Toyota Motorsports notes 2009-06-23

Road Course Review
Camry Cup Teams Contemplating ‘Chase'
Loudon Site of Memorable Moment
Connecticut Home for Camry Crew Chiefs
Top-10 Tundras

ROAD COURSE REVIEW: Two Camry drivers earned top-five finishes in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at the Infineon Raceway road course in Northern California. Marcos Ambrose matched his best career Cup finish of third and Denny Hamlin led 33 laps en route to his fifth-place finish. Patrick Carpentier (11th) who drove Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 Camry and Max Papis (12th) also earned their best career Cup finishes in Sunday's race.

CAMRY CUP TEAMS CONTEMPLATING 'CHASE': As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the 17th race of the season, many drivers are already thinking about the year's final 10 races. New Hampshire is the site of the first race in the 'Chase for the Sprint Cup' 10-race championship playoff and teams will utilize the first event at the track as a 'test' session in order to be at their best when they return in September.

MOMENTOUS MILESTONE: In June of 2008, Dave Blaney earned the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole position for Toyota at New Hampshire. The pole came in Toyota's 17th NSCS race and was the second of Blaney's career. Since that historic accomplishment, Camry drivers have earned 13 additional NSCS poles. Brian Vickers has earned five poles. Busch and David Reutimann each have three poles. Michael Waltrip and Hamlin also have one pole from behind the wheel of a Camry.

NOT NEW TO NEW ENGLAND: Rookie Joey Logano will head to a familiar part of the country -- as he was born in Middletown, Conn. The 19-year-old racer made his career Sprint Cup Series debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last September driving for Hall of Fame Racing, where he finished 32nd, completing 297 of 300 laps. This weekend, Logano will also make his first Nationwide Series start at New Hampshire driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

BATTLING BROTHERS: Some things run in family -- and for the Zipadelli family it has to be their crew chief capabilities. East Haddam, Conn.-natives Greg and Scott Zipadelli have each become successful crew chiefs in the upper levels of NASCAR. Greg started his crew chief career in 1999 at Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and continues to work on the same No. 20 Camry at JGR -- this year with rookie Joey Logano. This season, his younger brother Scott Zipadelli took over crew chief responsibilities for Braun Racing's No. 38 Camry and driver Jason Leffler -- who is currently fourth in the NNS point standings.

TOP-10 TUNDRAS: Six Tundra drivers are currently in the top-10 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) point standings heading into this weekend's race at Memphis Motorsports Park -- Todd Bodine (third), Mike Skinner (fourth), David Starr (fifth), Tayler Malsam (sixth), Brian Scott (seventh) and Terry Cook (eighth). In addition, six Tundra drivers have finished in the top-10 for the past two races -- Michigan and Milwaukee.

FRONT OF THE FIELD: This weekend, a Toyota Camry Hybrid will serve as the official pace car for both NASCAR races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It marks the third time this season the Camry Hybrid will pace the NASCAR races and the first time a hybrid vehicle will serve as a pace car for the one-mile New England oval.

-credit: toyota motorsports