Pixar continues family-affair approach with Monsters University
EMERYVILLE, Calif. — A first-time Pixar director rarely goes solo, but Dan Scanlon did with the prequel Monsters University, which opens in theatres Friday. Relaxing at the Pixar Animation Studio’s main cafeteria, Scanlon said that he wasn’t intimidated by the […]
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People gathered at the prehistoric Stonehenge monument, near Salisbury, England, Friday, June 21, 2013, the day of the summer solstice.
Photos: Solstice scenes from StonehengeToyota Racing LogoTWO STRAIGHT TOYOTA TRIUMPHS: Camry driver Matt Kenseth earned his fourth win of the season in Sunday afternoon’s rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Kentucky Speedway to give Toyota its second victory in as many weeks. Martin Truex Jr. crossed the finish line first the week before at Sonoma Raceway. Kenseth led the field twice for 38 laps (of 267), including the final 24 circuits after his team elected to take no tires while many competitors took two on the final pit stop. It marked Kenseth’s first victory in the state where the Camry is built in nearby Georgetown, Ky. The victory is the seventh for a Camry driver in the first 17 races of the year. Clint Bowyer (third), Kyle Busch (fifth) and Truex (seventh) also earned top-10 finishes for Toyota at Kentucky.
TOYOTA TALLY: As the NSCS reaches the midway point of the season this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, Camry drivers have registered seven wins, eight pole positions, 27 top-five finishes and 48 top-10 results in 17 races. Kenseth has four victories (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Kentucky Speedway), Busch has crossed the finish line first twice this season (Auto Club Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway) and Truex broke a 218-race winless streak with a victory at Sonoma Raceway. Camry drivers have paced the field for more than 50 percent of the laps run in the NSCS, leading 2,572 laps of 5,086 total circuits.
BACK ON A ROLL: Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) drivers Bowyer (third) and Truex (eighth) both find themselves in the top-10 in the point standings as the series approaches the midway point in the season this weekend at Daytona. In 17 starts this season, Bowyer has compiled six top-five finishes and 10 top-10 results, including runner-up results at Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway and most recently a third-place finish at Kentucky. Truex has recently taken off with one win, four top-five finishes and eight top-10 results and has led 246 laps. After sitting 25th in the point standings following Martinsville, Truex has compiled seven top-10 finishes in the last 11 races to move into eighth in points. Bowyer and Truex earned the first-ever Chase spots for MWR last year with Bowyer finishing second and Truex ended up 11th. Both drivers are still looking for their first NSCS victory at the ‘World Center of Racing.’
NOTES, QUOTES & NUMBERS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS): Through 17 races in 2013, Clint Bowyer (third), Matt Kenseth (fifth), Kyle Busch (seventh) and Martin Truex Jr. (eighth) currently rank in the top-10 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) point standings … Busch won the July NSCS race at Daytona in 2008 … Kenseth has led the most laps at both restrictor-plate races this season … The two-time Daytona 500 champion (2009 and 2012) led a race-high 86 laps (of 200) at Daytona in February and 142 circuits (of 192) at Talladega in May … Two-time Daytona 500 winner (2001 and 2003) Michael Waltrip will pilot the MWR No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Camry in his third superspeedway start of the season … Waltrip, who also won the July 2002 race at Daytona, most recently registered a fourth-place result at Talladega in May … Bobby Labonte will be back behind the wheel of the JTG-Daugherty Racing No. 47 Camry at Daytona.
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Toyota ‘Let’s Go Places’ Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Will handling be an issue with the hot temperatures at Daytona? “That could play a role, especially with as hot as it is going back. I really do hope that handling becomes an issue at these restrictor-plate tracks. It seems like it adds an extra element to it. The one thing I love about restrictor-plate racing, it seems to be a lot easier to manipulate the product on the race track, whether it’s a spoiler change, a restrictor-plate change — they can change and manipulate a few things on the body with the aero package and seems like they can change a product for our fans way easier than for a mile-and-a-half track or even a short track. For me, I look at those tracks as blue sky because I feel like whatever the goal is — our fans are asking for — we can get there.”
