Toyota NASCAR Phoenix notes & quotes

Denny Hamlin is tied for the series championship lead with two races remaining.

TOYOTA TIDBITS

TWO TO GO: Two Camry drivers are competing in the ‘Eliminator’ round of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) championship playoff. Denny Hamlin is tied for the series point’s lead while Matt Kenseth sits fifth (-13 points) in the title hunt after Texas. Less than 20 points separate the eight drivers as the series heads to the one-mile flat track of Phoenix International Raceway before only the top four will advance to compete for this year’s crown at the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

CAMRY CHASERS AT PHOENIX: Toyota driver Hamlin was victorious at Phoenix in March 2012 to earn the second victory for a TRD-built motor. The Chesterfield, Va.-native has eight top-five finishes and nine top-10 results in 18 career Phoenix starts. Kenseth has one win (2002), five top-five finishes and nine top-10 results in 24 NSCS starts at the one-mile oval.

TUNDRA DRIVERS ROLLING: Toyota secured the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) manufacturer’s championship with Kyle Busch’s Texas victory last Friday. It marks the seventh title (2006-2010, 2013-2014) for Toyota in 11 years competing in the series (2004-2014). This year, Tundra drivers have collected 16 race wins, which is a single-season high. Kyle Busch Motorsports is responsible for 12 triumphs, which ties the series record for most wins by a team in a season.

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 driver Kyle Busch is triumphant at Phoenix International Raceway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event — the 75th victory for the Camry since joining the series in 2007 (March 2, 2013).

NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS

Toyota powered Kasey Kahne's win at Phoenix three years ago.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS): Former Toyota driver Kasey Kahne (Nov. 2011) visited victory lane in a Camry at Phoenix … Kyle Busch has led the most laps at Phoenix among all NSCS drivers in the last 10 races (2009-2013) with 431 … Toyota drivers have combined to earn six top-10 finishes in the last three Phoenix NSCS races … The Toyota Highlander will be the pace vehicle at Phoenix … Michael Waltrip Racing’s Wes Evans (jack man, No. 55 Camry) will be honored during Saturday’s Arizona State University football game, where he was part of the 2008 team before making the move to NASCAR.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How intense will the Phoenix race be with eight drivers who all have a shot to advance?

“It’s going to be more intense. You’re going to have eight guys that have a shot at making it. We all know winning puts us in. There’s three of us that can finish top 10 and make it. Everyone else is going to be fighting for a win. Knowing that win could be the finale, it would be as intense as you’ve seen each one of these last weekends. These cutâ€'off races are huge and pivotal, but not sure we’ve really had nobody eliminated going into an elimination race. I would tell the fans to hang on and buckle up and see what happens."

Denny Hamlin celebrates victory at Phoenix in the spring of 2012.

Can Phoenix be a ‘wild card’ where you might see more wrecks than usual?

“Phoenix could definitely be a ‘wild card.’ A lot of the reason is they use a hard tire. It’s a newly paved asphalt track where there is not a lot of tire wear. There’s a lot of different strategies — stay out, two tires, no tires — and with that the positions get mixed around (during) each caution, and when that happens you have some of the comers and goers and you have wrecks. Passing is ultra-difficult at Phoenix, so you have to make sure you qualify well there and keep your track position all day."

What is the secret to understanding and performing well at Phoenix?

“For me the hardest part is getting through turns one and two with speed because that backstretch is so long that you’ve got to create a lot of speed on the exit of turn two. Getting into turn one without getting loose, but yet getting your car good enough to make it off the turn — that’s the key there. It used to be forward bite was a huge deal, but not so much anymore. It’s about keeping that track position and holding everyone off."

Matt Kenseth, along with Ryan Newman, are the only two drivers left in The Chase without a victory in 2014.

MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Will you be surprised if this championship is won without a race win?

“If we could, we’d have 30 wins right now. You go out every week with the idea of trying to win. The bottom line is there’s only one guy that’s going to win and 42 that aren’t each and every week. We’ve had some shots at winning earlier this year and haven’t been able to pull it off. We put ourselves in position a few times and we’ve been kind of warm and cold — we haven’t been hot this year like we were last year. We’ve been warm more than we’ve been cold. We still have hope that we can go out and ideally win a couple races this year."

Is Phoenix different since it’s been repaved?

“It’s a lot different than before it was paved. It’s starting to age a little bit finally. Hopefully starting to take a little bit of rubber and get back to the old Phoenix. Kevin (Harvick) seems to have Phoenix figured out better than everybody else. It’s a fun racetrack. It is configured a little bit differently. It’s always made passing just a little bit more difficult. It is definitely aging and definitely getting wider."

Clint Bowyers says Phoenix places a premium on rear grip.

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

Is Phoenix a challenging track for drivers?

“Trying to manage rear grip is the key and probably the most challenging thing about that track, especially since the repave a couple of years ago. You will be racing along and your car is stuck like glue, then in an instant the rear end wants to jump out and you’re really in trouble because without much banking in the track, there is no give in it. You either have grip or you feel like you are racing on ice. Trying to manage that rear grip level and keeping your tires underneath you is hard to do."

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS): Camry driver Elliott Sadler (fourth) is currently in the top-five in the NNS point standings following 31 of 33 races this season … Following the Texas win, Joe Gibbs Racing now has 100 NNS victories and 91 of those wins have been in a Camry since 2008 … Camry drivers have seven NNS victories at Phoenix, including in the four most recent events … Busch has six Phoenix Camry NNS wins (April 2008, April 2010, Feb. 2011, March 2013, Nov. 2013 and March 2014) and former Toyota driver Joey Logano visited victory lane in Nov. 2012.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS): Tundra driver Matt Crafton leads the series by 23 points while fellow Tundra drivers Darrell Wallace Jr. (third), Johnny Sauter (fourth), Timothy Peters (fifth), German Quiroga (seventh) and Jeb Burton (eighth) also rank in the top-10 of the NCWTS point standings with two races remaining this season … Tundra drivers have five Phoenix NCWTS victories, including Kyle Busch Motorsports winning the last three events … Todd Bodine (2005), Johnny Benson (2006), Kyle Busch (2011), Brian Scott (2012) and Erik Jones (2013) have all won at the one-mile flat track … Jones will attempt to defend his 2013 victory and also race double-duty in the NNS event Saturday at Phoenix in a Joe Gibbs Racing Camry.

ERIK JONES, No. 51 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Will it be a special feeling to return to Phoenix this week?

“I’d say so — that win last year was an amazing feeling and something I will cherish for a long time. At the beginning of the season, we marked this race down as one that we can go back and win. I’m looking forward to representing Dollar General for the first time in a race — they’ve had a lot of success with KBM over the years, especially at Phoenix. I feel confident going into Friday night that we can go out and get them another win and post another solid result as we battle to repeat as owner’s champions."

Toyota Racing