NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

• Drivers Discuss Daytona


• Reutimann, Almirola Enjoy Florida Racing


• Truex Talks Transition

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: Toyota drivers combined for 11 wins, 42 top-five results and 75 top-10 finishes in 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races in 2009 … Denny Hamlin (fifth) and Brian Vickers (12th) qualified for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff … Kyle Busch (fourth) and Hamlin (fifth) recorded top-five finishes in Saturday night’s Shootout at Daytona … Vickers (Palm Beach, Fla.) and David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, Fla.) both call Florida home.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How did your knee feel following the Shootout Saturday night?
“It was good. It bothers me more to get to the car than it does actually in it. It’s better in the car than it is out. Sitting in the car, I’m more comfortable than I am anywhere. It’s a good thing that it’s a leg thing and maybe not an arm thing. It would’ve been a bigger issue if that was the case. I tested it right before the race started. I pressed down on the brake just as hard as I could and had some pit stops and was able to take off with the clutch and everything was smooth. Really, I didn’t even think about it until I went to get out of the car and I remembered, ‘Hey, I’ve got to be a little cautious getting out.’”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How has the new restrictor-plate affected the draft at Daytona?
“It’s easier to suck-up, but it’s a lot easier to stall-out people, too. I’m not sure if the stall-out effect is from the side wicker on the wing or not, because it seems like we can move each other around a lot more and I don’t know if that’s just a faster speed that we’re carrying or the different end plates on the wing. There’s some different effects to it, but until you get out there in a race and kind of get all the race scenarios underneath you and feel all that, you don’t really know for sure.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team

How important would it to be to you to win the Daytona 500?
“The importance of the Daytona 500 is huge -- it is our biggest race of the season and it sets the tone for the season. It's what we prepare for from the moment we leave Homestead until now. We would like to get the year off to a strong start, and we hope some of our momentum from last season carries over. It would really be great to start off the year in the top-10. We have as good a chance as anyone to win this race. Winning the Daytona 500 would mean the world to me. It is a fun, unique and exciting race.”

MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Kroger Florist Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing

What has been the most challenging part of racing at superspeedways?
“Just giving up control. I’m a bit of a controller. I like to think when I’m racing a car that I’m always in control. That’s what really gives me the confidence to really push it because I feel like I can save it. When you put yourself in a position at Daytona with 10 laps to go and you’re in the middle of three-wide, 20 cars deep, you’ve got no control there whatsoever. You’re just along for the ride. If you can accept that a bad thing may happen and it might not be your fault and just deal with it and go with it, then it’s fine. It took me time to really let myself go because it’s intimidating. There is nothing that gets you ready for that style of racing.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

How has the transition been with your move to Michael Waltrip Racing?
“The transition for me has been fun. A lot easier and a lot smoother than I thought it would go. I’ve been with the same team a long time and it’s hard to imagine going somewhere else. When you’re getting ready to make the move, it’s like you have all these questions, ‘How’s this going to go? How’s that going to go? What’s this going to be like? Is it going to be difficult?’ It went really well, it was smooth, easy. The folks at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) have done a great job of putting people in places that they need to be in making decisions and making things run smoothly. I’ve been impressed with every aspect of the organization.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: Toyota Camry drivers combined for 15 wins, 68 top-five and 127 top-10 finishes in 35 NNS races in 2009 … Busch -- the 2009 series champion -- won a series-high nine races … Toyota won its second consecutive Nationwide Series manufacturer’s title in 2009 … Brian Scott will contend for Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year honors in the Braun Racing No. 11 entry … Trevor Bayne will make his first career start at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday’s NNS race.

JASON LEFFLER, No. 10 ABF Toyota Camry, Braun Racing

Can you contend for the Nationwide Series championship this year?
“I think back on the mistakes that I made last year and the mistakes that we had with the race car -- if we get rid of all those, then we’re a lot closer than we were. Scott Zipadelli (crew chief) has made a lot of improvements to our cars over the winter, some personnel changes that I think will help and we’ve got one more season under our belt.”

