Bristol: Toyota notes, quotes 2009-03-19

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)

NUMBERS: Toyota Camry drivers have recorded one win (Kyle Busch -- Las Vegas), four top-fives and eight top-10 finishes through four 2009 NSCS races ... This weekend's race at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee is the first Sprint Cup short track race of 2009 ... In 2008, Camry drivers led 78 percent (780 of 1000 ) of the NSCS laps at Bristol ... Kyle Busch led 415 of 500 laps in the fall race and former Camry driver Tony Stewart (267 laps) and Denny Hamlin (98 laps) led in the spring event ... David Reutimann and crew chief Rodney Childers first met at Kingsport (Tenn.) Speedway in 1999 when Childers 'bumped' Reutimann from earning his first pole in the All-Pro Series.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Snickers Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Has your driving style at Bristol had to evolve with the changes at the race track? "Your driving style has had to change at Bristol -- a lot. Bristol used to be a track where you could charge the corners a little bit and get it right in and down to the bottom of the track. You kind of would go through the middle of the corner and then slingshot out on the exits. Now, it's just so smooth that you're easy in, you're kind of easy through the center, and you're easy off. The track is a little slower than I think it was because they reduced some banking in order to put sort of the progressive banking into it to make the outside groove better for the fans. The fans don't like it because we don't bump each other out of the way as much and spin each other out anymore to try to make a pass. We're actually able to race side- by-side and not hit each other. To me, Bristol is a fun track now -- I think it's better than what it was. We led a lot of laps last fall there so I think we could have a good shot at running well again."

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

What happened between yourself and your crew chief Rodney Childers at Kingsport Speedway? "I keep telling him (Rodney Childers, crew chief) he cheated. At that point, I still hadn't gotten a pole in the All -Pro Series -- we had been close a couple times and we were sitting on the pole. We went out fairly early and Rodney (Childers) was like the last car to go out and I'm thinking, 'Man, I'm going to get my first pole, this is going to be awesome.' Rodney (Childers) goes out there and knocks me off by a couple hundredths, but he beat me and I was like, 'Dang it.' I give him a hard time about it. One of the first times we talked to him, we had breakfast before he even decided to come work at Michael Waltrip Racing and we were trying to get him to come over there. I told him that at some point there needed to be a little payback and he needed to make me run good. I've forgiven him for that because he's given me some good runs so far."

MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Little Debbie Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing

What do you think about racing at Bristol? "It will be my first Cup start there and I really like the track with the new surface -- it opens up some passing on the top. I really enjoy the short track race. I really love Bristol -- it's one of my favorites that we go to. Just the atmosphere and heading up through the mountains to get there -- it's got a very unique feel to it. I want to do well there and I feel like my best chance at a short track would be at Bristol just because there's attrition, but I feel like I can go pretty good there, too."

-credit: toyota motorsports