Kyle Busch earned his second
win of the season in Friday
night's NNS race at Phoenix
after leading a race high
133 laps. Denny Hamlin
finished third after leading
18 laps and David Reutimann
finished ninth to give
Toyota three Camrys in the
top-10 for the fifth race
this season. Three or more
Camrys have finished in the
top-10 together five times
since the beginning of the
NNS season with four in the
top-10 at Daytona (2-16-08)
as well as Texas (4-5-08)
and three in the top-10 at
California (2-25-08),
Bristol (3-15-08) and
Phoenix (4-11-08). Other
Camrys in Friday's race
included Jason Leffler
(14th), Mike Wallace (15th)
and James Buescher (18th).
Since the start of this
season, Camry drivers have
earned 10 top-five and 22
top-10 finishes in NNS
competition. Camry drivers
have led a total of 1,027
laps (of 1,368 total laps)
in the first eight NNS races
of 2008. Busch has led a
series high 604 laps. Toyota
drivers have earned four
pole positions this season.
Today's pole award went to
Busch who earned his second
pole of the season after
also earning the top
starting spot at Nashville
(3-22-08). Tony Stewart
started first at Daytona
(2-15-08) and Brian Vickers
was on the pole at Las Vegas
(3-1-08). This was the
eighth pole for the Camry in
NNS competition. Camry
drivers have four wins in
Nationwide Series
competition. Stewart (JGR
No. 20 Camry) started the
2008 season with wins at
Daytona (2-16-08) and at
California (2-25-08), while
his JGR teammate Busch went
to victory lane last weekend
at Texas (4-5-08) and again
here this weekend in Phoenix
(4-11-08). KYLE BUSCH, No.
18 Interstate Batteries
Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs
Racing Finished: 1st How was
your race tonight and how
was your car throughout the
evening? “It was a good
race. There in the beginning
of the race, I felt we had
the car to beat. It was
definitely the class of the
field. Then, guys were able
to make adjustments to there
cars and got their stuff
handling a lot better. And,
we made some minor
adjustments to it, but just
weren’t quite able to make
as many big steps as the
other guys behind us were
able to. All in all, I felt
like our car was pretty
decent -- our Toyota Camry.
Towards the end of the race
there, racing with Carl
(Edwards) was pretty cool
and a lot of fun. I’m very
fortunate that he gave me
all the room that I needed
in order to race clean, and
everything. He was
definitely a great racer
there. All those cautions
really helped us out. I
think we could have held him
off if I ran the top side,
but I was just too loose to
run the bottom -- too loose
to go fast there at the end.
So, I just really had to
keep my momentum wound up at
the top in order to beat
him. And, luckily with all
those cautions, it worked
out.” Did you have an
advantage in the closing
laps tonight? “I really
didn't. He (Carl Edwards)
had a great, great race car
there today -- one that
might have been better than
this Interstate Batteries
Toyota Camry. I just want to
thank Interstate dealers and
distributors -- all them
guys and Norm Miller do an
awesome job for us. Being in
a Toyota, you know, that
just made it worthwhile
tonight -- just a great
night for us. He (Carl
Edwards) had a great race
car there. But, luckily we
kept getting those cautions
where we could at least get
another two lap jump, or so.
Our car was good on the two
lap jumps, but he had us
there from about five (laps)
to 15 and 15 to 45 we had
him. From there on out, he
had us.” Was the final pit
stop where you won tonight's
race? “These boys won the
race for us tonight on pit
road. They do an awesome job
for us being able to get us
out first. You know, I might
have been able to get by him
on the restart with all
those guys going crazy in
turn one, but still it was
much easier to race up front
than it was going to be to
pass him. Fortunately, we
had a great enough race car
with this Toyota and we were
able to get it done.” Are
you considering running for
the Nationwide Series
driver’s championship now
that you're third in points?
“The consideration is there,
for us it's a race-by-race
deal. If I go out and win
these next eight races in a
row we might reevaluate.
It's great to be able to
come out and race in the
Nationwide Series. I have
such as a blast. As I said
before, our concentration is
on our Cup effort, and we're
third in points now. We've
got some work to do on that
side to get further up in
the points and stay there.
If this will follow along,
maybe we'll keep going”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18
Interstate Batteries Toyota
Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
(continued) It looks easy
for you -- is winning races
easy? “No. It’s not that
easy. Carl (Edwards) had a
great car today. We had a
good car, too. Fortunately,
we had track position and
got out in front of him
there on that pit stop --
that helped us too. I
wouldn’t say it’s easy to
win races in this series.
Obviously, because I missed
out on three of them -- or
four of them even. It’s cool
to run as well as we can run
-- week-in and week-out.
That’s just a testament to
the JGR equipment and just
being able to get together
with some great crew chiefs
and really work hard. It’s
just good chemistry” Which
was the bigger factor
tonight -- you coming off
pit road first or the
cautions at the end of the
race? “I’d say the cautions
there at the end. I think I
had a good enough car on
restarts that I probably
could have got to his
outside – probably could
have raced him. Might have
been able to get by him, but
it was going to be a heck of
a duel with the way his car
was and my car was. For some
reason, my car wouldn’t do
the bottom. I was too loose
down there so I had to keep
it up top.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 20
Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry,
Joe Gibbs Racing Finished:
3rd Do you think Toyota
leading a large amount of
laps this season is a credit
of Toyota or JGR? “I think
its a little combination of
both. The Toyotas don't have
the advantage they had last
year because (NASCAR) took
away from the Toyota engines
during the off season. It's
not really the manufacturer,
I believe it's just Gibbs
has really done their
homework on these Nationwide
cars and its showing up.
Kyle (Busch), Tony (Stewart)
and those guys have really
led a lot of laps and been
dominant and rightfully
could have or should have
won every race so far this
season. This is only my
second run with these guys
as I've been over there on
the Braun side. My schedule
starts picking up here and
hopefully we can continue
that trend.”
DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 99
Best Western/Aaron’s Dream
Machine Toyota Camry,
Michael Waltrip Racing
Finished: 9th Can you take
us through your race today?
“We were amazingly just
mediocre at best the whole
race. We never could make
it. We've have never really
been great here. The crew
worked their tales off but
the different scenarios we
tried didn't work. The Camry
couldn't get in and when you
do get in it's too tight in
the center and too tight
off. It's just disappointing
because we are a better team
than that. It's the worse
car we've had all year and
if we can run ninth, that's
not a bad thing.”
JASON LEFFLER, No. 38
Great Clips Toyota Camry,
Braun Racing Finished: 14th
MIKE WALLACE, No. 7 GEICO
Toyota Camry, Germain Racing
Finished: 15th
JAMES BUESCHER, No. 32
Great Clips Toyota Camry,
Braun Racing Finished: 18th