Catchfence

DOVER, Del. (September 24, 2010) – Ryan Truex clinched his second consecutive NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) driver’s championship when he took the green flag Friday at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway and finished third. Truex had two wins and nine top-10 finishes in 10 races in 2010. The 18-year-old Mayetta, N.J.-native posted both of his victories at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, on June 25 and Sept. 17, and needed only to start Friday’s race in the No. 00 NAPA Camry to secure the title. Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) also won its second owner’s championship in the series.

“It was a great year and everyone worked hard and gave me awesome race cars every week,” said Truex. “We were always in contention for wins and were consistent and that is what it takes to win championships. I’m proud of my guys and everyone at MWR and very thankful.”

Truex is the younger brother of two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) champion and current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) driver Martin Truex Jr. The elder Truex, in his first year driving the MWR No. 56 NAPA Camry, recorded his only career NSCS victory at Dover in 2007, and his first NSCS pole with the team at the Delaware track earlier this season.
“I’m really proud of Ryan for what he’s done,” said Truex Jr. “It has been really neat to watch, and brings me back to the old days when I was coming up through the ranks. He’s done an excellent job. Everything he’s gotten in for the first time, he just goes out there and does it.”

It marks the third NASCAR regional series driver’s title for a Toyota driver. Along with Truex’s two NKNPSE driver’s titles, Eric Holmes captured the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (NKNPSW) championship in 2008. This season, Holmes currently holds a 141-point lead in the NKNPSW standings with two races remaining.

“We have always maintained that any of our success in NASCAR is a direct result of the hard work by our teams and drivers,” said Lee White, president of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development). “As his two championships demonstrate, Ryan is an outstanding talent with a bright future in NASCAR, and we are proud to have him and Michael Waltrip Racing associated with our Toyota program.”

Toyota drivers have previously captured three championships in two of NASCAR’s premier series — Todd Bodine (2006) and Johnny Benson (2008) in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), and Kyle Busch (2009) in the Nationwide Series.

Busch and fellow Camry driver Denny Hamlin are currently competing in the NSCS Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff, while Bodine leads the NCWTS standings by 257 points with five races remaining this year.

About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers. Toyota directly employs more than 34,000 people in the U.S. and sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or
www.toyotanewsroom.com.

TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development)

Powering all of Toyota’s American racing programs is TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Salisbury, N.C. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyota’s factory racing engines.

- Toyota Motorsports Press Release