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What did you learn about the new 2013 race car at Daytona as you prepare to return to the superspeedway? “Handling wasn’t a big issue. It was more about figuring out where you wanted to have your car and where you didn’t want to have your car, where you could pass and where you couldn’t. It was a lot different than last year. You really had to be patient to make your moves. It was easy to get hung out like it used to be and it kind of reminded me of drafting 10 years ago. You really had to be patient and make sure you had a big enough run to finish your pass and do all of those kinds of things. So, I think you have to have a fast car and you have to have the people to work with you. But, I think you have to be really disciplined and really patient, which is hard to do.”
What are the primary differences between the Daytona 500 and the July race? “100 miles and 30 degrees. Before they paved the race track with the weather being so different, before it would make it even more of a handling track and you would lose a lot of grip and it was more about handling than speed. Now it’s probably going to be more similar to the 500 — the pavement is still really good. I don’t think that handling will be a huge issue — you never know, but I don’t think it will be. I think it will be similar to the 500.”
MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
What will the racing be like at Daytona? “It will be interesting to see how the cars run at Daytona. At Talladega it was a free-for-all. A lot of side-by-side, a lot of passing and a lot of action. At Daytona earlier in the year in the first race with the Generation 6 car we struggled passing. So, I think it will be interesting to see what the drivers have learned and what the teams have learned in order to be able to allow us to drive from 20th to first like we were able to do at Talladega. I believe that we will see more exciting racing and I believe it’s because we’ve learned a lot about the cars since February and we’ve also seen the action at Talladega which leads me to believe that the action will be intense at Daytona.”
Do you feel like you have a shot at the win in Daytona after finishing so well at Talladega? “Yeah, it’s amazing because we’ve come off of a top-five finish at Talladega. We were competitive all day long at Talladega. We were solid at Daytona in February as well, running up in the top five and even led a couple laps so I’m confident and happy and looking forward to getting down there and seeing if I can win one more Cup race. I think if I did that I would just quit right on the spot and say, ‘That’s it. Thanks for coming everyone.’”
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS): After 15 races this season, Elliott Sadler (fourth), Parker Kligerman (seventh) and Brian Vickers (eighth) rank in the top-10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) point standings … Toyota has three NNS wins at Daytona … Joey Logano (July 2011), Denny Hamlin (July 2008) and Tony Stewart (Feb. 2008) have earned victories in a Camry at the 2.5-mile superspeedway … Kligerman has recorded top-10 finishes in both restrictor-plate races this season … The 22-year-old driver finished fifth to open the season at Daytona in February and recorded a sixth-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in May — leading laps in both of those races … Kligerman earned his only NASCAR victory last fall in the NCWTS race at Talladega … Fellow rookie Alex Bowman registered a career best third-place finish at Daytona in February.
PARKER KLIGERMAN, No. 77 Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Do you have confidence heading to Daytona with the recent top-10s on superspeedways? “The last three or four starts on the restrictor-plate tracks have been really good considering we finished fifth in Daytona, sixth in Talladega and won my last Talladega Truck race. We’ve had quite the run on superspeedways and I think going to Daytona we have the same car since we haven’t wrecked anything. We’ve got kind of a good idea of what we’re going to fight because we were already there in February and ran so well. It’s going to be hot once again so I’m excited to go out there and finally get that superspeedway win in the Nationwide Series, which I think we’ve been so close to.”
What has been the key to success working together with another rookie, Alex Bowman, at restrictor-plate races? “I actually noticed after Daytona — the reason we worked together was we couldn’t get anyone to work with us — he (Alex Bowman) was a rookie and I was a rookie in the series so we didn’t have any friends out there. We are Toyota teammates and found each other and started working really well together. That kind of carried into Talladega. I did find towards the middle part of Talladega I had a lot more friends than I had prior to those races. Certainly at Daytona he and I will work together and see how it plays out. He is my ‘go-to’ teammate at those two races.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS): After eight races this season, Matt Crafton leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) standings by 22 points over second-place Jeb Burton … Johnny Sauter (fifth) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (ninth) also rank in the top-10 … Tundra drivers have won five out of the first eight races in 2013 … Series points leader Crafton has recorded eight top-10 finishes in the first eight races of the season … The NCWTS will enjoy a weekend off before returning to action at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 13.
Source: Toyota Racing
The article Toyota NASCAR Tidbits – July 1 – 7, 2013 is from Catchfence.
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