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Diamond-Waltrip Racing

Are you excited to start the season?
“We couldn’t be happier to be here in Daytona. We’re a little bit nervous, I’ve never been to Daytona before so we have a whole new learning game in front of us. I think we can do it. It’s going to be good to get out here and do some drafting and learn this new ball game. This is the kind of racing that I’ve always looked forward to doing and just haven’t had the opportunity to do it because of my age. Now that I’m 18, I can finally race here at Daytona and we’re really excited.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: In 25 NCWTS races last season, Toyota Tundra drivers combined for 14 wins, 64 top-five and 135 top-10 finishes to give Toyota its fourth consecutive NCWTS manufacturer’s title … Former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. will make his first NASCAR start at Daytona in the No. 1 Red Horse Racing Tundra … Justin Lofton will compete for Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year honors in the No. 7 Red Horse Racing Tundra … Kyle Busch Motorsports will make its NCWTS debut at Daytona with Busch in the No. 18 Heluva Good Tundra and Tayler Malsam in the No. 56 Tundra … Aric Almirola is originally from Tampa, Fla.

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Germain Racing Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing

How do you pick a draft partner at Daytona?
“You chose who you want to work with on the fly. You can set a plan of who you want to work with and when the green flag drops your truck ends up in different places on the race track. You know what trucks you draft well with and what trucks push you well and you keep that in the back of your mind, and work yourself on the race track to try to get help from the other trucks. You have no friends out there, so you have to rely on yourself and get the other drivers thinking that they want to be with you.”

MIKE SKINNER, No. 5 International/Monaco RV Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports with HT

Does coming close to winning championships give you motivation to continue your racing career?
“I was going to retire a couple of years ago and we won five races that year. We had the championship won, and a loose left-rear tire cost us the championship. I think that might’ve been the best thing that ever happened to me. I would’ve liked to have had that championship, but by the same token, it fueled me to go on. A lot of times when you retire, you get old. I feel like it was an opportunity for me to stay in shape and get myself mentally and physically ready to go battle for another championship.”

TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER – DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry
Robby Gordon, No. 7 RGM Camry
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Camry
Max Papis, No. 13 GEICO Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M’s Camry
Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Camry
Kirk Shelmerdine, No. 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Camry
Reed Sorenson, No. 32 Dollar General Camry
Marcos Ambrose, No. 37 Kroger Floral Camry
David Gilliland, No. 49, Warner Music/Larry the Cable Guy Camry
Michael Waltrip, No. 51 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry
Michael McDowell, No. 55 Prism Motorsports Camry
Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry
Dave Blaney, No. 66 Prism Motorsports Camry
Scott Speed, No. 82 Red Bull Camry
Brian Vickers, No. 83 Red Bull Camry
Joe Nemechek, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Camry
Jeff Fuller, No. 97 NEMCO Motorsports Camry

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Jason Leffler, No. 10 ABF Camry
Brian Scott, No. 11 StopRepairBills.com Camry
Michael Annett, No. 15 Pilot Travel Centers Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Camry
Joey Logano, No. 20 GameStop Camry
Brian Vickers, No. 32 Dollar General Stores Camry
Kasey Kahne, No. 38 Great Clips Camry
Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Camry
Steve Wallace, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Camry
Trevor Bayne, No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Nelson Piquet Jr., No. 1 Red Horse Racing Tundra
Mike Skinner, No. 5 International/Monaco RV Tundra
Justin Lofton, No. 7 visitpit.com Tundra
Max Papis, No. 9 GEICO Tundra
Ted Musgrave, No. 15 Hope for Haiti Tundra
Timothy Peters, No. 17 K&N Tundra
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Heluva Good Tundra
Todd Bodine, No. 30 Germain Racing Tundra
Aric Almirola, No. 51 AkAwareness.com Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra
Tayler Malsam, No. 56 Kyle Busch Motorsports Tundra
David Starr, No. 81 Zachry Tundra