FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES Daytona 500, Page 3

February 20, 2011 Daytona International Speedway

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion – “We were pretty beat up and it was pretty hard to control. I should have known better. I should have just stayed in the back and hoped for a lucky dog or a wavearound, but Mark did a wavearound that time so we were trying to race him for the lucky dog. I was driving up there in traffic where I knew I wasn’t capable of doing with a car pushing me. Greg was trying to help me out to get me back on the lead lap, so we were coming up through the middle and he was pushing me. Logano put on a big block, so I had to get on the brakes and slow up for him and Greg couldn’t quite slow up and just got me turned around.”

WHAT HAPPENED? “First of all, I shouldn’t have gone up there to start with. I asked him to try to help me get the lucky dog or get back on the lead lap and he was staying with me, but in all that dirty air my car was so beat up and the suspension was so bad that I could hardly make it through the corner. I had to let off the gas all the time. I couldn’t run up there in all that turbulent air, but we caught the 20 and a couple of other cars. The 20 was by himself, slow and saw us coming. I was gonna split the middle and he went up to block so I had to slow up and when I got slowed up, I just got turned around.”

HOW MENTALLY CHALLENGING IS IT OUT THERE? “It’s just aggravating because you’ve got to either be shoving somebody or get shoved and it’s just kind of an aggravating way to race. You’ve got to watch your mirror and keep riding the brakes and try to get to somebody, or you’ve got to be in front of somebody and hope they slam the brakes so you can just slam them. It’s just a difficult way to race.”

GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 3M Ford Fusion – “I don’t know what happened there. I got a little sideways off of four. I don’t know if the 42 wasn’t pushing quite straight or what. I went sideways for awhile and got it gathered back up. Right when I got it gathered back up he hit me again and sent me into the fence on the outside. I just have to watch the replay. There is only so much you can do trying to drive these cars. I hurt my teammate four laps earlier the same way. You don’t mean to do it but you have to push to stay up with all the cars. Unfortunately that is what happened.”

HOW IS THE RACING OUT THERE AND WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU AND KENSETH? “Matt’s car was moving around, the air was moving it around. He was kind of stuck behind the 20 and I was trying to be easy. It looked like I bumped him and he got going and got straightened out and I started to go against him and he wasn’t quite done moving around. It just takes a touch at the right time when a guy is moving and you will turn him. Just like what happened with Montoya and I. He probably thought I was gathered back up and tried to push and we weren’t quite straight yet.”

WHEN YOU COME BACK IN JULY DO YOU THINK WE WILL SEE MORE OF THE SAME OF THIS, OR WILL YOU GUYS FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS OUT HERE? “I think we know what we are doing. We were tore up and it is unfortunate. It is luck of the draw. You have to have a good guy pushing you and your car can’t be tore up. The 99 and I worked great together; the 6 and I worked great. Matt’s car is torn to pieces and I don’t have an excuse for Montoya at this point.”

TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Daytona International Speedway –February 20, 2011

Bobby Labonte (fourth) was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Daytona International Speedway in his first start with JTG-Daugherty Racing.

Camry driver Kyle Busch (eighth) also posted a top-10 finish in today’s 500-mile event.

Other Camry drivers in the 208-lap race at the 2.5-mile superspeedway included Martin Truex Jr. (19th), Steve Wallace (20th), Denny Hamlin (21st), Joey Logano (23rd), Kasey Kahne (25th), David Reutimann (30th), Brian Vickers (31st), Joe Nemechek (39th) and Michael Waltrip (40th).

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Kroger / USO Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Finishing Position: 4th What happened on the final two laps? “I hooked up with the 21 (Trevor Bayne) right here before we ever got to the start finish line and pushed passed the white flag, and the guys back in the back were jockeying around. Obviously, I saw them coming and I went into (turn) three and I was just probably a quarter of a car length up too high, but I think of the 99 (Carl Edwards) and he might have went to the outside of us. He (Carl Edwards) was going so fast. He had a run on us. Congratulations to Trevor (Bayne) and the Wood Brothers — that’s awesome for those guys. We came home with a top-four with our Kroger USO Toyota Camry so that was good. It was a little wild out there today.”

