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• Can David Defend Race Win?
• Camry Drivers Chat About Chances
• Sorenson Steps into NNS for Vickers

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for five wins, 13 top-five results, 28 top-10 finishes and three poles after 12 of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races … Five Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the NSCS point standings — Kyle Busch (second), Denny Hamlin (fifth), Martin Truex Jr. (12th), Joey Logano (18th) and David Reutimann (20th) … Truex transferred into Saturday night’s All-Star race, where he finished second, after winning the Showdown qualifying race earlier in the evening … Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) will host a Fan Appreciation Day on Wed., May 26 at MWR in Cornelius, N.C. … MWR drivers are scheduled to sign autographs between 4:00 and 8:00 PM … The Toyota PitPass display will feature the grand prize winning car from the ‘Sponsafy Your Ride’ contest during the race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway … The Toyota Owner’s Hospitality area will be open on Saturday and Sunday for Toyota, Lexus and Scion owners.

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Armed Forces Foundation Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

Did you miss out on celebrating last year’s win because the race was rain-shortened? “In the end, you look back and we won the race so we really didn’t miss out on anything. It would have been cool to have been able to come to the checkered flag, win the race and then do what everybody else does. I don’t feel like I was slighted in any way because we won the race. It just ended up being that way and it was still a lot of fun. I will always have that little star beside it because it was rain-shortened, but it just drives you more to go out and win it the way you wanted to win it to begin with. Trust me, I didn’t want to win the race that way. It’s just the way it worked out.”

Are you confident about defending your race win from a year ago? “I feel like our mile-and-a-half program is good, so I feel pretty confident coming here. Charlotte is a tough race track and it’s a race track that you have to stay up on top of. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t look like anything any different than any of the other race tracks that we go to. It drives different, it’s very temperature sensitive and it’s just a tough race track and it will always be a tough place.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Batteries Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

How much momentum did your run in the All-Star race give you for the 600? “We felt good coming into last week’s events a Charlotte because of the test we had and what we learned. The last few weeks we seemed to be getting better and better. We thought we were going to be real good coming here, so it wasn’t unexpected. It wasn’t like we just came out of the blue and won the Showdown. We’ve been competitive, but momentum is a big thing in this sport. You see it all the time. It worked for us a couple years ago. It seemed to just give us that confidence in each other and know that we can get it done. Hopefully it will do the same thing. I am looking forward to the 600 this week. I think we’ll have a good car. The NAPA guys will obviously work on it and work on the issues we had during the All-Star Race. We’ll get it better. We’ll come back and try to do what we can do. It should be fun.”

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

How important is winning the Coca-Cola 600? “You want to win this race. I was close last year, leading all the laps and then getting the thing called by rain just after we had pitted and didn’t stay out. The year before that, we were really fast here — I think we ran third. I’d like to win this race. Like I said, it’s my favorite race track and to win the 600 — it’s one of the races on my list before I’m done. Being the longest race of the year, it’s a grueling event, it’s a tiresome race, but for me, racing everything I can every weekend, I seem to knock that out of there. Four hundred laps around here might seem like a long time, but when you’re in the seat and you have a good driving race car, it’s not that long.”

DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Are you confident about your chances in the Coca Cola 600? “We’re always confident. We really believe in Kyle Busch and he’s showing a lot of belief in us. We’re starting to really click here and everyone is working really hard. Everybody says that, but our guys really are working hard. They put a lot of hours in and really focus on details. I think it’s showing on the race track so we’re confident coming back here this week.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for five wins, 22 top-five results, 45 top-10 finishes and six poles after 11 of 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races … Eight Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the NNS point standings — Kyle Busch (second), Joey Logano (eighth), Jason Leffler (ninth), Brian Scott (10th), Brendan Gaughan (11th), Trevor Bayne (14th), Michael Annett (15th) and Reed Sorenson (20th) … Busch (7,928 laps) is 155 laps shy of passing Mark Martin (8,084 laps) for the top spot in career laps led in the Nationwide Series.

REED SORENSON, No. 32 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Braun Racing

Are you looking forward to racing in this week’s Nationwide race at Charlotte? “I’m excited to be in the Dollar General Toyota for this weekend’s Nationwide Series race, but I certainly wish it was under different circumstances and not because (Brian) Vickers couldn’t be. I know the entire Dollar General team wishes him a speedy recovery. With Charlotte Motor Speedway being a ‘home track’ for most NASCAR teams, there are usually a lot of friends and family present. Because of that, this is one of those races that everyone would like to win. This is actually where I won my first ASA race. All of the Braun Racing teams run great here at Charlotte, with a win and a pole position in recent years. The No. 32 team has had a great season so far and I really think we can contend for a win this weekend.”

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

Are you looking forward to your first Nationwide Series race at Charlotte? “I grew up going to races at Charlotte, so it’s really cool to finally get to race there. I took a Richard Petty car around the track once there but it doesn’t really compare. It’s going to be awesome to take the No. 99 Toyota out there and make some laps. I think Charlotte is going to fit my driving style. I really like Atlanta and Texas, and Charlotte seems to be another one of those fast mileand- a-half race tracks.”

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)

NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Tundra drivers have combined for four wins, 20 top-five results, 37 top-10 finishes and three poles after the first seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races … Last Friday (May 21), Kyle Busch earned the first Tundra win at Charlotte Motor Speedway and became the first NCWTS driver to win at Charlotte from the pole … Busch’s Charlotte win was his 70th NASCAR national touring series career victory, which places him ninth on the all-time win list … Todd Bodine (first), Aric Almirola (second), Timothy Peters (third), David Starr (eighth) and Mike Skinner (ninth) are currently in the top-10 in points … The NCWTS returns to action on June 4 at Texas Motor Speedway.

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

How do you feel about regaining the points lead? “It’s still a long way to go. We were in the points lead and we came out of Martinsville with a 30th and lost the points lead. We are working hard. At Dover and Charlotte, we didn’t have a truck to win the race. I was really not good at all in Charlotte, but we still got a fifth. That’s how you win points championships is to take a bad truck and a bad run and finish fifth and we had a good truck and finished second.”

DAVID STARR, No. 81 Zachry Toyota Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports

Do you get more excited to race at Texas Motor Speedway? “I used to get really geared up for the Texas race and I would make it a really big deal, but when I did that I could never get to the start-finish line first. I’ve finished third a number of times though. Now I just try to make it another race—just like last week at Charlotte or the week before in Dover. The No. 81 Zachry Toyota Tundra team has recorded three consecutive top-10 finishes and we’re very excited about our chances at Texas Motor Speedway next weekend. Every race is important to me and I want to win every one of them, but to win there (at Texas Motor Speedway) would be extra special and a very sentimental win.”

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release