Toyota NSCS: Homestead Notes & Quotes
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| Denny Hamlin celebrates victory earlier this season at Talladega |
TOYOTA TIDBITS
DENNY CHASING FIRST CAMRY CUP TITLE: Camry driver Denny Hamlin will contend for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) championship in Sunday's season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and looks to earn his first NASCAR championship as well as the first Cup Series title for Toyota. Hamlin advanced to the final round of the Chase with a fifth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway last weekend, and will compete against Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman for the title in a first to the finish line 'take all' contest. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth just missed advancing to the final round by two points after a third-place result at Phoenix.
HAMLIN AT HOMESTEAD: Hamlin is the only driver of the NSCS title contenders who has recorded a win at Homestead. Hamlin is the defending race-winner at the 1.5-mile Florida oval after leading the field five times for 72 laps (of 267) en route to victory lane last November. The 33-year-old Chesterfield, Va. native was also victorious at Homestead in 2009, and finished second in the championship battle the following year (2010). Along with his two wins in Miami, Hamlin has posted four top-five finishes, five top-10 results — including three of the last five races — and has led 163 laps in nine career starts there.
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| Matt Crafton will look to secure his second consecutive championship this weekend at Homestead |
CRAFTON CHAMPIONSHIP: Tundra driver Matt Crafton is close to defending his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) title as the series heads to the season-finale on Friday at Homestead. Crafton is currently 25 points ahead of second-place Ryan Blaney in the point standings and can clinch the NCWTS championship with a finish of 21st or better. Crafton has registered two wins, 13 top-five finishes and 16 top-10 results in 21starts this season and is looking to become the first series back-to-back champion.
TUNDRA OWNERS TITLE: Two Tundra NCWTS teams have the chance at earning the series owner's championship this Friday at Homestead. Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) and the No. 51 Tundra team are currently in first-place in the standings and 18 points ahead of fellow Toyota team Thorsport Racing and the No. 88 Tundra. KBM has won two owner's titles, including in 2010 during the team's first year in the series and again last year. This season, KBM has 13 NCWTS victories, marking a single-season NCWTS record, including seven wins by Kyle Busch (No. 51 Tundra) and three wins apiece by Erik Jones (No. 51 Tundra) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (No. 54 Tundra).
TOYOTA'S 10 YEARS IN NASCAR: Toyota is celebrating its 10th anniversary in NASCAR this year. Here is another highlight from Toyota's first 10 years in the sport. Toyota clinches its first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver's championship with Todd Bodine and Germain Racing (November 17, 2006).
NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS): Camry drivers Denny Hamlin (first), Matt Kenseth (seventh), Kyle Busch (eighth), Clint Bowyer (19th) and Brian Vickers (22nd) rank in the top-25 in the NSCS point standings going into the season-finale at Homestead … Camry drivers have earned the pole position in four of the last five NSCS races … With his pole last week at Phoenix, Hamlin has started from the front of the field 15 times in a Camry, marking the most pole positions among Toyota drivers … Kenseth earned the pole at Homestead last November … Bowyer has finished in the top-six in three consecutive races in Miami … Busch has recorded two straight top-10 results in Homestead … Vickers currently resides in Miami.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Do you feel confident heading to Homestead with the championship on the line?
"I feel pretty optimistic. I thought we had a great test there, and obviously no one saw that win coming last year in 2013. We were a lot less competitive at the end of last year, and we popped up and won that race. It's just a track that suits me for some reason. It's wide, tires wear out, and if your car is working well you can make up positions there. Track position is not crazy critical (at Homestead). Love the opportunity — we're on house money now, so let's go have fun."
What does it feel like to have a one in four shot at a championship?
"I've had a one in three shot before in 2010, but this is so different with this format. You know you're up against three other guys and whoever comes out on top is going to be our champ. I'm very encouraged after the test we had there two weeks ago."
Do you like this new Chase playoff format or do you think it should be changed for next year?
"The people that outcry this system is bad is when their favorite driver doesn't make it. The system is fine. It's exciting. Every race is exciting. There's not been one boring race, and every race, it comes down to somebody on a restart or something. This is the best thing that's happened to this sport in a really long time. Just because your favorite driver doesn't make it, it could go the other way for them next year. Let's just leave this thing alone for a little while."
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
What would it mean to end the season with a good finish at Homestead?
"It would be awesome. It's kind of the home track for me. To win in Miami — I've always loved Miami and I think it's a great race track and I'd love to have a win there. I think there's something about winning the last race. You kind of get to savor it for two or three months and most wins you get to savor for a couple days and then you're already on to the next race. Winning at Homestead — not only is it a great city and it's now my home, but you get to savor that one for months and that's always a cool feeling."
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS): Camry driver Elliott Sadler (fourth) is currently in the top-five in the NNS point standings going into the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway … James Buescher (11th) and Mike Bliss (14th) also rank in the top-15 in the point standings … Kyle Busch has two NNS wins at Homestead in 2009 and 2010 … Busch won the pole at Homestead in 2012 and former Toyota driver Joey Logano earned two pole positions in Miami in a Toyota Camry in 2008 and 2010.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS): Along with Matt Crafton leading the NCWTS point standings, Tundra drivers Darrell Wallace Jr. (third), Johnny Sauter (fourth), Timothy Peters (fifth), German Quiroga (seventh) and Jeb Burton (ninth) also rank in the top-10 of the NCWTS points heading into the season-finale at Homestead … Tundra drivers have registered 99 pole awards since joining series competition in 2004 and the next time a Toyota leads the field to green will mark the 100th NCWTS pole for the Tundra … Tundra drivers have earned five wins at Homestead … Kyle Busch was victorious there last November and in 2010 while Todd Bodine earned wins in 2005 and 2008 and Johnny Benson won in 2007.
MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Jeld-Wen/Menards Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Will you points race at Homestead or go for the victory?
"I'm going into Homestead and trying to win the race. That's been our goal since Daytona — we haven't looked at the points and we haven't focused anything on points. Just went out there and tried to win as many races as possible. We've only won two. We've had some bad luck — leading a race, blew a right front tire and finished second too many times too."
TOYOTA DRIVER ROSTER – Homestead-Miami Speedway (NSCS, NNS & NCWTS)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Camry
Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Camry
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Camry
Alex Bowman, No. 23 Camry
Cole Whitt, No. 26 Camry
Brian Vickers, No. 55 Camry
Brett Moffitt, No. 66 Camry
JJ Yeley, No. 83 Camry
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Ross Chastain, No. 10 Camry
Elliott Sadler, No. 11 Camry
Eric McClure, No. 14 Camry
Tanner Berryhill, No. 17 Camry
Mike Bliss, No. 19 Camry
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Camry
John Wes Townley, No. 25 Camry
Blake Koch, No. 44 Camry
Kyle Busch, No. 54 Camry
Milka Duno, No. 87 Camry
Jeff Green, No. 91 Camry
James Buescher, No. 99 Camry
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
John Wes Townley, No. 05 Tundra
Joe Nemechek, No. 8 Tundra
Jeb Burton, No. 13 Tundra
Timothy Peters, No. 17 Tundra
Ross Chastain, No. 35 Tundra
Kyle Busch, No. 51 Tundra
Darrell Wallace Jr., No. 54 Tundra
German Quiroga, No. 77 Tundra
Matt Crafton, No. 88 Tundra
Johnny Sauter, No. 98 Tundra
Toyota Racing