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Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 - Toyota Post-Race Quotes

  • Kyle Busch earned his second win of the season in Friday night's NNS race at Phoenix after leading a race high 133 laps.
  • Denny Hamlin finished third after leading 18 laps and David Reutimann finished ninth to give Toyota three Camrys in the top-10 for the fifth race this season. Three or more Camrys have finished in the top-10 together five times since the beginning of the NNS season with four in the top-10 at Daytona (2-16-08) as well as Texas (4-5-08) and three in the top-10 at California (2-25-08), Bristol (3-15-08) and Phoenix (4-11-08).
  • Other Camrys in Friday's race included Jason Leffler (14th), Mike Wallace (15th) and James Buescher (18th).
  • Since the start of this season, Camry drivers have earned 10 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes in NNS competition.
  • Camry drivers have led a total of 1,027 laps (of 1,368 total laps) in the first eight NNS races of 2008. Busch has led a series high 604 laps.
  • Toyota drivers have earned four pole positions this season. Today's pole award went to Busch who earned his second pole of the season after also earning the top starting spot at Nashville (3-22-08). Tony Stewart started first at Daytona (2-15-08) and Brian Vickers was on the pole at Las Vegas (3-1-08). This was the eighth pole for the Camry in NNS competition.
  • Camry drivers have four wins in Nationwide Series competition. Stewart (JGR No. 20 Camry) started the 2008 season with wins at Daytona (2-16-08) and at California (2-25-08), while his JGR teammate Busch went to victory lane last weekend at Texas (4-5-08) and again here this weekend in Phoenix (4-11-08).

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
    Finished: 1st
    How was your race tonight and how was your car throughout the evening?
    "It was a good race. There in the beginning of the race, I felt we had the car to beat. It was definitely the class of the field. Then, guys were able to make adjustments to there cars and got their stuff handling a lot better. And, we made some minor adjustments to it, but just weren't quite able to make as many big steps as the other guys behind us were able to. All in all, I felt like our car was pretty decent -- our Toyota Camry. Towards the end of the race there, racing with Carl (Edwards) was pretty cool and a lot of fun. I'm very fortunate that he gave me all the room that I needed in order to race clean, and everything. He was definitely a great racer there. All those cautions really helped us out. I think we could have held him off if I ran the top side, but I was just too loose to run the bottom -- too loose to go fast there at the end. So, I just really had to keep my momentum wound up at the top in order to beat him. And, luckily with all those cautions, it worked out."

    Did you have an advantage in the closing laps tonight?
    "I really didn't. He (Carl Edwards) had a great, great race car there today -- one that might have been better than this Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry. I just want to thank Interstate dealers and distributors -- all them guys and Norm Miller do an awesome job for us. Being in a Toyota, you know, that just made it worthwhile tonight -- just a great night for us. He (Carl Edwards) had a great race car there. But, luckily we kept getting those cautions where we could at least get another two lap jump, or so. Our car was good on the two lap jumps, but he had us there from about five (laps) to 15 and 15 to 45 we had him. From there on out, he had us."

    Was the final pit stop where you won tonight's race?
    "These boys won the race for us tonight on pit road. They do an awesome job for us being able to get us out first. You know, I might have been able to get by him on the restart with all those guys going crazy in turn one, but still it was much easier to race up front than it was going to be to pass him. Fortunately, we had a great enough race car with this Toyota and we were able to get it done."

    Are you considering running for the Nationwide Series driver's championship now that you're third in points?
    "The consideration is there, for us it's a race-by-race deal. If I go out and win these next eight races in a row we might reevaluate. It's great to be able to come out and race in the Nationwide Series. I have such as a blast. As I said before, our concentration is on our Cup effort, and we're third in points now. We've got some work to do on that side to get further up in the points and stay there. If this will follow along, maybe we'll keep going"

    It looks easy for you -- is winning races easy?
    "No. It's not that easy. Carl (Edwards) had a great car today. We had a good car, too. Fortunately, we had track position and got out in front of him there on that pit stop -- that helped us too. I wouldn't say it's easy to win races in this series. Obviously, because I missed out on three of them -- or four of them even. It's cool to run as well as we can run -- week-in and week-out. That's just a testament to the JGR equipment and just being able to get together with some great crew chiefs and really work hard. It's just good chemistry"

    Which was the bigger factor tonight -- you coming off pit road first or the cautions at the end of the race?
    "I'd say the cautions there at the end. I think I had a good enough car on restarts that I probably could have got to his outside - probably could have raced him. Might have been able to get by him, but it was going to be a heck of a duel with the way his car was and my car was. For some reason, my car wouldn't do the bottom. I was too loose down there so I had to keep it up top."

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 20 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
    Finished: 3rd
    Do you think Toyota leading a large amount of laps this season is a credit of Toyota or JGR?
    "I think its a little combination of both. The Toyotas don't have the advantage they had last year because (NASCAR) took away from the Toyota engines during the off season. It's not really the manufacturer, I believe it's just Gibbs has really done their homework on these Nationwide cars and its showing up. Kyle (Busch), Tony (Stewart) and those guys have really led a lot of laps and been dominant and rightfully could have or should have won every race so far this season. This is only my second run with these guys as I've been over there on the Braun side. My schedule starts picking up here and hopefully we can continue that trend."

    DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 99 Best Western/Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
    Finished: 9th
    Can you take us through your race today?
    "We were amazingly just mediocre at best the whole race. We never could make it. We've have never really been great here. The crew worked their tales off but the different scenarios we tried didn't work. The Camry couldn't get in and when you do get in it's too tight in the center and too tight off. It's just disappointing because we are a better team than that. It's the worse car we've had all year and if we can run ninth, that's not a bad thing."

    JASON LEFFLER, No. 38 Great Clips Toyota Camry, Braun Racing
    Finished: 14th

    MIKE WALLACE, No. 7 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing
    Finished: 15th

    JAMES BUESCHER, No. 32 Great Clips Toyota Camry, Braun Racing
    Finished: 18th

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