Todd Bodine's win Friday
night in the No. 30 Lumber
Liquidators Tundra at
Daytona International
Speedway is the 39th win for
Toyota in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS)
since the start of the 2004
season. Kyle Busch (second),
Johnny Benson (third) and
David Starr (fourth) also
registered top-five finishes
for Toyota. Other Tundra
drivers in the field
included Justin Marks
(eighth), Phillip McGilton
(12th), Ted Musgrave (28th),
Mike Skinner (29th) and
Terry Cook (30th). Bodine's
victory is the 13th of his
NCTS career and his
first-ever NASCAR victory at
Daytona. Bodine's victory
came in the same truck he
won in last October at
Talladega Superspeedway.
This is the
second-consecutive NCTS win
for Toyota at Daytona. Jack
Sprague won the
season-opener at Daytona in
2007. Friday's race was the
101st start for Toyota in
the NCTS since joining the
series in 2004.
TODD BODINE, No. 30
Lumber Liquidators Toyota
Tundra, Germain Racing
Finished: 1st How big of a
relief is it to finally make
it to Victory Lane at
Daytona? "This is my 20th
year coming to this
speedway. I came here for
three years as a crew
member, and 17 years as a
driver. I've finished second
and third. I've crashed hard
and burned a couple times.
Finally, after 17 years
driving here, we're finally
here (in victory lane)." How
does it feel to win at a
track so special to your
family? "This is incredible.
I had my first seven
birthdays over in turn
three. This has been a huge
part of my family. To
finally get here (victory
lane) is unbelievable. I owe
it to this team. The Lumber
Liquidators team is great.
This Toyota Tundra was a
fantastic 'piece.' This is
the same truck that sat on
the pole and won the race at
Talladega -- it won the race
here. I can't say enough
about the team on how they
put together this truck."
Were you worried that Kyle
Busch would get by you at
the end with fresher tires?
"I was worried because we
were really loose. I was
fighting it pretty hard the
last few laps. Kyle (Busch)
is known for driving hard.
Kyle and I have become
pretty good friends. I knew
he wasn't going to turn me.
If he couldn't get a run to
the outside and have Johnny
(Benson) go with him, I knew
I was going to be okay. It
turned out great."
KYLE BUSCH, No. 51 NOS
Energy Drink Toyota Tundra,
Billy Ballew Motorsports
Finished: 2nd Did you have a
chance to catch Todd Bodine
tonight? “It was pretty
cool. It was a lot of fun
out there. We wished we
would have been able to win
the thing but I let Todd (Bodine)
get out a little bit too far
through turns three and four
-- I was trying to slow down
and let him get out. Then I
wanted to build up a run and
get back on his inside or
outside -- I didn’t care
where I was going to go.
Johnny (Benson) was pushing
me there for a second and
then he pulled out to try
and get second-place.
Luckily, we were still able
to capitalize on that.
Overall, it was a good run.
We’ll take it. We’re going
to run for points this year,
so that’s all we need.” What
happened about halfway
through the race when you
lost several positions? “I
just got real, real tight
off turn two. I lost the
bottom line and those guys
were right there. They took
advantage of that and got by
me. I just had to fall back
and bide my time and let
everybody go and then fall
back in when I could -- and
that was at the end of the
line. No big deal -- no
harm, no foul.” What
happened between you and
Mike Skinner? “I was running
the top side and bouncing
all over the place on these
springs here. I tried
turning down the race track
just a little bit to try to
get underneath the 8 (Chad
McCumbee) truck and when I
did my front end really bit
and turned down the track.
If I turned right I probably
would have spun myself out
or wrecked the 8 (Chad
McCumbee), and I didn’t know
if anyone was still on my
inside. I was kind of clear,
but I wasn’t quite exactly
sure. Unfortunately, Mike
(Skinner) was there and it
caused a big pile-up and I
apologize for that to those
guys and everybody else
whose season got hurt here
in Daytona.”
JOHNNY BENSON, No. 23
Toyota Certified Used
Vehicles Tundra, Bill Davis
Racing Finished: 3rd How was
your truck tonight? “Trip
(Bruce, crew chief) and all
the guys did a tremendous
job on my Toyota. We didn’t
get it perfect because it
was a little too tight. All
in all, I’m not going to
complain about this day. We
missed a couple of big
wrecks. Our spotter did a
tremendous job getting us
through.” Did you think you
had a truck to win? “I was
kind of hoping it was going
to be today. I saw Kyle
(Busch) had his problem
coming off of (turn) four
there and I knew he wanted
to get that little bit of
run. He was looking to see
where I was and I tried to
get on the outside. He came
up pretty quick. Then I
didn’t have enough to do
anything with it. If you had
told me we would come out of
this race with a top-five
finish I’d be the happiest
guy in the world -- so I’m
pretty proud of that.”
