TOYOTA NASCAR NOTES & QUOTES
July 7 – July 13, 2014
TOYOTA TIDBITS
SWEEP IN NEW ENGLAND: Last year, Camry drivers swept the two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Brian Vickers picked up the first-place trophy in July at the New England track and Matt Kenseth crossed the finish line first in September.
BRIAN BACK TO VL: One year ago, Camry driver Vickers won the July NSCS race at New Hampshire. It was Vickers’ third career NSCS triumph and his second in a Camry — after winning at Michigan in 2009. More importantly, it was the first win for Vickers since missing eight months in 2010 due to blood clots, and before he also had to take off the end of the 2013 season for the same reason. The victory came in the Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) No. 55 Camry, which Vickers drove in a partial schedule in 2013. This season, the Thomasville, N.C.-native is back behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry for a full season. Last weekend, Vickers was the runner-up in the rain-shortened Daytona race.
CREW CHIEF COMES HOME: The return to New Hampshire is a homecoming for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) crew chief Dave Rogers, a native of nearby Marshfield, Vt. Rogers, the crew chief of the No. 18 Camry driven by Kyle Busch, joined JGR in 1998 and served as an engineer until the end of 2005 when he became crew chief for JGR’s No. 20 NNS team. Rogers took over crew chief duties for Busch in 2009. Another member of the JGR team also has New England roots. Jason Shapiro, the car chief for Kenseth’s No. 20 Camry, is a native of Essex, Conn.
TUNDRA STREAK CONTINUES: Tundra drivers have won a record-setting 10 consecutive races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) — dating back to last year when Erik Jones won at Phoenix and Busch captured the season-finale in Miami. This year, Tundra drivers have swept the first eight races of the 2014 season with Busch winning five times (Daytona, Kansas, Charlotte, Dover and Kentucky), Matt Crafton visiting victory lane twice (Martinsville and Texas) and Darrell Wallace Jr.’s win in St. Louis. The previous record for consecutive wins by one manufacturer was eight — set in 1995 (Chevrolet) and 2001 (Dodge).
THORSPORT THRIVING: ThorSport Racing teammates Johnny Sauter and Crafton currently sit first and second in the NCWTS point standings entering the Iowa race weekend. Sauter currently holds the top spot in the standings by eight points and has four top-five finishes and seven top-10 results in 2014. Crafton has a pair of wins this season (Martinsville and Texas) and five top-10 finishes.
TOYOTA’S 10 YEARS IN NASCAR: Toyota is celebrating its 10th anniversary in NASCAR this year. Here is another highlight from Toyota’s first 10 years in the sport. Toyota earns its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole position with Dave Blaney at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (June 29, 2007).
NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS): Camry driver Matt Kenseth is currently fifth in the NSCS standings — trailing Jeff Gordon by 71 points … Kenseth has six top-five finishes and 11 top-10 results this year … Camry drivers Kyle Busch (ninth), Clint Bowyer (12th), Denny Hamlin (14th) and Brian Vickers (16th) also rank in the top-20 in the point standings following 18 of 36 races this season … Four different Camry drivers have won races at New Hampshire — Kenseth (9-22-13), Vickers (7-14-13), Hamlin (9-23-12) and former Toyota driver Joey Logano (6-28-09).
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
How important was last year’s win at New Hampshire?
“It was huge. It was extremely important for so many reasons — trying to reaffirm my career back in the Sprint Cup Series — obviously winning always helps. But, I think for me personally, it was a huge accomplishment going from not knowing if I would ever race again ever and to being back in victory lane in the Sprint Cup Series — which was a goal. My ultimate goal when I decided to come back was to win, but to also win the championship. That win (at New Hampshire) was a huge step in the right direction and I was just so thankful to have the opportunity to race in the 55 car with MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) and Aaron’s and Toyota. The opportunity they gave me after being out for so long was huge and something I’ll never forget, and the ability to be a part of that team to get back in victory lane was very special.”
