News

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

News Story

Toyota NASCAR Notes & Quotes - California February 2010

TOYOTA TALK:

Camry Drivers Chat About California
Leffler and Wallace Like West Coast Racing
Peters Ponders Championship Possibilities

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: Toyota combined for one top-five and two top-10 finishes in the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race of 2010 with Michael Waltrip Racing drivers David Reutimann (fifth) and Martin Truex Jr. (sixth) … The best result for a Camry driver in Fontana, Calif., has been a pair of third-place finishes by Kyle Busch (Feb. 2009) and Denny Hamlin (Aug. 2008) … Toyota drivers swept the Cup poles at Fontana in 2009 with Brian Vickers (Feb.) and Hamlin (Oct.) … David Reutimann will be making his 100th career NSCS start in a Camry this weekend at California … Camry driver Robby Gordon is originally from Orange, Calif.

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

What does it take to run well and win at California?
“A very versatile race car is needed for California. A lot of races at California, you’re chasing Jimmie (Johnson). He’s three lanes up on the race track -- I know which line he runs -- but it’s just so hard to match that because they’ve got a magic setup. If we could figure it out, it would definitely help us because this is a Chase race track and we know this is a race that he’s going to perform well at when it comes Chase time. It’s our job to try a lot of different things this spring race to help us set up for a good fall race. California is a track where all of it comes together -- you have to have the big motor, the horsepower, the aero and all that because this track is so big. Every little advantage that you get shows up big time on this type of race track. We’ve always been a top-five car here, but we’ve never had a race-winning car and that’s something that we have to figure out because we were a second- to third-place car here in the fall, but that’s not good enough to win. If we want to beat Jimmie (Johnson) for a championship, this is one of the race tracks where we’re going to have to do that.”

Why is this race at California important?
“All of our hard work over the off-season is going to show up right here in California. This is the first real race track that we go to where the setups are going to matter, the driving and all that is a lot different. This is our first real race of 2010 that’s not a superspeedway. It’s a big one for us because it kind of gives everyone a gauge of if we were heading in the right direction during the off-season or not.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How beneficial was the off-season tire test you completed in California?
“I’m excited to come back out to California. We did the tire test out here for Goodyear (in December) and got some good seat time on the track. We learned a lot with the race car and about the new tire. I think that’s going to help us a lot. It’ll probably be warmer than it was when we tested, so it’ll be a lot different than what we had then. Getting laps around there will give us some options when we get there.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

What did you think of the multiple green-white-checkered attempts at Daytona?
“Those restarts were just killing us toward the end and we couldn’t do anything right, and I couldn’t get in the right line and things kept getting messed up. Thankfully, we got the Aaron’s Dream Machine where it needed to be when it counted and it ended up working out pretty well and I had a good run coming to the start-finish. Top-five is a good way to start the season out.”

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

How have you adjusted to your new team?
“Pat (Tryson, crew chief) does a great job and I’ve enjoyed working with him so far. Through all the off-season testing and talking about race cars and all the things that we’ve done -- we’ve really clicked and hit it off. He’s got a great personality and he’s easy to get along with. I can pretty much get along with anybody. He brings a lot to the table with his experience and his success.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: Toyota Camry drivers combined for one top-five and four top-10 finishes in the first NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race in 2010 with Vickers (fifth), Logano (seventh), Kasey Kahne (ninth) and Steve Wallace (10th) … Toyota drivers have won four straight NNS races at Fontana with Busch (Aug. 2008 and Feb. 2009), Logano (Oct. 2009) and former Toyota driver Tony Stewart (Feb. 2008) each taking the Camry to victory lane at the two-mile track.

JASON LEFFLER, No. 38 GreatClips Toyota Camry, Braun Racing

Do you enjoy racing near your hometown of Long Beach, Calif.?
“I always look forward to the chance to get back to the west coast, but this weekend I’m just excited about getting back to racing. Daytona is its own beast, where it really doesn’t matter if you have a great race car or a mediocre race car. It’s more about the luck you are dealt. The real season starts at California because your performance there will be a pretty good indicator of where you stand in comparison with everyone else and what areas you need to work on for the first part of the season. I feel very confident that we will have a strong car that will be able to qualify up front and contend for the win this weekend. To win at this track would be a huge deal for me. Of course, you want to win every race, but you especially want that win in front of the home crowd with your family and friends cheering you on.”

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing

What is the key to have a good race in California?
“California is a fun track to drive, because you can run a lot of different grooves. I typically run the bottom more, but at the same time, you’ll see guys like my teammate, Brendan Gaughan, right up against the wall. It’s a really wide and fast track, so horsepower and downforce are two of the real keys to running up front. Without both, you’re just not going to have a very good day. Those also happen to be two areas where I think our switch to the Toyota Camry and Triad engines is really going to help us. I really think our Camry will be strong this weekend. We had a top-10 there in the first race last year and ran even better in the second race. We were up in the top-five for a lot of the day before pit strategy and an accident on the last lap ruined our race. So, when you combine that with the advantage we feel our new Toyota program provides us, this weekend should be a good one for our team.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: After the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race of the season, Toyota Tundra drivers combined for one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes in 2010 … Timothy Peters’ Daytona triumph was his second career NCWTS victory … Tundra drivers have won four consecutive races at Daytona and seven straight superspeedway events (2007-present) … The NCWTS takes two weeks off and returns to action at Atlanta Motor Speedway, March 6.

TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 K&N Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing

How did it feel to win at Daytona?
“Well, it feels good. Don’t get me wrong, if I could pick anywhere on the circuit to win my first race, it would be at home (Martinsville, Va.). But, to win at Daytona is just unbelievable. Look at the history that this place has behind it. To get out of that truck and to get soaked with Gatorade from the guys, knowing that you’re in victory lane at Daytona, it just sends chills down my back. It’s an awesome feeling.”

Do you feel like you’re a championship-contender this year?
“I feel like we’re a contender. Tom (DeLoach, team co-owner) over the winter made adjustments with the team, and said we were going to do everything that we could to put our Toyota Tundra in championship contention. I’m very privileged that Tom believes enough in me and my ability to give me the opportunity and put the great people behind me.”

TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER – AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry
Robby Gordon, No. 7 Warner Music Nashville Camry
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Freight Camry
Max Papis, No. 13 GEICO Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Camry
Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Camry
Marcos Ambrose, No. 47 Armor All 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

NASCAR Nationwide Series

David Reutimann, No. 10 Beringer Camry
Brian Scott, No. 11 AccuDoc Camry
Michael Annett, No. 15 Pilot Travel Centers Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Camry
Joey Logano, No. 20 GameStop Camry
Brian Vickers, No. 32 Dollar General Stores Camry
Jason Leffler, 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

Average Rating:

Rate This:

1 2 3 4 5