew I needed to get in line as quick as I could and in doing so, I watched him and his momentum as he was going by me. I tried to look up in my mirror and see where (Kevin) Harvick was to get in and I just misjudged and made a mistake and clipped the 9 there and spun him into the wall. I hate it for him and his guys. I have too many friends over there on that team to do anything like that on purpose. I’ve raced Chase since he was a kid and never had any issues with him whatsoever. It was just a bad mistake on my part and I’ll just have to deal with it later on.”
How did you leave it after crew chief Alan Gustafson spoke with you post-race?
“They’re mad, I’m not just going to fix it and we’re going to go have ice cream tomorrow. Obviously, they’re going to have to dwell on it and the repercussions of it for sure I’m going to have later on, down the road.”
ERIK JONES, No. 20 Stanley Tools Toyota Camry, Gaunt Brothers Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
Two great races for you at Darlington, talk about the run tonight.
“We were really strong. We had to start at the back. We had an unapproved adjustment there before the race and had to come from the back. But we made our way up pretty quick and got the car a lot better stop by stop. By the mid-part of the race, we were up contending in the top-five and challenging for the lead. Got the lead there and led for a while till I got in the wall hard enough that it made the car drive a little bit worse. Finally got the damage fixed and got back up in the top-five, and then the rain came. Good day, and a disappointing day. Disappointed that I made a mistake and cost us a shot to win a race there, but another good points day for us and our first top-five, so hopefully we can keep the momentum rolling. We’ve been a little bit better each race so far.”
How does this solid start bode well for you as we head into Charlotte?
“I think it’s good. We’ve done a good job at these first two with no practice. I think we can continue down that path. I’ve been putting a lot of work in the simulator and been trying to get things close for when we fire off on race day in the race. It’s been paying off. I’m going to continue that trend. Hopefully, we can keep bringing good cars to the track to start the race and I’ll keep having shots to go out and win. Charlotte’s been good to us. We’ve had some issues there, but we’ve had some really fast cars. Hopefully, we can finish a few spots better.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
What happened in tonight’s race?
“We started the race off and started 15th and worked our way forward, I was really happy with the car early on. Worked our way towards the front and really the first two stages – or the first stage was good. Passed a lot of cars and got track position and felt like we had a top-three car. Got right there to the two leaders and couldn’t quite make the move. Traffic has been pretty tough there at Darlington. We were able to stay right there. Then stage two, we started off towards the front and stayed there again. Pit strategy got a little off there and we stayed out, took the lead and everybody else pitted that we were racing with so it was a little touch-and-go there for a minute, but we were able to hang onto third on that run as well. Got good stage points and then the restarts in stage three, our car was still really strong and we just kept getting bottom restarts and every one of them we would go backwards because the bottom is so bad. Just frustrating night. Felt like we had a top-three or four car again and maybe a shot at the leaad. When we were out front, we were really fast. Just frustrated. Hard to keep track position there when we would restart on the bottom. That was really the tale of the tape. The very last one, when the rain came, we were 10th and we were finally going to start on the outside and I was licking my chops with 20 (laps) to go thinking, ‘now we’re finally going to catch a break’ and then the rain came. Just wasn’t our night, but the guys on the Bass Pro Toyota did a really good job. Just a solid day and a good race car. Didn’t do what we quite should have.”
What did you think of starting with the inversion?
“I thought it was okay. The good cars still worked their way to the front. There was a few guys that started up there and had tough nights the other night and had fast cars. For the most part, it took a while for a lot of them, but Darlington is really a track position sensitive race track. We were able to overcome that, which was good and felt like we did a better job than most with that so that was cool. I think it’s a good theory and we’ll have to see how it plays out going forward.”
Was there more aggression in tonight’s race?
“I think everybody had a couple days to think about it and work on the race cars. Certainly I felt like there was more competitive cars tonight than there was Sunday. Everybody stepped it up, which we knew was going to happen. You give all these guys a couple days to work on something, they’re going to get it better. I was proud of our guys for making our car better for sure. We didn’t quite gain as much as we needed to, but it was definitely a good step in the right direction. I think everybody was just more comfortable and more confident in their cars. The nighttime, track definitely had more grip so there was more options. You could be more aggressive because of the grip in the track. Pretty typical for a night race.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 95 Procore Toyota Camry, Leavine Family Racing
Finishing Position: 11th
Solid run tonight. Talk about that finish.
“We made the most out of those last couple restarts. I was fortunate enough to restart on the top and that’s a big advantage at a place like Darlington. I was able to bounce up through there those last couple restarts and make the most out of it.”
This weekend is your first Coke 600. Talk about your excitement heading into the tour’s longest race.
“Yeah, just pretty anxious about it. Obviously, it’s a really long race, so trying to make sure I’m as prepared as I can be. I just want to do a good job. I want to make sure I see the end of the race. After that one, the rest of them are going to feel short.”
# # #
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
