Story By: SAM MAHONEY / TOYOTA RACING – BROOKLYN, MI – Sheldon Creed (second), John Hunter Nemechek (third) and Taylor Gray (eighth) led Toyota with top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday evening.
Creed earned his record-setting 11th runner-up finish, as the California-native is still looking for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series triumph.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Michigan International Speedway
Race 21 of 33 – 250 Miles, 125 Laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Allgaier*
2nd, SHELDON CREED
3rd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
4th, Anthony Alfredo*
5th, Sammy Smith*
8th, TAYLOR GRAY
21st, JEFFREY EARNHARDT
27th, CHANDLER SMITH
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
SHELDON CREED, No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
Another second-place finish, Sheldon. Is this a good second-place finish or a frustrating second-place?
“This one might have frustrated me the most out of all of them so far. I had a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra as fast as Xfinity internet today, and led the beginning, got spun there and rallied back. I was probably too conservative behind the 20 (John Hunter Nemechek) trying to save fuel. I was a couple, few laps short on fuel there and the 7 (Justin Allgaier) was in a little bit better spot, and once the 7 got around both of us, and the 88 (Carson Kvapil), I know I needed to go. I probably set behind the 20 another two laps and then charged and was running the 7 down. Just had a really good car, but that caution for rain came at a bad time for us.”
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
What more did you need today?
“That long green flag run and saving fuel. We saved some fuel, and I just burned the right front off of it before we got that red flag and couldn’t get through the corner, but huge shoutout to Pye Barker, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. Our Toyota GR Supra was really fast today. As fast as Xfinity internet. Just needed a little more there. I think if we could have stayed in front of the 7 (Justin Allgaier) before we had that red flag, we probably could have won the race. We had the speed to do it, just needed to execute a little bit better on my part and I should have asked for something different, I guess.”
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 19 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 8th
Battled back from an early race spin and scored a strong top-10 finish. How was your day?
“Up and down day for us at the miniature Daytona. The spin early hurt us, and we had to kind of claw our way back through the field. It is really hard to pass. You really had to be smart about taking runs, and then pulling out of line and stuff like that. Just gave up my right rear on the green-white-checkered, and just kind of sacrificed a top-five doing that.”