TOYOTA NASCAR NOTES & QUOTES
Week of August 29 – September 4, 2011 TOYOTA TIDBITS
BACK AT BRISTOL: Martin Truex Jr. was the top Toyota (second) in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Bristol Motor Speedway, his best finish of the season and best in a Camry. Denny Hamlin (seventh) and Kasey Kahne(11th) both buoyed their standing in the points with strong finishes in the 500-lap event. Kyle Buschclaimed his 50th career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) win in the 250-lap event on Friday night, placing the 26-year old Las Vegas native at the top of the all-time NNS win list. Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate Joey Logano took second by only .019 seconds — the closest finish in Bristol history. Wednesday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race saw three Tundra drivers claim top-10 finishes — Todd Bodine (third), Timothy Peters (fifth) and Justin Lofton (seventh).
HOME OF HISTORY: Buschguided the Toyota Camry to its first points win in the NSCS at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) in March of 2008. Busch’s Camry proved dominant in that event and he led a race-high 173 laps (of 325), including the final 40. Busch, who recently registered his 100th career NASCAR victory, went on to win eight NSCS races in 2008, his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Since capturing that first NSCS points win in 2008, Camry drivers have gone on to win 38 NSCS races since the start of the 2007 season.
A PLACE IN THE CHASE: Positioned on the NSCS schedule just prior to the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff, the AMS race could prove critical for drivers fighting to qualify. For some, like Camry driver Hamlin – – currently 13th in the standings — a strong finish in Atlanta could secure a top-10 spot or ‘wild card’ berth in the Chase. Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing Team driver Kahne (15th), and others further outside the top -10, are aiming for a win in Atlanta to possibly also earn a chance at one of two ‘wild card’ berths into the Chase.
CENTENNIAL START: Camry driver Loganowill make his 100th career NSCS start in Atlanta this weekend. En route to 100 starts, Logano became the youngest winner in NSCS history (New Hampshire Motor Speedway, June 28, 2009 ), has 28 top-10 finishes and has started on the pole three times. Reaching the milestone in Atlanta will have added significance for the Connecticut-native who grew up racing Bandoleros and Legends cars on the AMS short track. Logano dominated in Legends cars as a youth in Atlanta, winning 14 consecutive races over two seasons and a national championship.
DELOACH FROM DOWN IN GEORGIA: When the NCWTS visits AMS, Red Horse Racing team owner Tom DeLoach will return to his home state. DeLoach is a native of Statesboro, Ga. and studied chemical engineering at Georgia Tech (GT), where he continues to serve as vice chairman of GT’s Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Advisory Board. The GT alum purchased the team prior to the 2005 season and fields two trucks — the No. 7 (Miguel Paludo) and No. 17 (Peters) — in the NCWTS. Prior to his NASCAR ownership, DeLoach held various positions in the oil industry, including worldwide coordinator of Mobil’s motorsports program from 1993 until his retirement from Mobil Corporation in 2000.
TUNDRA WINS COME TWO BY TWO: Dating back to 2006, Tundra drivers have won every other NCWTS race at AMS. When the track hosted two NCWTS events annually, Tundra drivers won the spring race for three consecutive years starting with Bodine in 2006, Mike Skinner in 2007 and Busch in 2008. Busch also won at the track in 2009 when AMS began hosting just one NCWTS each season, but finished second to Kevin Harvick in 2010. If the pattern continues, a Tundra driver is due to visit victory lane in Atlanta in the 2011 NCWTS race.
NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS NASCARSprintCupSeries(NSCS): Since the start of the 2011 season, Toyota drivers have combined for five victories, 29 top-five results, 54 top-10 finishes and have led 2,020 laps … After 24 races, Kyle Busch leads the series point standings and is locked into the Chase championship playoff with two races to go before the cutoff … Denny Hamlin (13th) is currently 38 points out of the 10th position, which would lock him into the Chase … Kasey Kahne (15th) sits 54 points out of 10th … Kahne won the inaugural Labor Day weekend NSCS night race at AMS in 2009 and has two victories at the track (2006 and 2009) … Busch is one of four drivers eligible in the Sprint Summer Showdown …
Busch, fan Dana Hardie and the Kyle Busch Foundation will each win one million dollars from Sprint if Busch is victorious in the Atlanta NSCS race… Bobby Labonte has six wins in Atlanta, the most of any active driver, and two pole positions … In addition to Labonte, Camry drivers Kahne, Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. have all won poles in Atlanta … Busch (fifth) was the top -finishing Toyota when the NSCS last visited AMS … Dwayne Moore, a rear tire carrier for the No. 83 Red Bull Camry, is a native of Griffin, located just 10 miles south of the track …
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Pedigree Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing What is needed to be successful at Atlanta Motor Speedway? “It takes a lot of things. You have to have a lot of grip, you have to have a lot of downforce, you have to have tire management, a great engine and fuel mileage too.”
What challenges does the day-to-night race format present at Atlanta? “We practice all during the day, so the daytime practice is easy for the beginning of the race, but how the rac e track picks up speed and certainly gets faster throughout the night and of course the balance can change a little bit. With the speed getting faster, certainly the loads change a little bit for you so you have to be conscious of that. The crew chiefs are good at what they do and that’s why they get paid the big bucks is to try to figure out what best suits the cars for night time because that’s when the race is going to end. Certainly, you want to be good at night.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Charter Communications Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing How much pressure is there to make the Chase? “I think every week that leads into the first Chase race, there’s going to be more and more pressure. Especially if you’re going backwards and not forwards. The pressure will continue to build and that’s going to be a given. I feel better about it. I feel like we had some good meetings last week. I feel like we have a good game plan going forward on how we can improve our program, but it’s not something that’s going to change overnight.”
