Toyota NSCS Richmond Post-Race Notes & Quotes

TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Post-Race Notes & Quotes
Richmond International Raceway – September 7, 2013Matt Kenseth (sixth) was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Richmond International Raceway.

Four Camry drivers (Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr.) will contend in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship — the most for Toyota since joining the series in 2007.

Kenseth will start the Chase as the top seed (2,015 points) by virtue of his five wins during the first 26 races of the 2013 season.

Busch will start the Chase as the third seed (2,012 points), Bowyer as the eighth seed (2,000 points) and Truex in the final position in 12th (2,000 points).

Truex finished seventh at the three-quarter mile Virginia oval to earn the final ‘Wild Card’ spot in the 10-race playoff.

Camry drivers led a total of 77 laps (of 400) in the race with Bowyer leading a total of 72 circuits and Kenseth out front for a total of five laps.

Other Toyotas in the field at Richmond included AJ Allmendinger (15th), Busch (19th), Denny Hamlin (21st), Brian Vickers (24th), Bowyer (25th), Travis Kvapil (28th), David Reutimann (32nd), David Stremme (38th) and Joe Nemechek (39th).

MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
How was the race tonight?
“We ended up finishing the night decent — we just kind of struggled with the car.  We got it a little better some runs and the last couple cautions fell our way and the last restart fell our way.  We were in the right lane for once and made up some spots.  We finished better than we ran, but we were off a little bit.  I feel good going to Chicago — it will be alright.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
What does it mean to get in the Chase?
“I’m speechless — I don’t even know what to say.  Just so proud of Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and my guys.  We were terrible tonight — just terrible, terrible on the long runs.  We fought and we fought and we fought just like we did last week. Last week we were at the tail end of the longest line with 100 (laps) to go and we almost won and finished third and tonight, I don’t even know how that happened.  Good Lord was on our side tonight.  My guys did a good job and now we can go back and regroup and start back from zero and go get them.”

How were you able to keep Jeff Gordon behind you in the closing laps?
“My tires were shot, it wouldn’t turn, I couldn’t touch the gas — it was like I had oil on my tires.  I don’t know how I kept him (Jeff Gordon) behind me — I tried to run where he was running, tried not to make mistakes — I don’t know.  Somebody was riding with me tonight.”

MICHAEL WALTRIP, team owner, Michael Waltrip Racing
What does it mean to get both cars in the Chase for the second consecutive year?
“We’re really thankful.  The NAPA car — there wouldn’t be a Michael Waltrip Racing if it weren’t for the support of NAPA and Aaron’s and 5-hour ENERGY.  To get the NAPA car in and Clint (Bowyer) looked like he had it won and then that went away.  Then Martin (Truex Jr.) looked like he was out.  I told anyone that would listen that this day has been the most stressful experience of my life because I knew that there was a real good chance that we were going to be very disappointed and we had a car in — that doesn’t make any sense.  We would have left here bummed if the NAPA car wasn’t in.  Just to get them both in — it’s just really important.  We want to establish ourselves as a Chase organization — people that race in the Chase year in and year out.  Two in a row is a start — not a streak, but it’s a start.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 47 Bush’s Beans Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing
Finishing Position: 15th

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s American Heritage Chocolate Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 19th
What does the big picture of the Chase look like?
“We made it I guess.  Certainly last week was a lot more promising situation to be going into the Chase than tonight.  We’ve got to look at our program and where we’ve been — mile-and-a-halves have kind of been our strong suit.  You still have those races like Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) and Martinsville and Phoenix that you have to be good at too.  We’ll just have to work and lay all the pieces out and see what needs to be better here with the Monday morning meeting.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 21st

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 24th

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 25th
How was the race tonight?
“Just nothing went our way.  We’ve been fast the last three weeks — led the last three weeks and somehow lost all three of them.  It’s a shame — it is what it is.

What happened when you spun at the end of the race?
“We had a flat tire or something — we went from leading the race and got back there.  I got down in there and it kept getting tighter and tighter and tighter and then the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) got in there and by the time I got back in the gas, he got into me and I had so much wheel in it that it snapped around.  It sucks — the whole weekend was looking good.  We led and then got caught in the pits — for the third week in a row we were leading and had a legitimate shot at a win and just got caught in the pits again and it wasn’t our night.  You never want to be that guy and unfortunately change some things up there at the end.  Super proud of (Brian) Pattie (crew chief) and everybody for giving me another great race car that’s capable of winning.  We have to get this bad luck behind us, but nonetheless we’re running well and I feel like we’re still contending with a car capable of contending for a championship.”

Are you able to celebrate being in the Chase?
“It’s kind of hard to celebrate with all this stuff going.  We’ll get this behind us and go on.  It’s been a long year, it’s crazy to think that all this comes down to the end every year here, but it does.  A bunch of cars racing out there for everything. It’s unfortunate that some good cars had to lose this deal because they’re plenty capable of winning a championship.  I’m telling you, in this sport right now I think 14 to 15 cars have a legitimate shot of giving it a run for the championship.  It wasn’t our night again, but hopefully it will be next week.”

TRAVIS KVAPIL, No. 93 Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 26th

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 83 Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 32nd

DAVID STREMME, No. 30 Swan Energy/Lean 1 Toyota Camry, Swan Racing
Finishing Position: 38th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AMFMEnergy.com Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports
Finishing Position: 39th

DAVID WILSON, acting president and general manager, TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development)
What does it mean to have four Toyotas in the Chase for the first time?
“This is incredibly special for TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and for Toyota.  This is the first time that Toyota has put four drivers in the Chase.  To consider that one of those four isn’t Denny Hamlin is absolutely amazing — it’s stunning. We’re just incredibly proud of our partners at Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing to have two of each speaks to the partnership that we’ve been working so hard on and it’s huge, it really is.”