What does it mean to you to start the season like this? “It means a lot. People are going to criticize me for not laughing or smiling enough or whatever, but I was still disappointed we didn’t win this Daytona 500. That’s going to bother me probably for a little bit, but I think by tomorrow morning. These guys did a great job today. We battled back from a near spin over there and we got a top-five out of it. Today was such a wild day. It was just a little bit too wild at times so to survive — I think, was a big thing.”

Did you think the racing was wild out on the track today? “It was eventful at times. We got kind of spun there one time and I hit Martin Truex (Jr.) there one time too hard off of (turn) four and got him on pit road and I hate that. In one way we thought it was going to be a good day — as far as a good day, solid day with not many yellows and then it turned out to be all kinds of stuff going on out there. The push deal was good but, man, you can get some guys out there that are just a little too aggressive on it. My car wasn’t fast enough at times. There at the end, it was a great day for us in our Kroger Toyota Camry. We’ve got USO onboard. Thank God for a great day and we just survived this thing and finished fourth. Wish we could’ve won, but it looked like the 99 (Carl Edwards) and 34 (David Gilliland) were coming with a full head of steam and we couldn’t really keep up with them.”

How important is it for you to get off to a good start with a new team? “It’s real important. In the points and the way the points are and everything. Attitude is everything and these guys have great attitudes. Frankie (Kerr, crew chief) did a great job today calling pit strategy — four tires, no tires sometimes. We had track position, we didn’t have track position – it was just pretty wild out there obviously. Trevor (Bayne) had a fast car and we saw that all weekend long. We were able to come home with a top-five and that was awesome for these guys.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 8th How wild was it out on the track? “I think TV will sum it up — pretty crazy day, overall. Everything was just all over the place and pretty nuts. Glad we were able to come out of this with a pretty good finish for our M&M’s Toyota. It felt good that we had a really fast race car. We just needed to get some help there and we got a lot of help with teammates and then trying to find some other guys that would help us — and there wasn’t many of them. We kind of did it on the end on the 78 (Regan Smith) car, just pushing him. To come home with an eighth-place finish — that’s not bad. That’s something that we can take and just get the heck out of here with.”

How much did all the damage to your race car affect you on the track? “There ain’t a car out here that doesn’t have damage on it, so I don’t know that damage was a real factor. Even the 21 (Trevor Bayne) car has got damage and he won the race. It was nuts. It was wild, just as wild as we all expected it.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued) How do you feel about heading to Phoenix next week? “Glad to go back to a regular race track that drivers matter and car handling matters. I’ve never been a real big fan of the restrictor-plate racing, but today was exciting and different and wild. You know, I had a little bit of luck on my side because at least I made it out unscathed, relatively.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Finishing Position: 19th How was your race today? “We had a decent day there for about the first 80 to 90 percent. We lost our partner, got shuffled back, almost got spun out — had to come down pit road. We kind of fell way back. Then we were just in the back on one of those last restarts and I don’t know what happened off of turn two. The 7 (Robby Gordon) was down on the apron and about spinning out. I got just totally slammed into the fence off of two and there was nothing I could do. It’s a shame for all these guys. You race all day — you race 500 miles and you get wrecked with two or three to go. It’s pretty frustrating. I have to thank everybody at NAPA and all the guys who work on this car — the guys at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). We had decent speed. We didn’t have one of the best cars out here. It seemed like the Fords could push and push and push all day. I could only push three or four laps — five laps and I would get hot. I couldn’t keep it cool. We have a little bit to work on for next time, but the car had enough speed to be up front if I could just get the right push. I just ran out of teammates at the end.”

How mentally challenging was today’s race? “It’s a lot, but it’s no different than anywhere else we go. You have to keep your head in the game all day long and we were able to do that. We were in a pretty decent position there until we got turned sideways down pit road and that kind of screwed our whole deal up. Wish it would have happened earlier so we could have recovered from it.”

