Brian Vickers (second)
and Tony Stewart (third)
recorded top-five finishes
for Toyota in Saturday's
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)
race at Michigan
International Speedway.
Camry driver Joey Logano
finished sixth in his
first-ever race at Michigan.
Jason Leffler (seventh) also
recorded a top-10 finish for
Toyota. Camry drivers led a
total of 53 laps in
Saturday's 125-lap race.
Stewart led three times for
36 laps and Vickers led
twice for 17 laps. Camry
drivers Mike Wallace (15th)
and David Reutimann (34th)
were also in the field. Four
Camry drivers currently are
in the top-10 in the
unofficial NNS point
standings following
Michigan. Reutimann (fifth),
Kyle Busch (seventh),
Wallace (eighth) and Leffler
(ninth) currently rank in
the top-10 for Toyota.
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 32 ABF
Freight Toyota Camry, Braun
Racing Finished: 2nd How was
your run today? "It was a
good run. To be quite honest
with you, you don't want to
come across greedy but at
the same time I'm getting
sick and tired of not
winning one of these races.
I feel like every race that
we've been in we've led, we
just haven't led the right
lap. I'm really proud of the
ABF Toyota guys. We had a
great car all day. I feel
like on new tires at the
beginning Carl (Edwards) was
a little bit better than us.
I could run around there
almost wide open and I don't
know if it was the power
difference between the Ford
and the Toyota's having that
new plate. When you're
running around there
practically wide open around
the bottom there's really
not much else you can do. As
the run continued and the
tires wore out I felt like
the handling of our car
really came into play more
and we could move up to the
top and keep the engine
wound up, which the Toyota's
have always liked. And I
think it's even more
important now with the
smaller plate on the Toyota.
When I could get up to the
top as the tires wore off we
could really get good runs
and really had a good car to
compete for the win but we
just ran out of time. The
car got too far ahead of us
on the last run and just
didn't have enough time to
catch him."
Did you expect more from
the tires after your pit
stop midway through the
race? "Trent (Owens, crew
chief) said that -- made
that comment (that he
expected more from the
tires) -- and I agree with
him. Obviously, we felt the
tires were going to make a
bigger difference than they
did and they didn't make as
big of a difference as we
thought they would. I think
mainly because the cars have
so much down force -- so
little power -- you're
almost running wide open
anyway, even on old tires.
So, that's why I didn't
think it made that much of a
difference. I think tomorrow
during the Cup race it will
be a completely different
story and I think you'll see
tires make a big
difference."
How tough was it to pass
Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle
late in the race? "It was
tough to get by those guys.
They were running us hard.
They had a good car, as
well. We were better on top
on old tires than we were on
the bottom, and that's how
they got by us the first
time. Then, once I got up
top and the tires were older
we got back by them."
Are you starting to
wonder when you'll win a
Nationwide race? "It is
starting to wear on me a
little bit. Especially, when
you lead every race you are
in, and you just haven't won
one -- given the
circumstances. It's exciting
the fact that we lead just
about every one of these
races that we run in the
Nationwide Series, we're
just not leading them on the
right lap."
Was Carl Edwards better
than you today? "I think we
had a better car, but with
the new Toyota restrictor
plate NASCAR pit on us he
definitely had us beat on
power." There's not a lot we
can do about that."
TONY STEWART, No. 20 Old
Spice/Give Kids The World
Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs
Racing Finished: 3rd How was
your run today? "We had a
good day. This was our last
race with Joe Gibbs Racing
in the Nationwide Series.
I'm just really thankful to
Dave Rogers (crew chief) and
all of the guys on the Old
Spice team and Armor All at
Daytona and Z-Line Designs.
It's been fun to run that
car this year and to run for
Dave (Rogers), who everyone
knows was an engineer on the
Cup team years ago. It's
kind of one of those days
you're kind of sad your year
is over from this
standpoint, but I'm so proud
of Dave and all of those
guys and all of the JGR (Joe
Gibbs Racing) organization -
the 18 team and the 20 team.
They've done just amazing
things in the last couple of
years. I'm just really proud
of them. We got in a great
battle there. To me, it
reminded me of being what I
can imagine Daytona was like
without restrictor plates
and with the sling shot and
everything. You could get
two or three guys there and
it really got fun. That's
something that I don't think
I've ever been a part of
anything that was that much
fun here at Michigan. It
gave you a chance that these
cars are so momentum driven
and with the horsepower that
we've had taken away it
really made that even more
critical today. To make sure
that you kept your momentum
up and didn't get the car
bound up in anyway. When you
could get two or three guys
like that, it was really
fun. Guys could go in below
you and slide up right up in
front of you and you could
turn and go back underneath
them. That's something that
I don't think I've ever seen
here in Michigan. It was a
fun day. Early in the race
we got with Carl (Edwards)
and Brian (Vickers) and that
pretty much to me set the
tone for the day of knowing
who was going to be good all
day and be there at the end
of the race, and that's the
way it shaped up."
