TOYOTA NASCAR Notes & Quotes
Week of April 30, 2007

This Week's Races:

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series:
Friday, May 4, Qualifying @ Richmond International Raceway, 6:10 PM (ET)
Saturday, May 5, The Jim Stewart 400 @ Richmond International Raceway, 7:30 PM (ET)

NASCAR Busch Series: Friday, May 4, Qualifying @ Richmond International Raceway, 4:05 PM (ET)
Friday, May 4, Circuit City 250 @ Richmond International Raceway, 8:00 PM (ET)

HISTORY HERE: Toyotas have competed at Richmond International Raceway in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) events at the .75-mile oval in 2004 and 2005. Mike Skinner captured the checkered flag at Richmond in 2005 driving his No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Tundra -- the lone win for Toyota at the track in NASCAR competition.

VIRGINIA VICTORIES: Toyota drivers Dale Jarrett and Jeremy Mayfield have combined to win three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series (NNCS) races at Richmond. Jarrett, driver of the No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, has two wins (1997 and 1999) at the Richmond oval. Mayfield, driver of the No. 36 360 OTC Camry, visited victory lane at the Virginia track in 2004 -- securing his place in the inaugural 'Chase for the Championship.'

BRIAN'S BEGINNINGS: Brian Vickers earned his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series pole position at Richmond in May of 2004. This year, Vickers has earned three top-15 finishes in the No. 83 Red Bull Camry. He recorded a 10th-place finish at the California Speedway -- the best result for a Camry in series competition thus far this season. The Thomasville, N.C.-native also finished 15th at Bristol (March 25) and 14th at Texas (April 15).

TESTING TALK: Vickers was among the Toyota drivers that tested the Camry 'Car of Tomorrow' (COT) in early April in a NASCAR test session at the track. "Our car was all right," said Vickers, after the test. "The team was working really hard and we definitely found some stuff, now when we get back to Richmond we just need to find some more speed. We were struggling a little with the car -- it was tight in the center and loose getting into the corner. The tight in the center feeling was probably the worst, and that's what we worked on the hardest during the test."

MORE TESTING TALK FROM MAYFIELD: "We threw a whole lot of stuff at the car over the two days of testing in April," says Jeremy Mayfield. "We were hoping that when we threw it all together, maybe we would end up with something we'd be happy with, but we were not real good. We were just struggling to get our car to perform on the track in the same way that the No. 22 CAT Camry (teammate Dave Blaney) was performing."

RICHMOND REPORT: "Last year, it was my first time at Richmond in a NASCAR vehicle when I tested a truck for Bill Davis Racing," says AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 84 Red Bull Camry. "But, I really like this place and I've always liked watching races here on TV. Hopefully, we get in the race and can have some fun with two or three-wide racing. I think it's a cool place to race."

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: Allmendinger has started two of the three COT races this season -- at Bristol and Martinsville. After he tested his Camry COT at Richmond in early April, Allmendinger was able to offer his view of the track. "Compared to Bristol and Martinsville, this place is just slippery ," he says. "Everybody is just sliding around, even the good cars. The good ones look better than the rest, but it's not like they're stuck to the race track. Even when it gets faster on the board, it still feels like we're going pretty slow."

ONE FOR WYLER: Wyler Racing, a regular in the Craftsman Truck Series with driver Jack Sprague and the No. 60 Con- way Freight Tundra, will make their NASCAR NEXTEL Cup debut at Richmond.

BENSON BACK: Johnny Benson, who has been a regular in the NCTS since 2004 driving a Tundra for Bill Davis Racing, returns to NEXTEL Cup competition at Richmond. Benson will pilot the No. 46 Wyler Racing Camry in the team's series debut. "We're going to run one of the new Wyler Racing cars that I tested for the team at Richmond," says Benson. "It tested pretty good and we were really happy with it. Tony Furr (crew chief) did a tremendous job. It was a real pleasure to go there, work with the guys and work with that new car. I'm just glad that we're going to get the opportunity to go racing. We finally got word last Wednesday that we were going to go race it, and I'm pretty excited."

RETURN TO RICHMOND: "I tested for Wyler Racing when we were in Homestead last year and then last month at Richmond and we felt we had a really good test," says Benson. "We have to go back there and back it up. I think it's going to be a pretty cool experience with the new car. Obviously, running a Toyota Camry is something I've always wanted to be able to do. As far as our goals, it's to make the race and then see what happens from there. Hopefully, it's going to be a good weekend."

TALLADEGA TALK: In the most recent race on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup calendar at Talladega Superspeedway, Jeremy Mayfield was the top-finishing Toyota when he crossed the finish line 23rd. Mayfield started 18th in his Bill Davis Racing Camry and drafted with the lead pack throughout the 192-lap event. "It felt good to be pretty competitive in the Camry and come home with a decent finish at Talladega," said Mayfield, following the race. "I got hung out a few times during the race, but that's what happens on restrictor-plate tracks. Our team is learning together as the season goes along. Obviously, it feels good to make the sh ow and run fairly well."