STEVE WALLACE, No. 77 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 20th

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 21st What happened toward the end of the race? “I was just laying back and being patient and waiting for the right time to make a move. Mike (Ford, crew chief) and I decided with about 75 laps to go that we would go to the front. We hooked up with Ryan (Newman) and went right up through there. I was worried that if we gave up the middle lane and went three-wide that something would happen. I guess the 78 (Regan Smith) got turned and we had nowhere to go. We came to the pits and had too much damage to the nose to put on a new tire and lost a lap. It’s frustrating, for sure, because we executed our plan and were right in it with five or so to go and got caught up in a wreck.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 23rd

KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 25th

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 30th What happened that took you out of the race? “It’s just a product of this type of racing. It wasn’t Mike’s (Michael Waltrip) fault. The guys in front of us started moving up and when you’re pushing, you’re at the mercy of the guy in front of you. The guy in front has to tell you what’s going on and I probably was a little late there and got us both in trouble. I know it tore up a lot of cars and I hate that ended up happening. It’s unfortunately a product of this type of racing. In those situations you wish it was a single car wreck. You don’t want to mess everybody else up.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Finishing Position: 31st

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM FM Energy Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 39th

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 15 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 40th What happened that forced you out of the race? “The same thing happened twice. I was talking to Kyle (Busch) on the radio and we get there and at the last minute he says I’m going to the middle. Well, I’m pushing him and he says he’s going to the middle and he goes. And it spins him out. I have to know a little bit ahead of time. With Dave (David Reutimann), he warned me. He said, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do, chill out.’ So I was barely against him and then he said at the very last minute, ‘I’m going to the middle.’ They make that quick move and it just spins them out. I’ve been doing this all week and I haven’t spun anyone out. I’m involved in both of them and I don’t know what I could have done different. I was talking to the dudes and I just hate it. I hate it that my cars got tore up and I hate it that you have to be so aggressive so early. Maybe you don’t. Probably now you can see that probably waiting around would have been a good idea.”

What is this type of racing like on the drivers? “It’s crazy. It’s hard. I was so tired after yesterday and I was so tired after the 150s, mentally. You’re just so focused and you’re watching your temperature gauge and you’re wondering what’s up ahead, you’re wondering who’s catching you from behind. There’s just so many things happening mentally that it’s almost impossible to keep up with. It’s great having those guys on my radio. Kyle (Busch) was perfect to be talking to. He said, ‘I’m going to go to the middle.’ And when he went, it just was the change of direction that got him and then David (Reutimann) and I did the same darn thing. I’m real quick to say when I screwed up, but I don’t know of anything I could have done different. I was being gentle, I was being easy and those guys just made moves that turned them around.”

Kyle Busch and David Reutimann indicated that the accidents were not your fault — do you agree? “It was part my fault, as (Ken) Schrader would say because I was out there. When you go out there and race then you just assume part responsibility.”

How has your time in Daytona been for Speedweeks? “I got blessed Friday night and I just wanted to say thank you and that’s what this week was all about. I got to say thank you Friday night and I really wanted to say thank you again today, but it didn’t work out. You’re going to see some crazy stuff today. A lot of people don’t get it. This is the Daytona 500 and we’ve been sleeping all winter waiting for this race and I woke up this morning — a beautiful day. The crowd is amazing, the stands are packed. All of our sponsors are here – – so disappointing to leave early, but I’m going to become a fan now and a car owner and I’m going to those boxes and try to cheer one of my cars on.”

Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011       

Denny Darnell

Scott Sebastian

Dodge Motorsports PR

Daytona Int’l Speedway      

Daytona 500

Post-Race Quotes

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series                            

KURT BUSCH (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T) Finished Fifth “What a race.  On that last lap, I just needed to stay on the bottom of the track and it just didn’t seem like (Juan Pablo) Montoya could stay together and get enough steam built up on the run.  I was in perfect position to win the race, running third and just made a mistake.  It’s tough.  We came all this way and came up a little shy.  All in all, it was a great point’s day for us.  We’ll take it.  To have a run at history was something special.  I tried to block it out all day.  We fought through adversity when we knocked a hole in the grille.  For Shell/Pennzoil and Dodge, AAA, Coca-Cola…this was a great day.  Now we can move on to Phoenix and get the season started.  I’m real happy with this fifth-place finish.  To make a mistake on the last lap, I’m going to be the one that has the sour feeling in my stomach.

