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12-01-11 Toyota Honored with 2011 NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award
11-30-11 Toyota NASCAR Notes & Quotes Champions Week Nov 2011
11-20-11 HAMLIN TALLIES THREE TOYOTA TOP-10s IN MIAMI
11-20-11 TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) - Post-Race Notes & Quotes - Homestead-Miami Speedway
11-17-11 Toyota NASCAR Notes & Quotes Homestead November 2011
FIRST, SECOND & THIRD-PLACE FINISHES HIGHLIGHT TOYOTA WEEKEND - Todd’s Tundra Takes Trophy, Hamlin Has SecondNASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
In Sunday afternoon’s 200-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Michigan International Speedway, Hamlin battled eventual race-winner Kevin Harvick late in the race before crossing the finish line 1.731 seconds behind Harvick.
Hamlin started 33rd in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 11 FedEx Express Camry. The Chesterfield, Va.-native worked his way through the field -- aided by a key pit stop towards the end of the event -- and found himself leading for the first time on lap 178. He led the field for 12 laps, before being passed by Harvick. Hamlin was unable to catch Harvick, but he held off late-race challenges to maintain his runner-up finish.
“It’s win or nothing for us,” said Hamlin, after the race. “This was a great fight by our FedEx Express team. “This is the kind of run we needed to get back into the swing of things, but we still have to get better. The 29 (Kevin Harvick) was strong down that straightaway -- so it was hard for us to beat him. It was a good battle. I haven’t had that much fun racing someone for a win in a long time.”
“Kevin (Harvick) had a really strong car and it showed all day,” added Hamlin. “We just kind of snuck up there. I knew we had a good car, but we never had really good track position. We were just hanging around eighth or 10th all day. I knew the capabilities of the car once we got out front. Mike (Ford, crew chief) made a great call to stay out there, and luckily it gave me a shot to win it anyway.”
Camry drivers Martin Truex Jr. (eighth) and Joey Logano (10th) also recorded top-10 finishes at the track in the Irish Hills of Michigan.
Marcos Ambrose (15th), David Reutimann (16th), Kyle Busch (18th), Scott Speed (25th), Reed Sorenson (26th), P.J. Jones (37th), Robby Gordon (39th), Max Papis (41st) Michael McDowell (42nd) and Joe Nemechek (43rd) were also in the field.
Hamlin moves up to third in the unofficial NSCS point standings following his second-place result at Michigan. Busch (eighth), Reutimann (18th) and Truex (20th) are also in the top-20 in points after 23 of 36 races this season.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action at Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway, Saturday, August 21.
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)
Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway, Busch crossed the finish line third -- behind race-winner Brad Keselowski and runner-up Carl Edwards -- in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at the two-mile Michigan oval.
Logano (sixth) and Sorenson (eighth) also recorded top-10 finishes in the second race of the season for the ‘new’ Nationwide Series car. The ‘new’ car made its debut at Daytona in July. Following the Michigan race, the ‘new’ car will also be used in races at Richmond and Charlotte.
Busch started 10th in the JGR No. 18 Z-Line Designs Camry and battled back from a problem midway through the race to record his 15th top-five finish in 19 races this year. Midway through the race, the 25-year-old JGR driver had a problem with the splitter at the front of the car -- which creates down force. The team was forced to spend extra time in the pits repairing the damage to the front end.
“We were pretty good there at the end,” said Busch. “I can’t thank Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and the guys enough -- they did work their butts off all weekend. We missed it pretty bad. We didn’t have a third-place car at all. We just fought all day and tried to do the best we could with this Z-Line Designs Camry, and gave it a run for the money there at the end.”
Other Toyota drivers in the field included Trevor Bayne (11th), Ryan Truex (12th), Tayler Malsalm (14th), Brian Scott (15th), Michael Annett (16th), Steve Wallace (18th), Brendan Gaughan (32nd), Jason Leffler (34th) and Kevin Lepage (42nd).
Truex, the younger brother of Camry Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr., started on the outside of the front row in just his second Nationwide Series start.
Busch -- who has only participated in 19 of 23 events in 2010 -- remains third in the unofficial NNS point standings following Watkins Glen. Wallace (seventh), Bayne (eighth), Gaughan (ninth), Leffler (10th), Annett (11th), Logano (12th), Scott (13th) and Sorenson (14th) are also in the top-15 in points with 12 races left on the schedule.
The Nationwide Series returns to action at Bristol Motor Speedway, Friday, August 20.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)
Bodine was victorious in Saturday night’s NCWTS event at South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway, winning his second straight race and strengthening his lead in the championship point standings.
