Steve Newmark, president, Roush Fenway Racing, held a Q&A session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday morning to read a statement from Ryan Newman and talk about Monday’s accident at Daytona International Speedway.
STEVE NEWMARK, President, Roush Fenway Racing –
“I appreciate all you guys being here today. Ryan apologizes for not being able to be here, but he did prepare a statement:
NASCAR and NASCAR Cup Series team owners today announced the extension of the Charter agreement through 2024.
“The Charter agreement is delivering stability and long-term value to existing team owners while providing a clear path for ownership in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR President. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the team owners that extends the length of the Charter system until 2024. A healthy ownership structure ensures strong, competitive racing for our fans, which is a goal the industry collectively shares.”
“The DAYTONA 500 is one of the greatest events in sports and the prestigious season-opening event to the NASCAR Cup Series. Daytona International Speedway has been privileged to have hosted several sitting Presidents of the United States over our history. We’re honored that the President of the United States has chosen to experience the pageantry and excitement of ‘The Great American Race’ by attending Sunday’s 62nd annual DAYTONA 500.”
Camry Drivers Win Record 18 Times During 2019 Season
AVONDALE, Arizona (November 10, 2019) – Camry drivers continue a record season for Toyota, leading the manufacturer to its third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) manufacturer’s championship at Arizona’s ISM Raceway on Sunday, one event ahead of the season finale. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers set a single-season wins record for Toyota, visiting victory lane 18 times to propel Toyota to its third manufacturer’s title in four years.
“This title would not be possible without the talented drivers, dedicated race teams and support of our team members at Toyota and Toyota Racing Development (TRD, U.S.A),” said Vinay Shahani, vice president of Integrated Marketing Operations for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “Eighteen victories is an incredible feat to accomplish in one of the most competitive motorsports series in America. The manufacturer’s championship is something incredibly meaningful to everyone at Toyota and TRD, we’re certainly honored to capture our third in the series.”
Camry drivers combined to win 18 races and led 3,974 laps in the MENCS in 2019. With one race remaining, three Toyota drivers, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch, will head to the season finale as part of the Championship 4.
Toyota’s milestone season was led by a series-leading seven victories by Truex. Hamlin collected Toyota’s second Daytona 500 title in February en route to his six wins this year while Busch (four victories) and Erik Jones (one) also took home the checkered flag in 2019.
Since joining MENCS competition in 2007, Toyota has won 142 races and captured 124 poles in 467 races. Toyota also claimed the MENCS manufacturer championships in 2016 (16 wins) and 2017 (16 wins).
“Our team met with NASCAR officials this morning to discuss Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr.’s post-practice comments on Friday, November 8, concerning an on-track incident which occurred at the Texas Motor Speedway,” Philippe Lopez, Richard Petty Motorsports director of competition, said. “We fully understand NASCAR’s position and expectations of its competitors. NASCAR has a difficult job officiating race events and we do not need to make the task more challenging. Wallace will not appeal the penalty, and will direct his immediate focus to this weekend’s event at the ISM Raceway.”