TOYOTA NASCAR Notes & Quotes
Week of May 28, 2007

This Week's Races:
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series:
Friday, June 1, Qualifying @ Dover International Speedway, 3:15 PM (ET)
Sunday, June 3, Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa @ Dover International Speedway, 1:30 PM (ET)

NASCAR Busch Series: Saturday, June 2, Qualifying @ Dover International Speedway, 11:05 AM (ET)
Saturday, June 2, Dover 200 @ Dover International Speedway, 3:00 PM (ET)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Friday, June 1, Qualifying @ Dover International Speedway, 10:30 AM (ET)
Friday, June 1, AAA Insurance 200 @ Dover International Speedway, 4:45 PM (ET)

FIRST STATE: Delaware is the first state, so it's only natural for drivers to mirror the state's motto ("It's good being first") by getting to victory lane this weekend. Current Toyota drivers have accounted for six poles and one win at Dover, the state's capital. Dale Jarrett, 1999 Cup Series champion and driver of the No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, started both 2001 races from the pole and visited victory lane in 1998. Jeremy Mayfield, driver of the No. 36 360 OTC Camry, has started three 'Monster Mile' events from the pole position while Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 NAPA Camry, has one pole at the track (1991).

MAYFIELD'S RECORD: Mayfield holds the NNCS qualifying record at Dover, an achievement he set in June 2004 with a speed of 161.522 mph (22.288 secs.). "Dover is one of my favorite race tracks," says Mayfield. "I love going there. I have a few poles there and I still hold the track record. It's been a good place for me in the past and I can't wait to get back there."

STEADY FIXTURE: Dover International Speedway has been a steady fixture on the NASCAR circuit since 1969, hosting two races annually for more than 35 years. Only seven active, full -time drivers have started 40 or more NNCS events at the 'Monster Mile'. Among the seven are Camry drivers Jarrett and Waltrip, who have competed in 40 and 42 races, respectively.

NEW BALLGAME: The introduction of the Car of Tomorrow (COT) brings a new element to the 'Monster Mile' that veterans like Jarrett find challenging. "Dover is just a fast, rough racetrack and you never know what to expect from that place," says Jarrett, driver of the No. 44 UPS Camry. "They've made the track a little better over the past couple years, but with the COT it will be a completely different animal. This race will be all about learning how that car works at that racetrack. It should be an interesting place to race the COT and the prospects of having a good race is probably better than any of the other tracks we've taken the car to this season."

FASTEST FOR COT: "Dover will probably be the fastest track we have taken the COT to at this point," says Jarrett. "It's a track where downforce means the most to us -- and lack-there-of is what we'll be looking at. That's why I think we'll see a better race there because it's a wide track where you can run from the bottom to the top. This will be the fastest we'll have been in the car driving off into the corners. These cars really want to get light when we're heading off into the corners anyway, so many of the things that we usually fight at Dover, like being tight in the center of the corners, will make for an interesting race weekend."

TAKING A VICKERS' TOP-FIVE: Brian Vickers recorded Toyota's best finish ever in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competition last weekend (May 27) when he drove his No. 83 Red Bull Camry to a fifth-place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Vickers was a dominant force throughout the 600-mile race, leading the field four times for a total of 76 laps. Toyota's previous best finish of the season was also recorded by Vickers -- a 10th-place run at California Speedway (Feb. 25).

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: "We had a great car and that really helped me get through the night," said Vickers, following his fifth-place finish. "I think we had the best car and we showed that every time we took the lead. I think this is at the top, as far as performance for everyone on this team. We struggled through so many tough times tonight with the power steering problem, the starter going out and cutting down the right- front tire. But, nobody on the team gave up -- we just kept going after it all night."

CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT: "It was definitely a difference and we knew that coming here," said Vickers, talking about the engine after the race. "It showed in qualifying with the number of Toyotas that made the race. It really shows what the engine is capable of when you can get the motor wound up and keep it wound up. We were able to show that when we ran up front and pulled away from the other guys. I'm proud of Toyota -- they've come so far and worked so hard and that has made such a huge difference."

MOVING FORWARD: Bill Davis Racing driver Dave Blaney sees the recent engine adjustment as further proof that Toyota and its race teams are continually advancing their on-track programs. "I don't know how big a deal the engine change has made," says Blaney. "I know it helps some, but I don't think it will make or break it for us. You have to get the whole package right -- you have to get the car handling and running. I'm happy with the improvements Toyota has continued to make and I think you're going to start seeing all the Toyota teams improve, especially as we all continue to learn and grow."

POINTS PERFORMANCE: Dave Blaney, who has two top-fives and four top-10 finishes this season, moved up one spot, to third-place, in the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) point standings with an 11th-place finish at Lowe's. David Reutimann dropped to fifth in the standings after his engine overheated and he finished 43rd at Charlotte.

CONCRETE RESULTS: Camry drivers taking part in Saturday's NBS race at Dover International Speedway account for a combined four top-fives, eight top-10s and 11 laps led at Dover in just 11 career NBS starts. David Reutimann, driver of the No. 99 Aaron's Dream Machine Camry, has only competed in the Craftsman Truck Series at Dover, and has two top-fives and one pole (2006). Dave Blaney will drive the No. 10 Fan1st.com Camry with Jason Leffler behind the wheel of the No. 38 Great Clips Camry.

TUNDRAS ON TOP: Tundra drivers hold six of the top-10 spots in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) championship point standings. After seven races, Mike Skinner continues to sit atop the point standings in his No. 5 Tundra for Bill Davis Racing. Tundra drivers trailing Skinner in the standings are Todd Bodine (third), Ted Musgrave (fourth), Jack Sprague (sixth), Johnny Benson (ninth) and Aaron Fike (10th). So far this season, Tundra drivers have captured four wins (Sprague at Daytona and Skinner at California, Atlanta and Martinsville), 20 top-five finishes and six pole positions, including the current streak of five poles by Skinner.

RYAN GETTING READY: Friday's 200 mile NCTS race will mark Ryan Mathews' second career start in the No. 36 Tundra. Mathews, who is a developmental driver for Bill Davis Racing, is looking forward to competing at Dover. "From what I'm hearing, Dover is a pretty challenging track," says Mathews. "I've talked to (crew chief) Doug (Wolcott) about the track, and he tells me it's a little less banked than Bristol and about twice the length. If that's the case, it sounds like the track is bad to the bone."

MONSTER MILE: Dover International Speedway, with its 24-degree concrete banking in the turns, has the reputation of being the 'Monster Mile.' Ted Musgrave, the 2005 NCTS champion, has one win (2002) at the one-mile oval and considers Dover to be one of his favorite tracks. "Dover ranks right up there," says Musgrave, driver of the No. 9 Team ASE Tundra. "That's a pretty hairy racetrack, we'll call it. You are really on edge at all times there but it's a pretty good racetrack. At Dover you're so fast that you are on the very edge of loosing control at every point of the race track. Charlotte and other places, you're on the front straightaway or back straightaway and you take a little breather, relax and think about the next corner. In Dover, you don't do that. That's why you say you can never rest or let your mind rest at all at Dover because it will come up and bite you."

HAPPY 50TH: Toyota is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the U.S. in 2007. Toyota and its dealers employ about 145,000 workers in the U.S. Toyota operates 10 manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and assembles approximately half the vehicles it sells here.