How does it feel to step
out of the No. 20 Nationwide
car for the last time in
your career? "They're not
done yet. They've got the
rest of the year. I got a
feeling this record that
they set and broke is going
to keep growing. I just got
off a little bit today - got
us a little bit too tight in
the center. Dave Rogers
(crew chief) and all of
these guys on this Old Spice
team have done such a great
job. They're in a
record-setting year and it's
just been an honor to drive
the car for them. It's been
a lot of fun."
What does it mean for
Dave Rogers to radio you and
say 'this is the most fun
I've had as a crew chief'?"
"It a huge compliment - a
huge honor. Dave (Rogers,
crew chief) and I go back a
long way because of the Cup
Series. He was my engineer
there and he got the
opportunity he deserved to
move over here and he's made
the most of it. You couldn't
ask for a guy that does such
a good job with keeping you
pumped up all race long.
He's having one of those
dream seasons like Kyle
(Busch) is having. I'm just
really proud of him and his
guys and the whole entire
Nationwide program in Joe
Gibbs Racing. They've done
an awesome job not only with
the 20 car but with the 18.
These guys got awesome stuff
to look forward to the rest
of the year."
Are you disappointed you
didn't win today? "Not too
bad. We've had a great year
with these guys and it
didn't end the way we wanted
to today but still when you
can say it doesn't end the
way you wanted and you still
got a top three it's a
pretty awesome day."
Did that long run really
help you or did you need a
caution to come out? "I
don't know how the
strategies were working out.
I know some guys pitted a
little earlier and some guys
- we stayed out so I don't
know how it was going to
work on strategy. It put us
all in the same boat when
the caution came out."
How did your car handle?
"We just stayed in the top
three there and Carl
(Edwards), Brian (Vickers)
and I got away from the
field. It pretty much gave
me the indication that was
going to be the matchup for
the end there. I got us a
little too tight there in
the center at the end. We
lost a little bit of track
position there but that
didn't cost us. I just
couldn't get the car turning
like I had earlier in the
day. My fault - Dave Rogers
(crew chief) and those guys
- what an awesome car to run
all year and man, did it
make Saturday's a lot more
fun."
How much fun was the two-
and three-wide racing? "It
was fun. It had the feel of
what I can imagine Daytona
before restrictor plates and
the slingshot and all.
That's the feeling that I
got today from it. It was
really fun because if you
broke the momentum on these
things you could get passed
going in and turn and come
back off and pass a guy
back. That's something you
don't see here very often."
TONY STEWART, No. 20 Old
Spice/Give Kids The World
Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs
Racing (continued) What
emotions did you have before
the race knowing that was
your last race with the No.
20 Nationwide team? "We had
a special day, too, today
because we had the Give Kids
The World paint scheme and
Emily Marsala was here --
the young girl that actually
came up with the design for
the paint scheme. We had her
and her family here. I'm
going to go and see the guys
right now. I never thought
it would be such a big deal
but it has been, and it
feels like it right now.
It's not like I will never
see those guys again but at
the same time I know that's
the last time I'm going to
get a chance to drive that
car for that group of guys.
It's fun when you're having
success with a team you hate
for that to end especially
with that group of people
like we had there. I've got
a great group of guys on our
Cup side, too. When you have
and are part of a
record-breaking season like
we are you never want to see
that streak end and that
partnership end. They're
always full of compliments
when you get there. Their
attitude was always good and
this is a team that's had to
juggle around four drivers
all year. To do that and
continue to have that kind
of success really makes you
proud to be a part of that
and it makes you appreciate
the hard work and effort
that those guys do and put
forth every week. I was kind
of like, 'Man, wow that
easies up my schedule for
the rest of the year,' but
not that it's here I wish I
was running next week again.
It's bittersweet for sure."
JOEY LOGANO, No. 18
Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry,
Joe Gibbs Racing Finished:
7th How did your car handle
during this afternoon's
race? "It was okay. I'm not
happy with it, but it's
okay. We just couldn't get
the Z-Line Designs Toyota
where we need it to be. We
started off really, really
tight and went backwards
really quick. We kept
working on it and we'd get a
little closer -- then we'd
fall off. We'd get a little
closer, then we'd fall off.
The pit stops were great.
That kept us in it. That was
really cool. We needed one
more caution and one more
pit stop to make something
happen -- to free it up even
more and we didn't have an
opportunity to do it."
Did you learn anything in
your first race at Michigan?
"I learned a lot about
aero-stuff today. What to
do? Where to run? So, our
Z-Line Designs Toyota was
awesome on the short run, it
just took a while for it
come, and after that it just
went away."
DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 99
Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
Camry, Michael Waltrip
Racing Finished: 34th What
happened to take you out of
the race? "We just got run
into and knocked the left
front fender in and cut the
left front tire down and it
hit the fence pretty hard."
Did Clint Bowyer give you
enough room? "Not from where
I was sitting. The only
thing between me and Clint
(Bowyer) was the wall. I
will have to see a replay. I
was getting a little tight
on exit so I was coming off
a little lower to try to
give my car a little extra
room. If that's his version,
fine. If he doesn't want to
own up wrecking me, it's no
big deal."
JASON LEFFLER, No. 38
Great Clips Toyota Camry,
Braun Racing Finished: 8th
MIKE WALLACE, No. 7 GEICO
Toyota Camry, Germain Racing
Finished: 15th