Denny Hamlin (fifth), Kyle Busch (seventh) and Martin Truex Jr. (10th) scored top-10 finishes in their Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camrys in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Busch was able to score a stage win claiming a valuable Playoff point as the Cup Series finishes the regular season next weekend at Daytona prior to kicking off the Playoffs in Darlington on Sept. 5.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Michigan International Speedway
Race 25 of 36 – 200 laps, 400 miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ryan Blaney *
2nd, William Byron*
3rd, Kyle Larson*
4th, Kurt Busch*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
7th, KYLE BUSCH
10th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
13th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
19th, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
Were some of the wrinkles in your Camry the difference in performance today?
“I’m not really sure. We were really fast there right before that last green flag stop. We had run down the leaders from way back, I guess we restarted 18th. It was fast. We just didn’t need that caution – the second-to-last one. We got a good restart on the second-to-last one and then I tried to make a move on the 24 (William Byron) and he was so concerned with me that he lost the lead as well. Just crazy racing. Everyone is just sliding on each other, but it was a decent amount of fun.”
How do you approach the Daytona race next weekend?
“We’ll just try to get every point that we can and go for the win. We’ll do everything we can. The FedEx Camry team has been strong all year long. We just can’t get a caution right, can’t get a restart right – just little tiny things right to get a win. But we’re in the hunt every week and that’s all we can ask for.”
What was the racing like in the final 10 laps of this race?
“It was chaotic, but it was a lot of fun for sure. Just trying to pick the line to get a good run off, but then keep the distance and then there’s times you want to be beside somebody and times you choose that the best place is to stay behind someone. Just a mix of everything, but overall proud of the entire FedEx Express team. They brought me a very fast Camry today. We ran down those leaders on that last green flag run. I just didn’t need that caution there for rain. Thought I was in pretty good shape. Another close one, but overall pretty happy with our performance there. We’ll head to Daytona and try to win it.”
How do you feel about your momentum heading into the final race before the Playoffs?
“I think we’ve got good momentum. We’re fast. Every single week we can win. There’s only maybe three cars that can say that every single week. Just feel like we’re in a good place. We’re steady. We just have to keep climbing towards the top.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
How was your race today?
“We had an eventful day with our Interstate Batteries Camry. We had a good car and for some reason the set of tires we put on it were not good. Ben (Beshore, crew chief) decided to put four tires on the next stop and then I also slid through the stall. We battled hard and got back up there, but we needed the track position to have a shot to win.”
Toyota Racing PR
