Catchfence

Kyle Busch On The Pole, But Engine Change Drops Him To The Back Of The Field

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position: 1st

Can you take us through your qualifying run?

“I didn’t know what to expect so I just gave it what I thought it needed in order to run a fast lap and it stuck pretty well. It was just a little bit edgy in three and four coming to the green. I kind of felt that so I expected it going back down there. One and two is pretty decent. It wanted to get loose but it just never really stepped out so I just kind of put my foot back to it and drove off the corner. That’s great for this M&M’s Toyota. These guys worked their butts off this morning to change the engine and get us back up there. I want to thank the 11 team as well. They scuffed a set of tires for us and that was the set that we used here for our run. Good team players here.”

Are you happy to be in the front row with your brother Kurt (Busch) here in your hometown?

“Apparently we were both wrong in figuring what the fast time was going to be. It’s cool that we were both up there and qualified on the front row but unfortunately for myself I won’t be in the cool photo at the drop of the green flag next to my brother up there, we’ll have to drop to the back of the field for the engine change. I’ve got to give great thanks to the team. They did an awesome job here today with the M&M’s Toyota to get a new TRD power plant in that car and to get it prepared and take some information from what our teammates were doing and what the rest of the field was doing as far as qualifying practice went. We didn’t get any laps in qualifying trim. We just went out there and sailed a lap as fast as I thought I needed to go and fortunately it was fast enough so it’s pretty cool.”

Why are the cars going so much faster on this track this year?

“I think the faster speeds here this year were through the Goodyear Tire Company. They came here and tested and brought a different tire here this time. They’ve got to be really conscious of a new race track. Last year the race track was brand new so we were really fighting too much grip in the race track they had to bring a hard tire so you were slipping on the top of the race track somewhat. Then this year, they could soften it up a little bit and bring back a better tire. Hopefully it will prove for better racing on Sunday. I feel like that was the biggest issue and why the speeds picked up was the tire, and we’re getting smarter. It’s been a full year since we’ve been here and developing this car, and I feel like that has a lot to do with it probably as well.”

Are you disappointed you will have to drop to the back of the field?

“I wish we were starting up front so maybe we could get five bonus points early but unfortunately that’s not the case. We’ll have to battle on through there and pass everybody if we can and get there eventually during the day and try to get five bonus points. We won’t be able to take to trying to win the most bonus points for leading the most laps but this scenario is now different. We’ve got to just take what’s been given to us and try to battle it out on Sunday. The big check comes after the leader of the last lap, not the first lap.”

Do you know why many of the Toyota’s had to change engines today?

“I don’t have any idea. The thing with us is the JGR power plants are different than the rest of the guys. The rest of the guys engines come from Costa Mesa, California. It’s a completely different engine department. It’s completely different tooling and the way that they’re done. Mark Cronquist (engine builder, Joe Gibbs Racing) is smart enough to know that he likes building his engines his way and the other guys at TRD build their engines that way. All of the parts come from the same place, like the blocks are poured in the same place, the heads are poured in the same place, it’s just then how are they cut? They’re cut differently in Costa Mesa than they are in Charlotte where we’re at with the JGR stuff. I don’t know what the differences are. I don’t know if our failure today was the same as what’s been failing on their stuff or what. I don’t know.”

What does it mean to accomplish this front row for both of you in your hometown?

“I think it’s a great opportunity for both of us to be on the pole here. I don’t know what I need to do – I guess I need to win a race before I can be a part of the Vegas commercial when they have the commercial spots for the beginning of the year. It seems like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and come see all the rest of the guys. I’m just the rest of the guys. Maybe one of these days we can win one and get on the commercial, that’d be cool.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position: 4th

Were you expecting a good run like this here in Vegas?

“The Aaron’s Dream Machine has been good since we’ve unloaded it and we were just a little bit short there. We got a little tight on exit and I think it cost us a little time. I’m proud of my guys – they’ve done a great job. Aaron’s is on board for a full year, so life is good right now.”

MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Kingsford Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing
Starting Position: 5th

How’d you pick up so much time from practice?

