Toyota NSCS Pocono Post-Race Notes & Quotes 6.7.15

Matt Kenseth

NOTES

Camry driver Matt Kenseth (sixth) was the top-finishing Toyota driver in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, which was won by Martin Truex Jr.
Kyle Busch (ninth) and Denny Hamlin (10th) also earned top-10 finishes for Toyota at the 2.5-mile triangular raceway.
Camry driver Carl Edwards started on the outside of the front row and led twice for a total of 16 laps (of 160), but track position during late-race restarts shuffled him back to the 15th position when the checkered flag waved.
Four Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the unofficial NSCS point standings – Matt Kenseth (ninth), Hamlin (13th), Edwards (16th) and Clint Bowyer (17th).

QUOTES

MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
How was the car in the race?
“We had a really fast car – it was the fastest sixth-place car that I’ve ever had. We ran much better than we finished. I think we had a top-three car. I think the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.) were a lot better. Other than that, I thought we could run with anybody, which is a positive sign. This is a bad track for me and we had a great car today."

What impact did the bumps in the tunnel turn have on the race?
“Same as yesterday – I really don’t think it hurts the racing, it probably makes it better. Some people would hit it and miss it and you could actually have a chance to make a pass. It is just tough to pass, you start to get a run on somebody and just don’t have the power we all used to have and can’t quite get there. It was all about crazy restarts and getting as many positions as you could. Once it was singled out, it was tough to make much ground."

What happened between yourself, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano?
“I really don’t know what happened, I have to go watch it on TV. I thought I was under the 22 (Joey Logano) and the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) hit the wall and they said I didn’t leave him room or took the air or something, I don’t know, I have to go home and watch it to be honest with you."

Kyle Busch

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
What did you struggle with during the race?
“We didn't start the race with what we needed with our M&M’s Crispy Camry. But Adam (Stevens, crew chief) made some good adjustments to get us better. Track position was big, so Adam also made a good call to take two tires and get us some track position and we were able to hold onto it for a while. Those last two cautions didn’t help us, we just couldn’t get going on those last couple of restarts. We’ll take it and move on to Michigan."

Denny Hamlin

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
How strong was the race car?
“I thought we were a decent car – fifth to 10th place most of the day, but with our track position, we always took four tires. Some of those guys made it on fuel because of all the cautions so we continued to lose track position throughout the day, but we kind of battled back. We barely got inside the top-10 and at best I thought we could have improved four or five more spots, but overall a solid day. We didn’t tear up anything this week and now we can go and improve our program for next week."

Do the bumps in the tunnel turn add more character to the track?
“I thought they were fine. I thought it did actually add character and opportunities to pass. I really don’t see anything wrong with them."

Carl Edwards

CARL EDWARDS, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
How was the race?
“The car was pretty good – we were probably a sixth-place car or something and just got shuffled back on a couple of those restarts and that kind of sealed our fate back there. Glad we made it up to where we made it up to where we made it to, but we needed things to go our way – we needed one or two more restarts to get back up there."

How were the bumps during the race?
“The bumps were really the only opportunity I saw out there to do much passing. I don’t think it was as big of a factor as we were all concerned about. I think it added a little character to the race."

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Jack Link’s/Big Machine Records Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 22nd

DAVID RAGAN, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 23rd

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 83 Burger King Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 32nd

JEB BURTON, No. 26 Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 33rd

JJ YELEY, No. 23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 36th

Toyota Racing