Page 19 - Aruba Today
P. 19
SPORTS A19
Tuesday 23 February 2016
Toyota follows Cup title
with 1st Daytona 500 victory
MARK LONG Toyota’s third team, Bill Da- and we lost. Had he won, Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NAS-
AP Sports Writer vis Racing, was mostly an we would have made that CAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona Interna-
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) also-ran. five-year target. tional Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016.
— Oh, what a feeling! “It’s heart-wrenching that “Like in life, when you go
Toyota notched its first Day- none of the freshmen class through trials, you have the Associated Press
tona 500 victory Sunday, are still with us,” Wilson said. emotion and the heart-
winning “The Great Ameri- “That’s not the end of the ache, and when you do
can Race” three months story that any of us wanted achieve a level of success,
after its first NASCAR Sprint to see. But again, it goes to it truly is sweeter. Perspec-
Cup championship. how difficult, how competi- tive truly is a wonderful
“This is very difficult for me tive the sport is. thing to have.”q
to put in words. I cannot ar- Toyota’s fortunes changed
ticulate adequately what dramatically when Joe
this means to Toyota,” said Gibbs Racing switched
David Wilson, president of from Chevrolet in 2008.
Toyota Racing Develop- “They took a chance on
ment. “It’s our single big- Toyota,” Wilson said. “Look
gest race in our company’s at where they were. Three-
history. I’ll put it in front of time champions. They took
the Indy 500, which was a a chance on us. The pres-
pretty special one back in sure that put on our shoul-
2003.” ders to deliver was enor-
Gil de Ferran delivered mous. I hated that it’s tak-
Toyota the Indy 500 victory. en us this long.”
Denny Hamlin provided the Toyota dominated Speed-
Daytona 500 win. weeks. Hamlin won the
“For me, the most enjoy- Daytona 500 on Sunday,
able thing out of winning eight days after winning
is seeing people that in- the exhibition Sprint Unlim-
vest with you, all the time ited. And Joe Gibbs Racing
and the resources that teammate Kyle Busch, the
they put with us,” said Joe reigning Cup champion,
Gibbs, Hamlin’s team own- won one of the two qualify-
er. “Then to see them win ing races.
and be that happy, get a Toyota also claimed four
chance to celebrate, it’s of the top five spots in the
really a thrill for me.” 500, with Martin Truex Jr. fin-
When Toyota made its ishing second, Busch third
Cup debut in 2007, many and Carl Edwards fifth.
thought the Japanese au- It was the kind of finish
tomaker would find quick many, including Wilson,
success because of its thought would happen
deep pockets. But the road years earlier.
to victory lane was far from “We knew it was going
smooth. to be a long, tough slog,”
Michael Waltrip Racing, Wilson said. “I’ll admit that
Toyota’s flagship team, was I thought within the first
busted for cheating dur- five years we might have
ing the 2007 Daytona 500. a shot at a championship.
High-profile Red Bull Racing I think the first time I cried
struggled to make races in this sport was 2010 when
and ultimately left NASCAR Denny came to Home-
after four full seasons. And stead with a 15-point lead
