- Toyota driver Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
- Today’s win marked the fifth NXS victory for Toyota in 2015 and second for Hamlin.
- Busch’s victory was the 103rd for Toyota in the NXS since joining the series in 2007.
- The Chesterfield, Va.-native started from the pole and led a race-high 145 laps (of 200) en route to his first NXS win at the New Hampshire one-mile oval.
- Camry drivers Kyle Busch (fourth) and Daniel Suarez (fifth) also earned top-five finishes.
- Five Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the unofficial NSCS point standings –Suarez (seventh), David Starr (13th), JJ Yeley (14th), Blake Koch (18th) and Cale Conley (20th).
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 20 Sun Energy 1Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
What happened early in the race between you and teammate Kyle Busch?
“Two guys racing hard for a win, that’s for sure. The bottom line, if you don’t have any air on the outside of you, you just can’t hold it. I was an example of that about three times today. Drove so hard because my buddy Kenny Habul is sponsoring me for this race with the Sun Energy 1 Toyota and I just want to win for Kenny. He’s my buddy and I’d do anything for him and he’s been such a great supporter of me this year. Thank Wheels (Mike Wheeler, crew chief) for giving me the dominant car. We had the best car and wow, what a day.”
What happened on the final restart with Austin Dillon?
“He (Austin Dillon) jumped the restart for one. I’m the control car, but that’s fine. Eventually I was going to get back around him anyway, but same thing I was a fender ahead and he drove in there knowing that he was going to have to hold me low and hold the position and I just washed up into him. That’s two guys on a short track racing for the win.”
What happened in the two incidents where you got loose in the bottom lane?
“Two very vulnerable spots. I was on the bottom and I thought I would drive it in deep enough to where I could go ahead and clear those guys, but they drove in just as deep as I did and obviously I didn’t have any air and I washed up into them. I didn’t spin anyone out or anything, I wrecked myself in one of them and that’s just hard racing. You have to go for a win here.”
How were you able to come back from the early spin to win the race?
“We were able to get back in the top-10 within I think 10 laps or so after that spin and I knew right away that our car was very, very dominant and obviously tried a little bit too hard on that one restart with Kyle (Busch), we were on the bottom in kind of a vulnerable spot and I thought I got the jump on him good enough to where typically if you can get your nose out in front of the guy on the outside then you typically can get enough air to hold your car down low. He drove it in there just as deep as I did and I think he ran the middle lane and that just gives the guy on the bottom no opportunity to hold his car down there and I just washed up into him and spun. Obviously, we had a great car, we came through the traffic quick and knew from that point on that we had a pretty good car. We just had to execute and try to get to the finish line first.”
Did you feel Austin Dillon jumped the final restart and what happened from your perspective?
“I did feel like he (Austin Dillon) left early. I was the control car and I was going to wait – I typically start early in the box more restarts and I was going to wait until late in the box, but he took off right in the middle of the box and short of just stacking the field up and not going, I didn’t want to wreck everybody behind me so I just took off and conceded that he was just going to jump the start and really nothing was going to be done about it. There’s a misconception I think at this track on what responsibility the outside car has. The bottom lane at this track is the middle, it’s not the yellow line. Nobody runs on the apron at this race track. When you’re the outside car and you choose to run the middle and somebody is underneath of you, you run a risk of that car more than likely washing up into you. Everyone has done it, Austin’s done it, Kyle’s (Busch) done it sometimes in his career – we’ve all done it. When that outside car chooses to hold you down and pinch you down, typically they get the bad end of the deal. I got the worst end of the deal on the first one with Kyle, but when a car is on the bottom, I typically move up to the third lane to give the person an opportunity to stay underneath me. I did it with Kyle earlier in the race. I think he passed me twice and I kind of threw my hands up and moved up high and let him have the spot. With him and Austin, they both kind of ran the middle trying to protect their position like they were supposed to, but it just gives me no opportunity to save my car and I’m already committed to the bottom at that point. Once you let off the throttle and you turn down in, you’re hoping they give you the true bottom line, which is the middle, but when they don’t it’s typically you pinch and you pay type of a problem.”
What is it like to have a car this strong?
“It was a dominant car for sure. Can’t do it without these Joe Gibbs guys. Mike Wheeler (crew chief) assembled a great race team here and it’s just an honor to drive for these guys. Wanted to get a win for them and everyone at Sun Energy – Kenny Habul and those guys. You drive extra hard when you have your buddy on the hood.”
Did you know you could hold off the competition in the closing laps?
“We had the best car all day. That was evident and it wasn’t like we went up there and we stole one. Great job by this team. The pit crew and everyone did an amazing job. We just had the dominant car all weekend.”
Will you need to speak with Austin Dillon about the incident?
“To me, it’s not such a big deal that you have to sit down with somebody and talk about it. Definitely, it’s heat of the moment. We’re both racing for a win and I’ve been on the other side of somebody moving me out of the way for a race win inside 20 to go and especially at a short track, it happens. It’s part of short track racing. The two instances when I got into both Kyle (Busch) and Austin (Dillon), I didn’t wreck anyone. Yes, I moved both of them up the race track, but definitely didn’t spin anyone out and really the reason I spun out the time that I washed up was because I’m trying to stay off of them. You’re trying to race side-by-side, but when the top car commits to the middle lane, which is the bottom lane of the racing groove it gives that bottom car no opportunity to save his car.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
What happened on the pit stop when you wanted four tires and only got two?
“I wanted four (tires) and we didn’t get four so it doesn’t matter. We weren’t good enough to win anyway today and the 20 (Denny Hamlin) was so more power to him. I thought it was going to be a better race than that with us being able to have a better car, but I was just sideways all day – sideways getting in. I just had no grip.”
How strong was the car early in the race?
“We didn’t have a near winning car, we were just sideways loose getting into the corner. I was real disappointed with that, I thought we were going to be better than that. Just could not get into the corner and anytime anybody got up to my left-rear corner, I was just really loose then too also. Monster Energy Camry just wasn’t there today, I thought it was, but obviously the 20 (Denny Hamlin) had a better car than us and they showed that today. Disappointed to come home fourth. We have to get better and do our homework.”
Was the racing with your teammate Denny Hamlin intense?
“It was and I was loose and he was loose and two loose don’t make a right.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, No. 18 ARRIS Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was the race today and to earn another top-five finish?
“Definitely is good. Everything in this sport is a lot about momentum and I really think that our Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota No. 18 ARRIS has good momentum right now. Today was a long day – a lot of ups and downs, but the balance of the car was good. The car had a lot of speed and thanks to that, we made it work and we came back to the game. Happy about that, but we have to keep working and keep learning about these things to try to be better.”
What did you think about the contact between Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon?
“That’s racing, everyone is racing for the same spot. Everyone is racing hard and it’s really hard to pass on this race track, it’s tough. Sometimes you need to use your bumper a little bit and that’s what he did. That happened and it happened as well with the 54 (Kyle Busch) and the 20 (Denny Hamlin) and they are teammates. I’m pretty sure this is regular racing – two of the best cars were battling for the same position and they end up touching a little bit. I really think that is normal — that happens.”
JJ YELEY, No. 28 Texas 28 Spirits Stage Toyota Camry, JGL Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
ERIC MCCLURE, No. 24 Reynolds Wrap Toyota Camry, JBL Racing
Finishing Position: 18th
BLAKE KOCH, No. 8 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 20th
CALE CONLEY, No. 14 IAVA Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 21st
DAVID STARR, No. 44 Zachry Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 22nd
MATT WALLACE, No. 26 JGL Racing Toyota Camry, JGL Racing
Finishing Position: 33rd
