TOYOTA NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS)
Post-Race Notes & Quotes
Dover International Speedway – October 3, 2015
- Camry driver Denny Hamlin (second) was the top-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday’s rain-delayed NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) race at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway.
- Hamlin started seventh before moving towards the top of the field in the 200-lap event on the 1.058-mile track.
- Hamlin was followed to the finish by his teammate Kyle Busch (third), who led the field twice for a race high 110 laps.
- Rookie Camry driver Daniel Suarez (10th) tallied his 12th top-10 finish of 2015 at Dover.
- In addition to the top-10 finishes, Camry drivers JJ Yeley (12th) and David Starr (18th) also finished in the top-20.
- Yeley led the field once for two laps.
- Six Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the unofficial NXS point standings –Suarez (seventh), JJ Yeley (12th), David Starr (16th), Blake Koch (17th), Cale Conley (19th) and Eric McClure (20th).
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 20 Hisense Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How was the final race segment?
“Our car was really good. Obviously, clean air was very, very important. I got a bad restart on that last restart and went back a few positions and just by the time we got to the 7 (Regan Smith), I really was working my right front pretty hard and saw that – I was actually pretty worried about it, so I thought I would just spend a few laps cooling it off and make another run at them at the end and just didn’t have enough time. I opened up the gap too much.”
What were you doing to catch Regan Smith?
“I wanted to back off right there with 20 to go and get a little bit of gap, cool my right front off, but I made the gap too big and when I tried to make the charge at the end just didn’t have enough. Proud of this whole Hisense Toyota team – appreciate them letting me run a few races. This is my last one of the year, so wish we could have went out with a win, but good run nonetheless.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How was your race?
“Track position’s everything. We were opposite of Denny (Hamlin) – we got loose, couldn’t pass nobody.”
Why was it difficult to pass?
“No ability to move around and find anything else that had any grip. You’re just too loose. All of us pretty much ran nose-to-tail there that run. I faded back to try to just cool my stuff down and go back at him (Regan Smith) and I had a run on Denny (Hamlin) and just couldn’t get by him and then you just can’t pass.”
Did your car fall off at the end of the race?
“I don’t think anybody passed anybody the entire last run of the race – the 22 (Ryan Blaney) is four and 42 (Kyle Larson) is fifth when we all single-filed out, so I don’t think anybody passed anybody. You can’t pass here. You know there’s no outside grove to get going on anything. The 7 (Regan Smith), the 20 (Denny Hamlin) and us, we ran in a line out there and checked out from the rest of the people and we just – anytime you tried to move up, it was just so far around on the outside grove that you just lose ground, so you had to get back to the bottom and just run around the bottom and see if lapped cars could help you out any. None of it ever did.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, No. 18 ARRIS Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
What is it difficult to race after the pre-race practices were rained out?
“It was difficult. It’s my first time ever we do this – we go straight to the race. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from the race car. I feel like we have too much split between the short run and the long run for some reason. We were way too tight in the beginning and way too loose in the end.”
JJ YELEY, No. 28 Delaware Office of Highway Safety Toyota Camry, JGL Racing
Finishing Position: 12th
DAVID STARR, No. 44 Zachry Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 18th
ERIC MCCLURE, No. 24 Reynolds Wrap Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 22nd
BLAKE KOCH, No. 8 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 23rd
CALE CONLEY, No. 14 IAVA Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 29th
TJ BELL, No. 26 Toyota Camry, JGL Racing
Finishing Position: 36th
JEFF GREEN, No. 19 Premier Barter Exchange Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 40th
