NASCAR’s three national series head to Nashville Superspeedway this weekend with the Truck Series’ return after three weeks off. The ARCA Menards Series is once again in action, this time at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. The NHRA Mission Foods Racing Series is back in the Midwest and Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, as they hit their halfway point of the 2024 season.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS
Points standings continue to shake up … Following Sunday’s wild race at New Hampshire, the Cup Series points standings shifted across the board, with Toyota drivers making gains as the season gets closer to the Playoffs. Martin Truex Jr. (fourth) and Tyler Reddick (fifth) each moved up one spot following top-10 finishes on Sunday, and Christopher Bell (sixth) climbed two positions following his dominant win. Bell also climbed to second in the Playoff points standings following a Stage 2 victory and the race win. Denny Hamlin remains the lead Toyota Camry XSE in the third position.
Heim doing double duty … Along with his full-time duties in the NASCAR Truck Series, Corey Heim makes his third Cup Series start this weekend, this time in the No. 50 Mobil 1 Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. Heim filled in for an injured Erik Jones in the No. 43 Camry XSE for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB at Dover and Kansas earlier this season, where he finished 25th and 22nd, respectively. Heim has made two previous starts at Nashville Superspeedway in the Truck Series, including a fourth-place finish last season.
Bell rolls to Nashville with serious momentum … Not only was Bell victorious on Sunday, he also won the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, capping off a monumental weekend sweep. The Oklahoma native also comes into the weekend with five consecutive top-10 finishes and six in the last seven Cup Series races. Additionally, Bell has finished in the top-10 in each of the three Cup Series races at Nashville to-date, to which another would further help his rise in the points standings.
Smith holds second, Creed rises in points … Heading to Nashville this weekend, Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing’s two full-time Xfinity Series drivers are in the thick of the championship battle. Chandler Smith remains second in the series points standings and currently leads the Playoff points thanks to his two race wins and five stage wins so far this season. Sheldon Creed, coming off another runner-up finish, climbed to fifth in the points after Saturday’s race.
Toyota Cup drivers running Xfinity … This weekend, three Toyota Racing full-time Cup Series drivers will be doing double duty by challenging the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek return to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 and 20 Toyota GR Supras for their fourth and ninth Xfinity Series races this season. Additionally, Tyler Reddick is back in the Xfinity Series for the first time this season, first since Las Vegas last year, with Sam Hunt Racing and the No. 26 GR Supra. Reddick has 10 career Xfinity Series wins, with his last coming in 2022.
Points update in Trucks return … With the return of the Truck Series this weekend, here are where the Toyota Tundras currently sit in the series points. Heim is the lead Tundra at the moment, currently second in the series points standings, but leads the Playoff standings thanks to his four wins so far this season. Taylor Gray is currently fifth with his brother, Tanner, sitting ninth. Stewart Friesen is also just outside the Playoff field currently, sitting in 11th coming into the weekend.
Butterbean returns to the No. 1 Tundra … After a stellar debut at North Wilkesboro last month, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen is back with TRICON Garage and the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro this weekend in Nashville. The Virginia native came home fourth at North Wilkesboro and will make his debut at Nashville Superspeedway Friday night.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Sawalich seeks Berlin repeat … Coming off his win at Mid-Ohio last weekend, his third win of 2024, Toyota Development Driver, William Sawalich, heads to Berlin Raceway with a lot of momentum. The Minnesotan also seeks a repeat at Berlin with last year’s victory, with Toyota itself seeking a three-peat at the Michigan track.
NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car
Toyota controls Top Fuel points … Following his third victory of the 2024 season in Virginia, defending Top Fuel champion, Doug Kalitta, extended his points advantage now over teammate, Shawn Langdon, who climbed to second after his runner-up finish. Justin Ashley follows them in third, with Steve Torrence in fourth and Antron Brown in fifth as Toyota owns the top-five in Top Fuel. In Funny Car, J.R. Todd remains fourth in the standings with Ron Capps in seventh and Alexis DeJoria in eighth.
Toyota streaks continue … Additionally with the performances at Virginia last weekend, Toyota kept a couple of NHRA streaks alive. With Kalitta’s victory, Toyota has now won nine of the last 10 NHRA races in Top Fuel, dating back to his triumph at Pomona last November. Toyota has also now made 32 consecutive finals in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car following the all-Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel final in Virginia last weekend with Kalitta and Langdon.
Toyota Racing PR