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Racing Camry, Red Bull Racing Team How did scuba diving at the Georgia Aquarium compare to your other action-sports endeavors? “It was definitely near the top of the list. And one thing that made it really special, I don’t know about maybe in a dare devil- type way, but the thought of doing this with sharks and all these incredible fish in this beautiful, almost ocean-like experience in downtown Atlanta kind of makes it a cool experience. You can scuba dive over and swim to the glass and wave to the people and it’s actually one of the best diving experiences I’ve ever had.”
NASCARNationwideSeries(NNS): During the 2011 season, Toyota drivers have combined for nine wins, 28 top-five results, 67 top-10 finishes and have led 1,468 laps … Kenny Wallace (seventh) is the top Toyota driver in the NNS point standings … Steve Wallace (eighth), Brian Scott (ninth) and Michael Annett (10th) are also in the top-10… Toyota has captured wins at 19 of 24 active tracks on the NNS schedule and AMS is one of five where a Camry is seeking its first NNS win … JGR driver Busch has wins in the NSCS and NCWTS at AMS, but not the NNS … In seven NNS starts in Atlanta, Busch has finished as a runner-up on three times, led 457 laps and twice started from the pole …
Ryan Truex will make his first start for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in Atlanta, the first of a six-race program. … Truex, the brother of Martin Truex Jr., is a two -time NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) champion with 17 career NNS starts … Idaho-native Brian Scott will run a Boise State Broncos paint scheme on his No. 11 JGR Camry in Atlanta … While Scott’s Boise State-decaled Camry races on AMS’s 1.54-mile track on Saturday night, the Broncos will play the University of Georgia at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing What are you expecting at Atlanta Motor Speedway? “Atlanta is a track where we haven’t run as well as we’d like in the Nationwide Series. It’s a fast track with a lot of options, there are multiple lines and a driver can compensate for some handling issues by changing lines. The pavement is worn out, so there isn’t a ton of grip, so you’ve got to hustle the car around the place. It’s just a lot of fun to race there.”
NASCARCampingWorldTruckSeries(NCWTS): Since the start of the 2011 NCWTS season, Tundra drivers have registered eight wins, 27 top-five results, 49 top-10 finishes and have led 795 laps … After 16 races, Timothy Peters (third) is the top Toyota driver in the NCWTS points standings and sits just 15 points behind leader Johnny Sauter … Tundra drivers have won four of 11 NCWTS races at AMS … Kyle Busch has four NCWTS wins in Atlanta and is the only driver to have more than one Truck Series win at the track … In the NCWTS, Busch has finished no worse than eighth at the track, has one pole and has led 206 laps, the second most in track history … Tundra driver Max Papis claimed his first race victory on American soil at nearby Road Atlanta in Braselton in a 1996 IMSA event.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN, No. 62 South Point Hotel and Casino Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing What do you like about Atlanta? “Atlanta — that is the style of race track that normally fits my style. I love those big, fast places. That’s always been my kind of ‘M.O.’ — the big, fast places. Lately, we’re trying to put a bunch of emphasis on our short track stuff. We’re working hard on our aero platform and something that I like aero-wise. Atlanta is going to be a really big turning point for our bunch of guys because we’re going to do something different there than we’ve been doing all year. I’m hoping it’s going to be a great Atlanta race and a typical me at Texas or Vegas, where I love those big high -speed places.”
TOYOTA 2011 NASCAR STATISTICS Series Races Starts (Drivers) Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Times Led Laps Led NSCS 24 287 (18) 5 29 54 4 178 2,020 NNS 25 195 (22) 9 28 67 4 82 1,468 NCWTS 16 182 (28) 8 27 49 2 42 795
TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER – Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry Kasey Kahne, No. 4 Red Bull Camry Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Charter Communications Camry Casey Mears, No. 13 GEICO Camry Kyle Busch, No. 18 Pedigree Camry Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Camry Bobby Labonte, No. 47 Bush’s Best Baked Beans Camry Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry Mike Skinner, No. 60 Big Red Camry Michael McDowell, No. 66 HP Racing, LLC Camry Brian Vickers, No. 83 Red Bull Camry Joe Nemechek, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Camry NASCAR Nationwide Series Kenny Wallace, No. 09 G-Oil Camry Brian Scott, No. 11 Boise State Broncos Camry Kyle Busch, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Camry Ryan Truex, No. 20 Schick Camry Michael Annett, No. 62 Pilot/Flying J Camry Steve Wallace, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Camry John Jackson, No. 72 crashclaimsR.US Camry Joe Nemechek, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Camry NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Todd Bodine, No. 5 International Tundra Justin Lofton, No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Tundra Miguel Paludo, No. 7 Stemco Duroline Tundra Butch Miller, No. 07 Tundra Max Papis, No. 9 GEICO Tundra Timothy Peters, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Tundra Kyle Busch, No. 18 Dollar General Tundra Johanna Long, No. 20 Panhandle Grading Tundra Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra David Starr, No. 81 Zachry Tundra Josh Richards, No. 151 Joy Mining Machinery Tundra
WEEKEND RACE SCHEDULE Fri., Sept. 2 — NCWTS @ Atlanta Motor Speedway – 8:00 PM (ET), SPEED — Race 17 of 25 Sat., Sept. 3 — NNS @ Atlanta Motor Speedway – 7:30 PM (ET), ESPN2 — Race 26 of 34 Sun., Sept. 4 — NSCS @ Atlanta Motor Speedway – 7:30 PM (ET), ESPN — Race 25 of 36
