NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)

In Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Phoenix International Raceway, two Toyota drivers recorded top-10 finishes at the one-mile oval located outside of Phoenix, Ariz. Denny Hamlin was the top Toyota finisher with a third-place result and David Reutimann finished 10th for Toyota.

Hamlin started fifth in his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 11 FedEx Ground Camry and remained in the top-five most of the afternoon, gaining on race winner and series point’s leader Jimmie Johnson coming down the stretch. It marks his third top-three finish in the past four races.

“We had a third to fifth-place car most of the day,” said Hamlin, following the race. “Track position meant so much that anywhere you came on pit road, it was very tough to pass after that.  We had like a five second gap up to the 48 (Jimmie Johnson), and when I got to second and when I came back on the race track after a pit stop, I was right on his bumper.  Our pit crew did a good job closing that gap and we just pushed to try to get around him.  I ended up using myself up on that last 20 laps.”

Reutimann also remained in the top-15 most of the afternoon in the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry.

“We got behind in the middle point of the race there and then we got pretty good until we over adjusted and got it bad,” added Reutimann. “There towards the end we got it to be decent again.  We’ll have to try a little different approach next time when we come back.  The pit stops were awesome.  The guys did a great job today so I’m really happy with that.”

Camry drivers Marcos Ambrose (11th) and Kyle Busch (12th) also recorded top-15 finishes.

Other Camry drivers in the field included Joey Logano (21st), Robby Gordon (22nd), Max Papis (32nd), Scott Speed (33rd), Michael Waltrip (36th), Brian Vickers (38th), Joe Nemechek (40th), Michael McDowell (41st) and Dave Blaney (42nd).

In the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings, Hamlin remains in eighth-place and Vickers is in 12th-place. Busch (13th), Reutimann (16th), Ambrose (18th) and Logano (19th) are also in the top-20 in the point standings.

The NSCS returns to action for the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Nov. 22.

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)

In Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Phoenix International Raceway, three Toyota Camry drivers finished in the top-10 including Reed Sorenson (third), Mike Bliss (eighth) and Busch (ninth). 

“It was pretty good,” said Sorenson, of his Camry race car following the race.  “I thought we were pretty average all day and then that last run when the sun came down I thought we were really good.  Then we passed the 29 (Clint Bowyer) and then ran really good lap times there at the end so I think our last adjustment plus the sun going down gave us a really good car.  We were pretty happy with that.  I thought we had a car close at the end to contend with Carl (Edwards) but we could just never get up there.”

Busch, who started fourth in his JGR No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry, was involved in a spin on lap eight and battled back to contend with the leaders in the closing laps of the race.  The ninth-place result by the Las Vegas-native left him two spots shy of clinching the Nationwide Series driver’s championship at Phoenix and he will look to claim his first NASCAR title in the season finale next weekend.

Hamlin, who started from the pole position in his JGR No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry, led twice for 91 (of 200) laps before a spin on lap 158 relegated him to a 12th-place finish. 

“We had a good car at the beginning,” said Hamlin, following the race.  “On the restart, I chose the outside line to see if it would work and it just didn’t.  We lost track position and then our car got really loose on one lap and I just ended up heating up the right rear tire too much and then got shuffled back.  I just didn’t have the car right there at the end to be able to race those guys.”

Other Camry drivers in the field included Trevor Bayne (14th), David Reutimann (18th), Michael Annett (20th), Jason Leffler (27th) and Chris Cook (43rd).

The race saw six cautions for 29 laps, one red flag and three lead changes between two drivers -- Hamlin and race-winner Carl Edwards.

In the Nationwide Series points, Busch continues to lead the unofficial NNS standings with 5,487 points.  He now sits 190 points ahead of second-place Edwards.  Once he takes the green flag next weekend, Busch will clinch the 2009 Nationwide Series championship.  Toyota drivers Leffler (fourth), Annett (10th) and Logano (15th) are also among the top-15 drivers in the series standings.

The Nationwide Series will hold its season finale next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, November 21.  

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)

In Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Phoenix International Raceway, Busch was the top finishing Toyota driver with a runner-up result in the Billy Ballew Motorsports No. 51 Miccosukee Resort/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra.

Busch started fourth and led once for 30 (of 151) laps around the Phoenix track.