IT’S BEEN A GREAT SPEEDWEEKS FOR THE SHELL/PENNZOIL DODGE TEAM?  “It was a heart-fought battle all day.  Every lap seemed like it was something different today.  As the race got down to the end, I thought that I was in perfect position to put this Shell/Pennzoil Dodge car into victory lane.  We just kept battling back with different guys.  I feel horrible for Regan Smith.  Those guys were with us all day.  Tony Stewart came up behind us with a head of steam.  I got on the brakes as hard as I could not to hit the 78; he got the short end of the stick.  For us, finding different guys to work with, I thought I was in perfect position to bring it on home.  I was just one step behind on the last lap. I went to the middle; I needed to be on the low side.  I had Montoya behind me.  Those guys behind just pulled Juan away from my rear bumper and took away the head of steam that we needed.  We finished fifth.  This was a great Speedweeks.  It’s a great way to start off the season in the double-deuce.”

ROGER PENSKE (Chairman, Penske Corporation) “I think Kurt drove a masterful race today.  It was just one of those days at the end where we needed the right partner.  With all the green-white-checkered flags (two), you want to be careful because we’re running for the championship.  Two wins (Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duel) and a fifth-place today in the 500, this month at Daytona is a great finish for us.  It’s great for Dodge and Shell/Pennzoil and all of our sponsors.”

STEVE ADDINGTON (Crew Chief, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger) “What a stressful day!  We got a hole knocked in the grille and fought back to get our Shell/Pennzoil Dodge back up to the front.  Kurt was patient all day long and worked really well with Regan (Smith).  It was a tough deal for him getting spun like he did.  I just want to thank all the guys that lay a hand on this race car.  We had a great month and they worked their tails off to give us  race cars down here in Daytona.  It’s a great way to start the season.”

ROBBY GORDON (No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger) Finished 16th

“The 38 (Travis Kvapil), he’s a friend of mine, but he ran me over which ran me into Tony (Stewart) and that pinballed me out of there.  It’s disappointing.  We had a top-five race car and ended up 16t.  I’m very pleased, excited to be working with Dodge, excited about the Penske program.  Unfortunately, Brad and I got caught up there earlier in the race.   I thought we were going to be a good team together.  We run good at Phoenix.  I think we’ve solved a few of our problems, so I think we can have a good run at Phoenix. 

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T) Finished 29th “It’s just a late end of the race deal where everyone is just a little bit too aggressive to be pushing that hard.  Robby (Gordon) did his best to try and help me move up.  It’s one of those deals where I had two packs of cars in front of me and I needed just a little bit of help.  It wasn’t Robby’s fault.  Our Dodge’s worked really well together today and moved up to sixth or seventh and started to make a move.  My Miller Lite Dodge Charger was really fast.  We had a really strong car today.  We just got caught up in a wreck.”

HOW DICEY IS THE RACING OUT THERE TODAY?  “It’s really tough. You have to be really smart and patient.  It’s just hard for everyone to be patient out there when you know that there are only 30 laps to go in the Daytona 500.  Everyone is trying to find their dancing partner to get hooked-up and move to the front.”

BRIAN KESELOWSKI (No. 92 K-Automotive Dodge Charger R/T) Finished 41st (Involved in 14-car mishap in turns 3-4 on lap 29) “It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but it’s been a great week.  I’m just so thankful for everybody that has helped us out.  Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out today.  To get wrecked 30 laps into the race isn’t what we wanted.  We overheated early in the race, came in, cleaned it off (grille) and though we had a chance to work our way forward.  Something happened in front of us, cars got together and there was just nowhere to go.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR BRIAN KESELOWSKI?  “I sure hope to go to Phoenix.  I’ve said right along, I really want to go there, but I want to go competitively.  I want to make the show.  I want to race all the laps.  If I can’t do that, then I won’t go.  We’ll see where we are about Tuesday.  We’ll try to get the car together.  If we’re able to get the car together, then we’ll go to Phoenix.”