TOP-10 TAKES OFF: David Reutimann, driver of the No. 00 Domino's Camry, was aiming for his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup top-10 finish at Talladega. Reutimann, who spent the balance of the race running in the top-20 and had worked his way up to third-place before a late-race restart, was forced to retire from the field when his engine expired with nine laps remaining in the race -- and was relegated to a 32nd-place finish. "I'm so bummed out," said Reutimann, after the race. "I thought I had a chance to run pretty good today. That stuff happens and I'm just disappointed for the whole team. The way we ran out there today had nothing to do with the driver -- it had everything to do with the car this team built."

TOYOTA LIFTS 'PLATE': Reutimann thought his performance at Talladega was a good indication of the positive developments in Toyota's restrictor-plate motor program. "Toyota has worked really hard on their plate program since Daytona and they've made it better," says Reutimann. "I'm proud of everybody at TRD and within the Toyota organization. At Talladega, it was just a situation where stuff breaks no matter how hard you work on it. We'll regroup, and we still have a really good speedway car for Daytona in July."

JARRETT JOINS ALL: Dale Jarrett, driver of the No. 44 UPS Camry, is the only Toyota driver to make every NEXTEL Cup race this season. Jarrett has been in all nine races in his Michael Waltrip Racing entry. However, Jarrett has used all six of his past champion's provisionals and will be required to qualify on speed beginning at Richmond.

BUSCH BOYS: Despite trouble in Talladega, the three Toyota drivers in the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) standings continue to hold down spots in the top-16 in the series championship point standings. Dave Blaney, driver of the No. 10 Hass Avocados from Mexico Camry, is now in third-place in the standings following a 32nd-place finish at Talladega. David Reutimann, driver of the No. 99 Aaron's Dream Machine Camry, finished 24th at Talladega and is fourth in the series standings. Jason Leffler, driver of the No. 38 Great Clips Camry, is 16th in the standings after finishing 35th at Talladega.

BOBBY MAKES BUSCH DEBUT: Bobby Santos will make his NBS debut at Richmond driving the No. 91 Riley Technologies Camry that will be fielded by a joint venture between Riley-D'Hondt Motorsports and Bill Davis Racing. "I've raced at Richmond four or five times in the past -- in USAC Silver Crown and sprint cars," says Santos. "I have a little bit of experience there and I enjoy the track -- it's one of my favorites. We tested there during the recent NASCAR Busch test session and that went pretty good."

SANTOS SAYS: "The Busch cars are a ton different from what I've been racing because they are so much heavier," explains Santos, who is expected to participate in several NBS races this season in a Camry. "I think it's real similar to the ARCA car that I've been racing a little this year. I'm sure people with more experience can really tell the difference. It's all new to me, but I'm excited and looking forward to my first Busch start."

SOME CHEMISTRY IN KANSAS: In the most recent NCTS race at Kansas Speedway (April 28), six Tundras crossed the finish line among the top-10. Jack Sprague (third), Johnny Benson (fourth), Mike Skinner (fifth), Todd Bodine (seventh), Aaron Fike (eighth) and Terry Cook (ninth) all recorded top-10 finishes at the Kansas oval. Along with his fifth-place finish, Skinner started from the pole.

FIRST WITH NO TUNDRA FIRST: The NCTS race in Kansas, the fifth race of the 2007 season, was the first event this year where a Tundra didn't cross the finish line first. Prior to the Kansas race, Mike Skinner, driver of the No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Tundra, had won the Craftsman Truck Series races at Martinsville (March 31), Atlanta (March 16) and California (February 23). In addition, Jack Sprague captured the checkered flag in the Daytona season-opener in his Wyler Racing Tundra. Toyota now has four wins in five NCTS events this year.

TUNDRAS ON TOP: Tundra drivers hold five of the top-seven spots in the NCTS championship point standings. After five races, Mike Skinner continues to sit atop the NCTS point standings. Tundra drivers trailing Skinner in the standings are Todd Bodine (second), Jack Sprague (fifth), Ted Musgrave (sixth) and Johnny Benson (seventh).

COUNTING CAMRYS: Production of the Toyota Camry started on Friday, April 20 in Lafayette, Ind. at the Subaru of Indiana manufacturing plant. The plant intends to produce 100,000 Camrys annually and employ 1,000 associates. Toyota currently produces 11 vehicle models in North America and employs more than 41,000 people.

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 11 manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and assembles approximately half the vehicles it sells here.

MORE U.S. MANUFACTURING: Toyota recently broke ground on its eighth vehicle manufacturing plant in North America in Blue Springs, Miss. Production is scheduled to begin in 2010 with 2,000 employees who will produce the Toyota Highlander SUV. Annual vehicle capacity at the plant will be 150,000 units bringing Toyota to approximate North American production capability of 2.2 million cars and trucks annually.

KEEP ON TRUCKING: Toyota wants to recognize Tundra and Tacoma owners who have achieved 200, 300, and even 400 thousand miles on their trucks. These owners can visit www.toyotatrucknation.com and share adventures and photos of their trucks. Visitors to Toyota Truck Nation will also have a chance to purchase special t-shirts, license plate frames and window stickers to show pride in their high-mileage Toyota truck.

BROADCAST BITS: The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race will be televised on FOX and broadcast on MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel 128). NEXTEL Cup qualifying will be televised on SPEED, and broadcast on MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel 128). The NASCAR Busch Series race will be televised on ESPN, and broadcast on MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel 128).