“We weren’t as good as the 4 (Kevin Harvick),” said Busch, following the race. “We did the best that we can and that’s all that we could come home with.  He (Kevin Harvick) kicked our butt pretty bad last year and we got a gain on it this year and that gain right there, we need another one and we’ll be able to keep up with them or try to at least beat him.  We kept up with him tonight but needed a little more.”

Aric Almirola was also in front of the field with his Billy Ballew Motorsports No. 15 Tundra for 52 circuits before Kevin Harvick took possession of the race for the win. Almirola went on to finish third behind his teammate Busch.

“It was a fun race,” said Almirola, following the race. “The race track widened out.  You could run two-wide pretty good.  The bottom lane was definitely preferred but you could move around.  It was a good race.  I’m just still disappointed, man, I want to get one of these wins some kind of bad.  We tried, we raced our butts off and we came home third.  That was what we had tonight.”

Tundra drivers Mike Skinner (sixth), Mike Bliss (seventh), David Starr (ninth) and Stacy Compton (10th) also recorded top-10 results. Other Tundra drivers in the field included Brian Scott (11th), Todd Bodine (12th), T.J. Bell (13th), Timothy Peters (16th), Tayler Malsam (17th) and Brad Sweet (22nd).

Skinner remains third in the unofficial NCWTS point standings following Phoenix and now trails leader Ron Hornaday, Jr. by 365 points. Tundra drivers Bodine (fourth), Scott (sixth), Starr (eighth) and Peters (ninth) are also in the top-10 in points with one race remaining this season.

The season finale for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is next Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Nov. 20.

Toyota NSCS Driver Finishing Positions at Phoenix International Raceway
3rd, DENNY HAMLIN
10th, DAVID REUTIMANN
11th, MARCOS AMBROSE
12th, KYLE BUSCH
21st, JOEY LOGANO
22nd, ROBBY GORDON
32nd, MAX PAPIS
33rd, SCOTT SPEED
36th, MICHAEL WALTRIP
38th, BRIAN VICKERS
40th, JOE NEMECHEK
41st, MICHAEL McDOWELL
42nd, DAVE BLANEY

Toyota Drivers in NSCS Point Standings -- following Phoenix International Raceway**
8th, DENNY HAMLIN 6,140 points##
12th, BRIAN VICKERS 5,826 points##
13th, KYLE BUSCH 4,310 points
16th, DAVID REUTIMANN 4,103 points
18th, MARCOS AMBROSE 3,767 points
19th, JOEY LOGANO 3,700 points
** unofficial point standings
## competing in the 2009 ‘Chase for the Sprint Cup’

NNS Driver Finishing Positions at Phoenix International Raceway
3rd, REED SORENSON
8th, MIKE BLISS
9th, KYLE BUSCH
12th, DENNY HAMLIN
14th, TREVOR BAYNE
18th, DAVID REUTIMANN
20th, MICHAEL ANNETT
27th, JASON LEFFLER
43rd, CHRIS COOK
Toyota Drivers in NNS Point Standings – following Phoenix International Raceway**
1st, KYLE BUSCH                           5,487 points
4th, JASON LEFFLER                     4,431 points
10th, MICHAEL ANNETT              3,498 points
15th, JOEY LOGANO                      3,206 points
19th, BRIAN VICKERS                   2,403 points
** unofficial point standings

Toyota NCWTS Driver Finishing Positions at Phoenix International Raceway
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, ARIC ALMIROLA
6th, MIKE SKINNER
7th, MIKE BLISS
9th, DAVID STARR
10th, STACY COMPTON
11th, BRIAN SCOTT
12th, TODD BODINE
13th, T.J. BELL
16th, TIMOTHY PETERS
17th, TAYLER MALSAM
22nd, BRAD SWEET

Toyota Drivers in NCWTS Point Standings -- following Phoenix International Raceway**
3rd, MIKE SKINNER 3,452 points
4th, TODD BODINE 3,277 points
6th, BRIAN SCOTT 3,180 points
8th, DAVID STARR 3,125 points
9th, TIMOTHY PETERS 3,124 points
11th, STACY COMPTON 3,024 points
12th, TAYLER MALSAM 2,908 points
15th, T.J. BELL 2,633 points
18th, KYLE BUSCH 2,454 points
20th, ARIC ALMIROLA 2,175 points
** unofficial point standings