“It’s just nowhere to hide. At this level you got to really step up and I want to be a player at this level. I just love NASCAR, I love my team and I’m having a blast. I just really want to deliver a performance to really justify why I’m here. That’s a hard lap here this is so fast. It’s faster than Texas in my opinion in the feel of it all. I have to suck in a few really big breathes and just commit to it.” “I did and I told myself too at the start of the lap I wasn’t going brake. I still did, I still chickened out a little bit and tried to roll as much speed through the middle as I could. The guys did a great job and we have Kingsford on the car for their very first Cup race ever. I’m really excited about that and looking forward to Sunday to hopefully give them a strong day.”

Did you drive further in on your lap than you did in practice?

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position: 15th

“I’m proud of our speed but I’m disappointed with our day a little bit. We had a faster car than that. In practice we had a couple of issues and it threw me off mentally somewhat and then when I went to qualify the car it just didn’t feel like it had in practice and that’s because we had to make some changes due to some problems that we had. Take all of that into consideration and know that we were going to lineup in the middle somewhere, I think that’s a pretty good day considering I wasn’t happy.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position: 20th

How’d you pick up the time from practice?

“I feel okay with that – I feel there’s more room to improve which makes me feel a lot better. I felt that way after the practice run and was able to watch some tapes to see some things that I can do as a driver to learn better. I felt like I was able to do a little bit of that and it helped us out a lot. We’re going to work on our car a little bit more and we’ll be okay. I’m very excited about it – we have a good car in practice in race trim and we had a decent qualifying trim there. Everything is going good right now.”

Is the wind a factor?

“The wind has been windy all day. I don’t know better here because I have never been here. I was talking to Denny (Hamlin), he’s like, ‘We’re good into three because the headwind is at us.’ I was like, ‘Oh. I didn’t know that.’ It’s another rookie deal. When the wind dies down, I’m sure the cars are going to react different to different things. For now everything is good.”

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team
Starting Position: 21st

Did the engine change affect your qualifying run?

“It was okay. We really fought the car being tight in practice and made some major adjustments there before qualifying and it worked, but I just wasn’t prepared for them. I kind of drove the car a little bit not knowing what to expect or really not necessarily knowing what to expect but expecting the same thing we had in practice. The car turned a lot better and it was a decent lap for us. We picked up from practice but we probably could’ve picked up more.”

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports
Starting Position: 22nd

MAX PAPIS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing
Starting Position: 26th

How does it feel to qualify for your first Cup race?

“I’m so happy. It’s just an awesome day. We made the show with the GEICO 13 car for the first time on an oval and it just proved that perseverance pays off.”

What did you do in practice to get better from last year at Miami to Las Vegas?

“The whole team — we work closer with MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) and I think it’s a matter of heart, it’s not a matter of cars.”

Are you happy with your car?

“We’re really happy with the car and with a bit more of experience you can go a couple of tenths faster but come on, we’re in the show. That’s the first goal.”

What is your strategy for the race?

“Pedal to the metal and just see what I can do.”

ROBBY GORDON, No. 7 Jim Beam Toyota Camry, Robby Gordon Motorsports
Starting Position: 32nd

How was your qualifying run?

“We made an adjustment right before qualifying and I got a little bit too loose on my lap. We ran a 40 which was faster than in practice but I thought we were going to run like a 20. I had to save it one time in turn one and that was enough just to check us up a little bit.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position: 34th

How was your qualifying run?

“Our car was pretty tight — about what we ran in practice. Unfortunately, to get better you’re going to have to pick up a little bit. I just can’t get this qualifying deal figured out. I don’t know exactly what I need, but we always seem to race well. Just going to work on it tomorrow and know that we’ve got to get our car working in various places.”

SCOTT SPEED, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team
Starting Position: 42nd

TODD BODINE, No. 64 Toyota Camry, Gunselman Motorsports
Starting Position: 43rd

SCOTT RIGGS, No. 36 Toyota Camry, Tommy Baldwin Racing
Starting Position: DNQ

JEREMY MAYFIELD, No. 41 All Sport Toyota Camry, Jeremy Mayfield Motorsports
Starting Position: DNQ

DAVE BLANEY, No. 66 Prism Motorsports Toyota Camry, Prism Motorsports
Starting Position: DNQ

Toyota Motorsports, Press Release