TOYOTA NASCAR NOTES & QUOTES
August 4 – August 10, 2014
TOYOTA TIDBITS
RECORD-SETTING RUN: Tundra drivers won the first 10 races in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) competition this year to set a NASACAR record before the streak ended last Saturday at Pocono. The win streak, which totals 12 consecutive race wins by Toyota drivers, began last season when teenager Erik Jones captured the checkered flag at Phoenix International Raceway (11-8-13). The 12 straight victories is the longest string of wins by one manufacturer in the 19 year history of the series. The previous mark for consecutive wins in the NCWTS was eight — by both Chevrolet (1995) and Dodge (2001). Tundra drivers to register wins during the streak included Kyle Busch (Miami, Daytona, Kansas, Charlotte, Dover and Kentucky), Matt Crafton (Martinsville and Texas), Darrell Wallace Jr. (St. Louis and Eldora) and Jones (Phoenix and Iowa).
WATKINS GLEN WINNER: Toyota has two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) victories at Watkins Glen International (WGI), and Camry driver Busch has registered both wins in his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 18 Camry. Busch earned the first Watkins Glen victory for Toyota in 2008 at the upstate New York road course when he started from the pole after qualifying was cancelled due to rain and was out front for 52 (of 90) laps in the event. He led a one-two JGR sweep as former Toyota driver Tony Stewart finished second. Last year, the now 29-year-old driver led the final 29 circuits at the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course to notch his second career victory there. Busch has eight top-10 finishes in nine starts at Watkins Glen and also earned the pole in 2011.
LOOKING FOR A SWEEP: Busch has won at 18 of the 23 race tracks on the current NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) schedule and has collected a record-setting 66 career NNS victories, but he has yet to cross the finish line first in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen. He has recorded top-10 finishes in five of the last six races in NNS competition at Watkins Glen, including back-to-back runner-up results in 2008 and 2009.
500 TOYOTA STARTS: Busch is set to make his 500th career NASCAR start in a Toyota next Saturday in the NCWTS race at Michigan International Speedway. In 497 starts, Busch has compiled 114 wins behind the wheel of a Toyota vehicle and led the field for more than 24,000 laps.
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. Camry driver Busch earns Toyota’s first win at Watkins Glen International, leading 52 laps (of 90) at the upstate New York road course (Aug. 10, 2008).
NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS): Camry driver Matt Kenseth is currently fourth in the NSCS standings — trailing Jeff Gordon by 89 points … Camry drivers Clint Bowyer (ninth), Kyle Busch (10th) and Brian Vickers (18th) also rank in the top-20 in the point standings following 21 of 36 races this season … Andy Graves, vice president of chassis engineering at TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development), is from Mexico, N.Y. … Graves serves as the Sprint Cup Series program manager for TRD, and has been with the company since Toyota joined the series prior to the 2007 season … Brian Pattie, crew chief for Clint Bowyer and the Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) No. 15 Camry has four wins at Watkins Glen International, including wins in all three NASCAR national touring series … Pattie won three times with Ron Fellows, including a win in the Camping World Truck Series in 1999 and back-to-back wins in the Nationwide Series in 2000 and 2001 … Pattie was also victorious in the NSCS with Juan Pablo Montoya in 2010 … Camry will serve as the official pace vehicle this weekend at Watkins Glen International.
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Are you looking forward to returning to Watkins Glen?
“I love Watkins Glen. I enjoy the road courses — both of them — but more so Watkins Glen. I just have a better feel for that place whatever it is that allows me to do well there and so I’m excited about getting to Watkins Glen and hopefully being able to get that monkey off our back in that Nationwide Series there and bring home a trophy. I’ve not won at that place in Nationwide yet. And, to carry on our Cup success there that we’ve had over the last few years and sweep the weekend.”
What is your favorite part of the Watkins Glen road course?
“I’d say my favorite part about Watkins Glen is just the speed that you get to go there. You’re going 170, 180 miles an hour at a road course. That’s fast. It’s pretty unique the way that place is and how it’s laid out going through turns two, three, four and up through the esses grabbing gears, shifting and really hunkering down carrying some good speed down the backstretch.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 RK Motors Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Why are you good at the road courses?
“I don’t know that I’m that great but I do enjoy them. Sonoma is a little better for me than Watkins Glen but we’ve had some decent finishes the past few years. I’m not really sure why. You’ve really got to have everything go right on the road courses. You can’t make dumb mistakes, dive bomb someone and crash, take yourself out of the race. I think we can get a good finish, we just have to have everything go right and not do something that takes us out of the running for a good finish.”
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How is racing at Watkins Glen different from Sonoma?
“Everyone always loops together Sonoma and Watkins Glen since they’re both road courses, but they’re both very unique and different from one another. I actually always tend to compare Watkins Glen to Michigan since it’s a really fast track where you keep your momentum up. I really like Watkins Glen, but the chicane is a tough part on the track and I feel that there’s a lot of time that can be gained or lost there. The guys who do well in the race generally seem to have that chicane figured out, so that’s always a focus for me when we go there. The road course races over the last few years have been some of the most exciting finishes we’ve seen, so I really expect something very similar this weekend.”
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS): Camry drivers Elliott Sadler (third) and James Buescher (10th) are currently in the top-10 in the NNS point standings following 20 of 33 races this season … A Camry has been victorious twice in the Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen with former Toyota driver Marcos Ambrose … Ambrose won three straight years at Watkins Glen, notching wins in a Toyota in 2009 and 2010 (he also won in 2008).
JAMES BUESCHER, No. 99 Toyota Care Toyota Camry, RAB Racing
Do you enjoy road course racing?
“Road racing is a totally different beast. It’s fun and challenging all at the same time. You really have to concentrate the whole time otherwise it’s easy to make a mistake that could cost you. Watkins Glen is a fast and demanding road course, I’m really looking forward to getting back on track there this weekend and using what we’ve learned at Road America to secure our Toyota Care team a solid finish.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS): Tundra drivers Johnny Sauter (second), Matt Crafton (third), Darrell Wallace Jr. (fifth), German Quiroga (sixth), Timothy Peters (eighth) and Jeb Burton (10th) rank in the top-10 of the NCWTS point standings after 11 of 22 races this season … The NCWTS enjoys an off-weekend before returning to action at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 16.
TOYOTA 2014 NASCAR STATISTICS
Series Races Starts (Drivers) Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Times Led Laps Led
NSCS 21 197 (19) 2 25 46 5 99 923
NNS 20 195 (37) 5 30 50 6 74 1,361
NCWTS 11 117 (17) 10 31 59 5 72 1,386
TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER – Watkins Glen International (NSCS and NNS)
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
Joe Nemechek, No. 66 Camry
Ryan Truex, No. 83 Camry
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Blake Koch, No. 10 Camry
Elliott Sadler, No. 11 Camry
Eric McClure, No. 14 Camry
Mike Bliss, No. 19 Camry
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Camry
Carlos Contreras, No. 44 Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 54 Camry
Kenny Habul, No. 75 Camry
James Buescher, No. 99 Camry
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