Catchfence

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• Denny Dishes on Chase Pace
• Camry Drivers Chat About California
• Leffler Looks Forward to Homecoming
• Kyle Closing in on Championship

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: Toyota Camry drivers have combined for nine wins (Kyle Busch — Las Vegas, Bristol-1, Richmond and Bristol-2; Denny Hamlin — Pocono-2 and Richmond-2; David Reutimann — Charlotte; Joey Logano — New Hampshire; and Brian Vickers — Michigan-2), 35 top-fives and 64 top-10 finishes through 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races this season … After three Chase races, Hamlin is sixth in the standings, 99 points behind leader Mark Martin … Vickers is 250 points behind the leader in 12th-place … Michael Waltrip’s sponsor, NAPA, is teaming up with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to raise $250,000 during the month of October … Camry driver Robby Gordon is from Orange, Calif.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Heading to California this weekend, how much did your fifth-place finish at Kansas help you get back in the championship hunt?

“Kansas was good for us. There was nothing but Chase guys up front, pretty much. We just got to keep chipping away at the lead. We’re closer to the lead, but we also let a lot of guys get a little bit closer to us. We’re going to keep riding like we have and those guys aren’t going to finish one-two every single week, there’s going to be opportunities for us to gain on them. We just have to make sure we capitalize when that door opens.”

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

Do you enjoy racing at Auto Club Speedway?

“I like California and think it’s a good market for us to be. I think every track we have is pretty good, including California. It’s a two-mile flat race track where the cars are spread four-wide down the front stretch. They spread out a little bit as the race goes on, but that’s okay — they are doing 210 MPH. As a kid, there was nothing like standing on the fence at Charlotte at the end of the straightaway and have a car go by at 200 MPH. I think California is one of those tracks that offer that. I think it’s a good track for us.”

What do you need to succeed at California?

“You have to understand the track, have a good car and I think that track changes a lot with weather and temperature, so you have to be able to adapt to it. A strong motor is obviously very important at a track like that with very long straight-aways. I think a strong motor is as important, or more important there, than maybe at Michigan because the corners are a little more pointy, and you slow down a little bit more in the center of the corner. You don’t have that momentum keeping the engine wound up. You have to really pull out of the hole, especially on old tires. I think a car with really good downforce is really important, and a car that can turn well in the center and still have drive off. The track is very slick and the more grip you have the better.”

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

Is Auto Club Speedway a difficult race track?

“That place is tough. It’s really a hard race track to get hold of, now, especially when it’s hot and the sun is out. There are two completely different types of racing when you run the top versus the bottom groove. You can run from the top to the bottom, but when you run the bottom, you really feel like you’re puttering around the race track. You feel like you aren’t making up any time on the bottom, but when you are running the top groove, you feel like you’re getting the job done. The guys who run the bottom have a little bit more patience and handle it better than the guys who are on the gas on top.”

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

Are you looking forward to returning to California?

“I’m excited to go back. We’ve been pretty decent there in the past. I’ve felt like we’ve definitely improved our program since we left the last time. Hopefully, when we get back there we’ll have a good race car and be able to get another solid top- 10 finish.”

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

Why will you be wearing a pink hat during the month of October?

“October is breast cancer awareness month and NAPA has joined forces with the Susan G. Komen Foundation to raise $250,000. I wanted to show my support for the need to find a cure by wearing the pink hat that NAPA has produced for its employees. This partnership is a big deal for NAPA, and it is a big deal for me. We’ll also be going pink at Charlotte. I’ll be driving the blue and pink NAPA/Susan G. Komen Foundation Toyota.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: Toyota Camry drivers have recorded 11 wins (Busch — California, Texas, Richmond, Nashville-2, New Hampshire and St. Louis; Logano — Nashville-1, Kentucky, Chicagoland and Kansas; and Ambrose — Watkins Glen), 53 top-fives and 103 top-10 finishes through 29 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races this season … Busch leads the NNS point standings by 245 points over second-place Carl Edwards … Trevor Bayne returns to Nationwide Series action this weekend for CJM Racing… Braun Racing driver Jason Leffler grew up in Long Beach, Calif. … Jerry Baxter, crew chief at Michael Waltrip Racing, is originally from San Diego, Calif. …Saturday’s event is Toyota’s 100th NNS race since joining the series in 2007 … Leffler is the only driver to start all 100 Nationwide Series races in a Camry.

JASON LEFFLER, No. 38 Great Clips Camry, Braun Racing

Does racing in California give you a chance to visit family and friends?

“I always look forward to the chance to get back to the west coast. With the hectic schedule we have all year, I don’t get to see my family and friends out there as often as I would like. The two weekends we have racing out there each year gives me a chance to catch up with everybody. 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.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What would winning the Nationwide Series championship mean to you?

“It would be big. It’d be my first NASCAR championship, so of course it would mean a lot to me. I haven’t won a championship since 1999 when I was racing Legends cars. It’s big to win any NASCAR championship, no matter what division it is.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: In 20 NCWTS races in 2009, Toyota Tundra drivers have combined for 11 wins (Todd Bodine — Daytona and Texas; Busch — California, Atlanta, Bristol, Chicagoland and New Hampshire; Mike Skinner — Kansas, Iowa and Gateway; and Brian Scott — Dover), 51 top-fives and 108 top-10 finishes … Tundra drivers in the top-10 in the point standings are Skinner (third), Scott (fourth), Bodine (sixth), Timothy Peters (ninth) and David Starr (10th) … The next NCWTS race on the schedule is at Martinsville Speedway, October 24.

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release