Bodine inherited the lead when Austin Dillon pitted under caution on lap 100 and led the final 47 (of 147) laps at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval en route to victory lane. The win was Bodine’s 20th in the NCWTS -- all in a Tundra -- and third win this year. Earlier this season, he took home first-place trophies from Texas (June 4) and Nashville (August 7).
“It’s awesome,” said Bodine, following the race. “The history behind Darlington and the great drivers that have raced here -- the list of drivers is incredible -- and to be part of that and to be able to be in victory lane is incredible. It’s a great feeling to be able to win at Darlington. We can’t look back. We got to keep doing the things we know how to do and control the things within in our control, and try to control our destiny.”
Bodine started eighth in the No. 30 Germain Racing Tundra and quickly worked towards the front to battle the leaders. Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. elected to keep the truck on the track under caution with 47 laps to go, which proved to be the winning decision, as Bodine beat fellow Toyota driver Timothy Peters to the finish line by 0.531 seconds.
The runner-up finish was Peters’ fifth top-five result in 15 races this season. He started on the pole -- his second of the season -- and also led once for 47 laps in the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Tundra.
Toyota drivers Aric Almirola (ninth), David Starr (12th), Justin Lofton (20th), Brian Ickler (21st) and Mike Skinner (22nd) were also in the field.
Bodine extended his lead in the unofficial NCWTS standings to 231 points over Almirola with his victory at Darlington. Peters (third), Skinner (eighth), Starr (ninth) and Lofton are also in the top-15 in points after 15 of 25 races.
The Camping World Truck Series returns to action at Bristol Motor Speedway, Wednesday, August 18.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (NKNPSW)
In Saturday’s NKNPSW race at Colorado National Speedway, Toyota driver Holmes won his second consecutive race and picked up his fourth victory of the year. Paulie Harraka finished runner-up to Holmes. Both Holmes and Harraka drive Camrys for Bill McAnally Racing.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will return to action at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, Sept. 12.
Toyota NSCS Driver Finishing Positions at Michigan International Speedway
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
8th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
10th, JOEY LOGANO
15th, MARCSO AMBROSE
16th, DAVID REUTIMANN
18th, KYLE BUSCH
25th, SCOTT SPEED
26th, REED SORENSON
37th, P.J. JONES
39th, ROBBY GORDON
41st, MAX PAPIS
42nd, MICHAEL MCDOWELL
43rd, JOE NEMECHEK
Toyota Drivers in NSCS Point Standings -- following Michigan International Speedway**
3rd, DENNY HAMLIN 3,047 points
8th, KYLE BUSCH 2,975 points
18th, DAVID REUTIMANN 2,590 points
20th, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 2,548 points
21th, JOEY LOGANO 2,527 points
26th, MARCOS AMBROSE 2,173 points
27th, SCOTT SPEED 2,173 points
Toyota NNS Driver Finishing Positions at Michigan International Speedway
3rd, KYLE BUSCH
6th, JOEY LOGANO
8th, REED SORENSON
11th, TREVOR BAYNE
12th, RYAN TRUEX
14th, TAYLER MALSAM
15th, BRIAN SCOTT
16th, MICHAEL ANNETT
18th, STEVE WALLACE
32nd, BRENDAN GAUGHAN
34th, JASON LEFFLER
42nd, KEVIN LEPAGE
Toyota Drivers in NNS Point Standings – following Michigan International Speedway**
3rd, KYLE BUSCH 3,201 points
7th, STEVE WALLACE 2,735 points
8th, TREVOR BAYNE 2,571 points
9th, BRENDAN GAUGHAN 2,487 points
10th, JASON LEFFLER 2,450 points
11th, MICHAEL ANNETT 2,446 points
12th, JOEY LOGANO 2,433 points
13th, BRIAN SCOTT 2,418 points
14th, REED SORENSON 2,309 points
** unofficial point standings
Toyota NCWTS Driver Finishing Positions at Darlington Raceway
1st, TODD BODINE
2nd, TIMOTHY PETERS
9th, ARIC ALMIROLA
12th, DAVID STARR
20th, JUSTIN LOFTON
21st, BRIAN ICKLER
22nd, MIKE SKINNER
Toyota Drivers in NCWTS Point Standings -- following Darlington Raceway**
1st, TODD BODINE 2,383 points
2nd, ARIC ALMIROLA 2,152 points
3rd, TIMOTHY PETERS 2,136 points
8th, MIKE SKINNER 1,951 points
9th, DAVID STARR 1,900 points
12th, JUSTIN LOFTON 1,667 points
Toyota NKNPSW Driver Finishing Positions at Colorado National Speedway
1st, ERIC HOLMES
2nd, PAULIE HARRAKA
15th, MOSES SMITH
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