Catchfence

Toyota Motorsports Logo

• Hamlin has Martinsville Momentum
• Can Camry Drivers Claim Another Guitar?
• Tundra Drivers Talk Trophies at Nashville

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for one win, five top-five results and 11 top-10 finishes after six of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races … Brian Vickers (12th) is the highest Camry driver in the NSCS point standings, 164 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson … Toyota drivers Joey Logano (13th), Denny Hamlin (15th), Kyle Busch (16th) and Martin Truex Jr. (18th) are also in the top-20 in points … Hamlin earned the first NSCS win for Toyota this season in Monday’s rain-postponed race at Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway … In each of the last three NSCS races at Martinsville, Hamlin has led the most laps — spring 2010 (172 laps), fall 2009 (206 laps) and spring 2009 (296 laps) … Hamlin is scheduled to undergo surgery on a torn ACL in his left knee on Wed., March 31 … The NSCS enjoys an off weekend before returning to action at Phoenix International Raceway on April 10 … The 10 finalists for the Toyota ‘Sponsafier’ contest will be posted on ToyotaRacing.com for the final round of voting to begin April 1 … Race fans can log on and vote for their favorite design through April 15 … The winning paint scheme will lead the field to the green flag in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 22.

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

Is the Martinsville win going to be a springboard for success this season? “I feel like we haven’t even got a chance to show what we have yet through the course of this year. Usually Martinsville is where we start turning it up. I don’t see that bar that’s going up going down anytime soon. I think it’s still going to keep getting better. For whatever reason, it just takes a little while for me and Mike (Ford, crew chief) to get back in rhythm and figure out what we need on each race day. Think it’s starting to come through again.”

How do you feel about putting off your knee surgery until Wednesday? “It’s frustrating because I need every hour after it’s done to recuperate, to be good for Phoenix. Things don’t always happen the way you planned. Winning is definitely a good alternative. I’m looking forward to getting it over with mainly because I know after that hour is done, every minute from there on out, we’re gonna start to get better and better, where it started getting a little bit worse here lately.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for one win, five top-five results and 16 top-10 finishes after four of 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races … Toyota drivers Kyle Busch (fourth), Steve Wallace (ninth), Brian Vickers (10th), Jason Leffler (11th), Joey Logano (12th), Michael Annett (15th), Trevor Bayne (17th) and Brian Scott (19th) are in the top-20 in NNS points … Camry drivers earned the coveted Gibson guitar first-place trophy at both NNS races at Nashville Superspeedway in 2009 … Logano started on the outside of row one in the spring and led 95 (of 225) laps en route to his first Nashville win … Logano’s Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate, Busch, earned his first Gibson guitar at the 1.33-mile concrete oval after he started from the pole and led 173 (of 225) laps in the June race.

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

After seven NNS starts at Nashville, how did it feel to get the win last June? “It was mainly relief. We had a good day that went smooth and we didn’t have any issues. I was actually nervous coming down to the end of the race because I wasn’t sure. I was like, ‘Something might happen, you never know.’ It would just be a never-ending saga really, but finally we were able to knock the monkey off our back and get a win at Nashville. For me, especially to get my first Nationwide Series win at Nashville and my second guitar — I won an ARCA race there. It was very cool.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Why are you so strong at Nashville Superspeedway? “Before I ever raced there in the GameStop car, I had a lot of laps in testing (with Joe Gibbs Racing) Cup cars at both Nashville and Kentucky. I’ve done well because I’ve run so many laps so I know the track really well. And, of course, Joe Gibbs Racing just has an awesome program for the one-and-a-half-mile speedways and Nashville is similar to those.”

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 99 Toyota Camry, Diamond-Waltrip Racing

Being from Knoxville — are you looking forward to another race in Tennessee at Nashville? “Nashville was actually my first race for Michael Waltrip Racing last year (June). That’s another hometown crowd — I like it, it’s almost like a grass roots kind of track. It’s a really cool race track and we were running strong there last year. I think we were seventh when we got involved in an accident. We have some experience there and I love going to these tracks that I’ve been to before, like Bristol and Nashville — I have laps there and it gives you that confidence.”

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

What do you think about racing at Nashville? “I’ve had a lot of good runs there. We sat on the pole there a couple years back. I like Nashville, it’s a fun race track. I like all the concrete tracks because the tracks get rubbered up and you have to run on the bottom a lot and get a lot of rubber built up and your car is going to handle really good at those tracks. I’d like to win the guitar, but it’s not like you can just go get it, you have to beat all those guys. I think we’ll be in good shape, we’ll have a good car there.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Tundra drivers have combined for one win, nine top-five results and 14 top-10 finishes after the first three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races … Timothy Peters currently leads the NCWTS point standings with a 59-point advantage over fellow Tundra driver Aric Almirola … Todd Bodine (third), Tayler Malsam (eighth), and David Starr (10th) are also in the top-10 in points … Tundra drivers have earned three wins at Nashville Superspeedway — two for Benson (2008 and 2006) and one for David Reutimann (2005) … Busch will compete for his own NCWTS team in the Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) No. 18 Tundra at Nashville with sponsorship from Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based, Dollar General Stores.

MIKE SKINNER, No. 5 International Trucks/Monaco RV Toyota Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports

What would it mean for you to get a win at Nashville? “It would mean everything to me to get the win at Nashville. I’ve had two of them won and had the caution come out and get beat by either getting wrecked or new tires. It’s not been from lack of us running well at Nashville — we run pretty good there. It would mean a lot to get one of those Gibson guitar trophies because I collect guitars. I love Nashville and have a lot of friends in Nashville. Nashville Superspeedway is an awesome place to race.”

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Germain.com Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing

What does it mean for you to have a new truck for Nashville? “Every team wants to have new equipment. Keeping up with technology is important and it will be great to see how this new chassis will perform at Nashville. This Germain Racing team seems to have good equipment there and I’ve always had good runs at the race track. I think every driver wants that guitar trophy.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota Tundra, Billy Ballew Motorsports

Do you look forward to racing at Nashville? “I’m excited about Nashville. We’ve run good there before and we have a really good truck that we’re taking. We’re taking the same truck that we ran third with at Atlanta. We have a pretty good baseline for there and we feel like we’ll be in pretty good shape there so I’m really excited about going to Nashville.”

TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing

Do you like racing at Nashville? “Absolutely. Ever since I had my first shot there back in 2005, I’ve always ran well. There’s just something about it that we got adjusted to it very quick. First pole there last year and I’m excited about going back. Anytime we get to go to any of the race tracks, I’m excited. More so this year because things seem to be clicking. Toyota Tundras are running fast each and every week.”