WHAT IS YOUR PLANS THE REST OF THE YEAR?  “I’m definitely trying to do the Cup races.  I’ve signed up for Rookie of the Year in the Cup Series.  I’ll be going against Andy Lally.  This is where I think I should be and go forward.  I think this can work out.  This was a great start; an unfortunate ending to a great start, but it was a great start at least.  I think if we can keep this ball rolling, we can make some things happen.”

COMING TO DAYTONA, WHAT WAS YOUR VISION FOR THE WEEK?  “Honestly, we came down on a shoestring budget at best.  We really hoped for the best, but realistically, didn’t think we had much of a shot at it (making the race).  When Brad got behind me in the 150, it was just all over from there.  We were going so far forward, I didn’t think it was ever going to stop.  It was a great weekend.  It really was.  We’ll put it back together and go racing again.”

STATEMENT FROM MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY PRESIDENT ROGER CURTIS ON FORD EARNING ITS 600^TH CAREER NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES VICTORY FOLLOWING TREVOR BAYNE’S DAYTONA 500 VICTORY

“Congratulations to Trevor Bayne and the No. 21 Wood Brothers team for winning the Daytona 500. What a tremendous accomplishment for Ford Motor Company to earn its 600^th career victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. This milestone was accomplished by the success of so many drivers and teams that have had Ford manufacturing background for decades in this sport. From the achievements of the Wood Brothers to Roush Fenway Racing, Ford has produced some of the greatest victories and champions this sport has even seen, including today’s Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne.

“We are no stranger to Ford’s success here at Michigan International Speedway. Drivers such as David Pearson, Bill Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin and Greg Biffle have all posted multiple victories in a Ford at MIS, giving the manufacturer a track record 31 Sprint Cup wins here. In fact, the Wood Brothers are tied with Jack Roush with the most Sprint Cup victories for an owner at MIS with 11. Their success in the Irish Hills of Michigan – the very heart of the automotive industry – has set a mark for success that will not be touched for some time. Congratulations to Ford and all their success.”

FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES Daytona 500, Page 1 February 20, 2011 Daytona International Speedway

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion – WHAT DID YOU SEE FROM YOUR SEAT? “Not a lot. I saw the 00 spun out and I just checked out. I was going pretty straight and they all started running over the top of me. I thought I had it saved and then I got spun down on the bottom, and then Jeff Gordon finished me off. We’re gonna get back out with the Stanley Ford Fusion. We’re excited to be at Daytona, it’s just a shame it ended this way.”

IS THIS AN ISSUE NASCAR WILL HAVE TO ADDRESS BEFORE TALLADEGA? “I don’t know. I’m just driving the race car. Whatever the rules are and whatever we’re doing I’m gonna be part of it, but it’s ruined our day. It’s been unfortunate for Stanley. It’s my first race for this team and it’s just a terrible way to do it.”

HOW WAS THE RACING OUT THERE? “It’s really close. Everybody is trying to find partners to work with and pull away. I think everyone is just trying to work out how to do it. Today, I was just trying to make sure I didn’t drop off the back without finding a good partner and got caught up in a mess, too. I was trying to play it safe and it didn’t work out too well for me.”

FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES Daytona 500, Page 2 February 20, 2011 Daytona International Speedway

ROBERT RICHARDSON, JR. – No. 37 Front Row Ford Fusion – WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE? “You know, it is crazy. That is what is happening today with that two car draft. Everyone is still trying to figure it out. I was running with my teammate Travis Kvapil and I was getting pretty tight off the corners and he was locked onto my bumper. I was trying to keep it out of the wall and he was still attached to me. The rest is history. I hate it. I hate it for Front Row Motorsports and everyone else that gave me an opportunity to run this race. It is definitely not Daytona racing. This two car draft stuff is pretty tough to deal with and try to get a handle on and trust the guy behind you. I am okay though.”

IS THIS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO GET ADDRESSED BEFORE TALLADEGA? “If they were going to address something, you would have thought it would have happened before this race. There are definitely some things they need to change to get it back to pack racing like it used to be. It is our job as racers to try to get away and break the mold a little bit though too. Hopefully by Talladega they will have something figured out so that all the cars can get back to big pack racing again.”