Wednesday
Toyota NASCAR News & Notes – July 26 – August 1, 2010
Press Release![]()
- Camry Drivers Discuss Pocono Details
- Busch, Sorenson Pulling Pocono-Iowa Double Duty
- Tundra Racers Ready for Triangular Track Debut
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for eight wins, 20 top-five results, 43 top-10 finishes and four poles after 20 of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races … Denny Hamlin was awarded the 2010 second quarter ‘Driver of the Year’ award … Kyle Busch and Reed Sorenson will travel between Iowa and Pennsylvania this weekend to race in both the NSCS and Nationwide Series events … Toyota Racing will kick off the Sponsafier Media Challenge on Sunday, Aug. 1 … Media are invited to create a NASCAR Sprint Cup race car design … One media participant’s creation will be selected as the best entry and a $3,000 donation will be made by Toyota to the winner’s charity of choice … Five Camry drivers are in the top-20 in the NSCS point standings — Hamlin (third), Busch (sixth), David Reutimann (18th), Joey Logano (19th) and Martin Truex Jr. (20th).
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
What are your expectations for the race at Pocono? “I think you just go there trying to find more grip. It was slick enough last time, and I’m sure it will be worse this time. We had a pretty good car there in the first race, but generally when you go back there, it’s completely different. You have to go there open- minded with a plan in the back of your mind, but at the same time, be ready to go for changes and try different things. It’s one of those places where we get a lot of practice and we’ll just have to work on it hard like every weekend.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Were you encouraged by your performance at Pocono in June? “We ran second and third all day in June, and that was really good for us. We needed that. Pocono hasn’t been a great track for me. It was good to turn it around. The places we really worked hard at trying to turn around, we’ve turned it around. At the places we haven’t worked so much at because we feel like we’ve been really good at, we seem to have fallen behind a little.”
MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Clorox-Kleenex Toyota Camry, JTG Daugherty Racing
What do you think about racing at Pocono? “I really like Pocono. It’s one of the gnarliest places you’ll ever go to. It’s one of the bumpiest tracks we race on. It’s just a good contrast between two places after racing at Indy the week before — it sort of highlights what NASCAR is all about. No two weeks are the same.”
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)
NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Toyota drivers have combined for 10 wins, 43 top-five results, 84 top-10 finishes and nine poles after 20 of 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races … Camry driver Michael Annett is from Des Moines, Iowa … Annett donated a helmet specially-designed by Ryan Young of Indocil Art to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team and Training in honor of six-year-old family friend Will Kreuger who suffers from Leukemia … Toyota NNS team owner Rusty Wallace helped design Iowa Speedway and envisioned a Midwest version of Richmond International Raceway … Camry drivers Kyle Busch (fourth), Steve Wallace (seventh), Brendan Gaughan (eighth), Trevor Bayne (ninth) and Jason Leffler (10th) are in the top-10 in the NNS point standings.
MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 15 Northland Oil Toyota Camry, Germain Racing
Do you enjoy racing close to your hometown at Iowa Speedway? “I look forward to going back to Iowa every year. That’s definitely the track that I circle on my schedule. Not only because there’s so many friends and family there, but it’s just that race track puts on good racing. We were there last year in the sun and this time it’s going to be a night race, so I think it will definitely make the racing that much better. It should widen out to a three-groove race track — those are my favorite races and tracks where we can move around if the car is not working just right somewhere you can move around and find something. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What about Iowa makes you want to race double duty this weekend? “Iowa is a fun race track, kind of like Richmond. I run real well at Richmond and I ran well at Iowa last year. We had a shot to win the race, just missed out a little bit towards the end. I feel real good about going out there and running the Nationwide race. We’ll have Brad (Coleman) practice and qualify, and I will just show up and race, and hopefully have a good race. It’s a place that starts to widen out, but once it starts to widen out, everybody sees the top lane as faster.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)
NEWS, NOTES & NUMBERS: This year, Tundra drivers have combined for six wins, 27 top-five results, 60 top-10 finishes and four poles after the first 12 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races … Cup regulars Denny Hamlin (Billy Ballew Motorsports) and Kasey Kahne (Kyle Busch Motorsports) will race Tundras at Pocono … Todd and Janet Bodine will host the first-ever ‘Onion Slice Open’ charity golf tournament at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Course in Mountaintop, Pa., on Thurs., July 29 … Toyota drivers have won the two most recent inaugural races added to the NCWTS schedule at Chicagoland (Kyle Busch) and Iowa (Mike Skinner) … Tundra drivers Bodine (first), Aric Almirola (second), Timothy Peters (fifth), Skinner (eighth) and David Starr (ninth) are in the top-10 in the NCWTS point standings.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 15 Toyota Tundra, Billy Ballew Motorsports
How did you end up with a ride in the NCWTS race at Pocono? “Billy Ballew has always been really good to me and we’ve had a few good runs together in the Truck series. I only run about one truck race a year and this year I chose Pocono. I can’t wait to get there. It’s just a 50-lap shootout, multiple-truck qualifying — it’s something I couldn’t miss. I’d like to be part of the names that win in all three top series. I think Pocono is a good opportunity to maybe get that done.”
What do you think of the NCWTS qualifying format for Pocono? “I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s a good thing. They could do stuff like that over here on the Cup side. I think it will be good because they’re going to group you based off your practice speeds. You know you’re not going to run up on a guy or a guy is not going to catch you. It’s well-thought out.”
TODD BODINE, No. 30 Germain.com Tundra, Germain Racing
Are you looking forward to hosting your first-ever charity golf tournament? “I’ve been racing for 19 years and it’s finally time to give back. I had no way of doing anything like this before. Janet (wife) is from up there and she has all the means and connections — she’s put the whole thing together and done a great job. We’ll have a golf tournament on Thursday and we hope to raise a lot of money. The tournament will benefit pediatric patients suffering from brain trauma and brain disease at John Heinz Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pa. There are 800 children that go to the clinic who don’t have insurance and funds we raise will help them with their care. We have a few drivers coming to play in the golf tournament, including Ricky Carmichael, Ron Hornaday Jr., Justin Lofton and Austin Dillon.”
- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release
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