TED MUSGRAVE, No. 59 Team
ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota
Tundra, HT Motorsports
Finished: 28th What happened
that took you out of
tonight’s race? “Give and
take -- there was a lot of
giving and everybody was
just taking advantage of
everybody out there. I was
just trying to ride it out.
I had my Toyota running
decent and I was just trying
to bide my time up there. It
was the wrong place at the
wrong time. All of the
sudden everything gets smoky
and there’s fire. I had a
few opportunities to make
progress. I was just trying
to give everyone a break. I
never have seen so many
trucks out of control, too.
Maybe the rules package or
the tires need to be changed
on the trucks.”
MIKE SKINNER, No. 5
Toyota Tundra, Bill Davis
Racing Finished: 29th What
took you out of tonight’s
race? “I was just riding
along. Our Tundra was
awfully strong. Us and the
No. 99 (Erik Darnell) were
just clicking along -- and I
don’t know what happened on
his pit stop, he kind of got
messed up in the pits. I was
just riding along and I
guess somebody got a little
anxious or something -- I
don’t really know. I haven’t
looked at the replay.
Everything was just fine and
next thing you know I was
spinning.” “I guess some
people were just getting
anxious and ping-ponging
around there. I was just
riding along there. Our
truck was awfully strong. My
spotter was giving me good
information. A couple of
them were ricocheting off of
us over there and I really
don’t know exactly what
happened. Next thing you
know I was spun -- and
sliding and slipping. I
think it was a little early
for all that -- maybe with
five or six laps to go you
take those kind of chances.
It is what it is.” How do
you feel about what
happened? “I’m angry inside.
We had a great truck that
could beat this field today
and win this race. Here we
are with our nice Tundra
wadded up in a ball over
there because somebody
wanted to be an idiot. It’s
a tough day, but we’ll
rebound and go to California
and have a good day in
California. We had a lot of
luck last year in our No. 5
and Daytona is just one of
25 races.” Do you know who
hit you? “I don’t think
Brendan (Gaughan) hit us. I
never felt Brendan (Gaughan)
hit us. I just felt the 51
(Kyle Busch) hit us. It was
kind of a tough deal. It was
awful early in the race to
be making those moves all
over the race track with 19
laps on the board.”
TERRY COOK, No. 60 Wyler
Racing Toyota Tundra, Wyler
Racing Finished: 30th What
happened that took you out
of tonight’s race? “I don’t
think it was people being
impatient, I think these
trucks are just driving a
little worse than people
expect when you get a little
further into a tire run --
and we were only five or 10
laps into a run from the
previous caution. I’m not
sure what happened. I tried
to leapfrog two trucks on
the backstretch – and I just
about had them cleared into
turn three and my spotter
said I wasn’t clear. So, I
was up top -- running
three-wide -- and next thing
I know I’m in the wall hard.
It was a hard hit.” - more -
Toyota NCTS Daytona Race
Notes & Quotes -- page 3
TERRY COOK, No. 60 Wyler
Racing Toyota Tundra, Wyler
Racing (continued) Could you
see anything from your
viewpoint that put you in
the wall? “I had a big run
on Joey Clanton (No. 09) and
got two-wide down the
backstretch. Any time these
trucks go two-wide -- being
behind them can really (make
you) suck up to them. I had
a big run at him and went
three-wide down the
backstretch. I just about
had the 09 cleared -- and my
spotter said I didn’t have
him cleared -- so I stayed
up top by the wall through
turns three and four. Next
thing I know I was in the
outside wall hard. I’m sure
the Nos. 09 and 71 (Bliss)
got together and one of them
came across the track and
took me out. It’s really a
shame because we were just
27 laps into a 100 lap
race.”
DAVID STARR, No. 11 Red
Horse Racing Toyota Tundra,
Red Horse Racing Finished:
4th
JUSTIN MARKS, No. 9
Construct Corps/Crocs Toyota
Tundra, Germain Racing
Finished: 8th
PHILLIP McGILTON, No. 22
Toyota Tundra, Bill Davis
Racing Finished: 12th