What did you take away from the team’s recent test at New Hampshire?
“We definitely learned some things. Obviously, the rules have changed some and the setup we ran last year we can’t necessarily run this year. It is always nice going back to a track that you’ve won, especially recently. It brought back a lot of great memories being at Loudon. I was really happy with the test. I thought everyone at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) and the Aaron’s team did a great job, was really happy with the kind of balance of the car and the setup we left with. We had good speed, but in general you’re fighting for so little these days. The box is so tight. We spend a lot of money testing and don’t always see huge gains and it’s tough. As long as the rules allow you to test, you have to test to be competitive.”
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS): Camry driver Elliott Sadler sits second in the NNS point standings … He trails leader Regan Smith by 12 points … Sadler has one win, five top-five finishes and 11 top-10 results this year … James Buescher (eighth) is also in the top-10 in the NNS point standings following 16 of 33 races this season … Kyle Busch has four NNS wins in a Camry at New Hampshire … He has picked up first-place trophies at the New England track in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 … Former Toyota driver Tony Stewart also has a win at the track in a Camry in 2008.
ELLIOTT SADLER, No. 11 OneMain Financial Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How much of a learning process is it racing against some of the younger drivers for a championship?
“We just know week-in and week-out these guys are going to be strong and we’re just going to have to bring our A-game. Rule number one in racing — and I don’t care if you’re racing in Trucks or Nationwide or Cup — most of the guys are going to race you how you race them. It doesn’t matter whether you’re leading the points or not — if you give room and respect to this guy at the beginning of the race, he’s going to do the same for you and vice versa.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS): Behind Tundra drivers Johnny Sauter (first) and Matt Crafton (second) in the point standings are Toyota racers Timothy Peters (third), German Quiroga (sixth), Darrell Wallace Jr. (eighth) and John Wes Townley (ninth) after eight of 22 races this season … Peters is a two-time winner at Iowa Speedway … He picked up his pair of wins at the short track in 2012 and 2013 … Former Toyota driver Mike Skinner also has a win at Iowa in 2009 … Red Horse Racing’s German Quiroga started from the pole at Iowa last year — becoming the first driver from Mexico to earn a pole in one of NASCAR’s three national series.
MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota Tundra, No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota Tundra
What do you enjoy about racing at Iowa?
“We’ve been pretty good at Iowa, and I think it’s really because that track fits my driving style. Iowa doesn’t drive like a short track, even though it’s less than a mile. You might think I’m crazy, but to me, it drives more like a mile-and-a-half track — with the taste of a short track. The trucks can run wide open around there, making it not only a challenge but a bunch of fun.”
TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER – New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NSCS and NNS)& Iowa Speedway (NCWTS)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Camry
Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Camry
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Camry
Alex Bowman, No. 23 Camry
Cole Whitt, No. 26 Camry
Brian Vickers, No. 55 Camry
Jeff Burton, No. 66 Camry
Ryan Truex, No. 83 Camry
Joe Nemechek, No. 87 Camry
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Blake Koch, No. 10 Camry
Elliott Sadler, No. 11 Camry
Derek White, No. 13 Camry
Eric McClure, No. 14 Camry
Mike Bliss, No. 19 Camry
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Camry
Matt Frahm, No. 44 Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 54 Camry
James Buescher, No. 99 Camry
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
John Wes Townley, No. 05 Tundra
Joe Hunter Nemechek, No. 8 Tundra
Jeb Burton, No. 13 Tundra
Timothy Peters, No. 17 Tundra
Mason Mingus, No. 35 Tundra
Erik Jones, No. 51 Tundra
Darrell Wallace Jr., No. 54 Tundra
German Quiroga, No. 77 Tundra
Matt Crafton, No. 88 Tundra
Johnny Sauter, No. 98 Tundra
SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE
For NASCAR images visit: www.toyotaracingmedia.com. Social media: @ToyotaRacing, #LetsGoPlaces, www.facebook.com/toyotaracing and www.youtube.com/toyotaracingusa.
