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Note: This press release may have been edited for formatting purposes only

Posted on August 21, 2008 PopUpScript Email   Print

 

TOYOTA NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Bristol Motor Speedway - August 20, 2008

Kyle Busch won his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race of the season Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch won back-to-back races earlier this season at California (Feb. 23) and Atlanta (March 7). Busch led twice for a race-high 145 of 203 laps in the Billy Ballew Motorsports No. 51 Tundra. Todd Bodine (second), pole-sitter Scott Speed (third) and Johnny Benson (fourth) also scored top-five finishes for Toyota. Tundra drivers Mike Skinner (seventh), David Stremme (ninth), Ted Musgrave (10th), Justin Marks (22nd), Terry Cook (23rd), David Starr (29th) and Ken Schrader (33rd) were also in the field. Busch's win is the eighth of the season for Toyota in NCTS competition, and 47th for the manufacturer since joining the series in 2004.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Tundra, Billy Ballew Motorsports Finished: 1st How does it feel to get to victory lane for the third time in the Truck Series this year? "It feels pretty good. This is definitely a great race team. It's a lot of fun with Billy Ballew (owner), Richie (Wauters, crew chief) and all these guys. We just had a great race tonight. This thing was pretty good when we unloaded it. Same stuff as last year. We just kind of fine-tuned on it a little bit. We got into it a little bit with Johnny (Benson) there. Sorry about that. I didn't even see him come down there. I got my nose in there, and he was trying to miss a lapped truck, I guess. Overall, we just wanted to stay up front up all night and keep our nose clean. To bring this Miccosukee Resorts and NOS Energy Drink Toyota to victory lane is awesome."

What does it mean to have won in all three NASCAR series at Bristol? "It's fun to be able to win anywhere. It's also fun to win in anything at any track, but to win in all three series at one track is pretty special. I've been able to do it at Phoenix and here, and one shy at a couple other places, two shy at some places and three shy at most of them. I've still got a long way to go. I have to thank all the guys at Toyota and TRD."

Did you learn anything for the Cup Series and Nationwide Series races later this week? "A little bit. Some of those guys started off pretty tight and just got tighter. I started off loose and got a little tight. I was just a little freer than those guys. I was a little bit more able to carry my speed better through the corners than they were, and that helped me. I just got some good restarts and was able to hold them off."

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing Finished: 2nd There were reports your engine was sputtering. Did you have any problems? "The last half of the race it (engine) didn't do it, but it did it really bad there one time. It kind of worried me, but it didn't do it after that. I was keeping it cleaned out really good on the restarts and on the cautions and trying to keep it cleaned out. This Toyota power plant ran good. The Toyota Tundra was awesome. The Lumber Liquidators crew did a great job. We've struggled the last month-and-a-half, running really well and getting caught up in wrecks, and just dumb things happening. Last week, we got third in Nashville and we got second tonight. So, hopefully we got this Germain race team turned around and going in the right direction again."

Could you have caught Kyle Busch? "No. His truck would roll in the center and that's where he would beat me. We had that problem in practice. Unfortunately, it was still there in the race -- we didn't get it fixed. I could run with him everywhere except through the middle. At Bristol, that's what you have to do -- you have to roll through the middle good."

Did you have to worry about Scott Speed? "Scott (Speed) was good. I think Scott (Speed) actually had a little better truck than us, but when you're that close in speed it's hard to pass. He did a great job and Johnny (Benson) did also coming back with those tires." 

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing (continued) Why did you have 'Beautiful' written above your race truck's door? "I really wanted to win this race for 'Big Guy' (Steve Helwig). If you met 'Big Guy' he was your best friend. That's just the kind of person he was. We got a big hole in our hearts right now. I wanted to win this for him. I got 'Beautiful' up here on the truck -- that's 'Big Guy's' saying -- that's what he's known for. We tried to get a beautiful win for him but just didn't get it,"

SCOTT SPEED, No. 22 Red Bull Toyota Tundra, Bill Davis Racing Finished: 3rd What's your first impression of racing at Bristol? "It was cool. The racing was a lot more difficult than driving in qualifying. It was great. Honestly, definitely one of the more fun tracks -- like Michigan, where you can really run two-wide, there are two grooves here. For short track stuff -- this is easily my favorite."

Have you every seen this race track before? "I've seen it (Bristol) on TV. Being here is a lot different when you take the car on the track in person. The banking is more aggressive in person. It's just two corners though. They give me a good truck -- like they always do -- then we normally run in the front."

Did you have anything for Todd Bodine late in the race? "We were fast. I saved a lot in the middle knowing we had to be good in the end. Honestly, at the end, I think we had the best truck out there. We saved our right front really well, but with all the green-white-checkers and everything -- and me and Johnny (Benson) getting together really bad -- we missed our opportunity to attack."

JOHNNY BENSON, No. 23 EXIDE Batteries Toyota Tundra, Bill Davis Racing Finished: 4th How was your race tonight and how costly was the late pit stop for tires? "Well, it was okay. Trip Bruce (crew chief) and the guys -- week in and week out -- do a great job on this Exide Tundra. We're pretty excited about how the night ended. We were having tire problems like everybody out there. We had to pit. We had to do the safe thing knowing that we could drive up there. We just didn't have enough -- we just didn't have enough green stuff and the yellows kind of caught us in some bad spots. I'm proud of the guys. They did a great job."

Do you have to race more conservatively now that you're leading the point standings? No, not at all. I think we have to win more races to win the championship. We're not going to change anything we've been doing."

MIKE SKINNER, No. 5 Toyota Tundra, Bill Davis Racing Finished: 7th

DAVID STREMME, No. 15 Hyprene-Ergon Toyota Tundra, Billy Ballew Motorsports Finished: 9th

TED MUSGRAVE, No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota Tundra, HT Motorsports Finished: 10th

JUSTIN MARKS, No. 9 Crocs Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing Finished: 22nd

TERRY COOK, No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota Tundra, Wyler Racing Finished: 23rd

DAVID STARR, No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing Finished: 29th

KEN SCHRADER, No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Toyota Tundra Finished: 33rd

 

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