Toyota NASCAR Dover/Las Vegas Advance
Week of September 25 – October 1
Camry Out Front: Since the new 2018 Camry race car debuted this season, Toyota drivers have won 10 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) races this year as well as the All-Star Race, which was won by 2015 Cup champion Kyle Busch. Late in the summer, Camry drivers have raised the bar as the Playoffs approached and began, winning eight of the last 11 MENCS races, including the first two Playoff races moving Martin Truex Jr and Busch to the second round. In addition, Camry drivers have led 4,509 laps this season, approximately 56 percent of all laps this season – and have led the most laps in a single race 17 times, more than any other Cup season prior.
Monster Mile Memories: Last year, Camry drivers swept both MENCS races at Dover International Speedway, giving Toyota drivers four wins at the one mile concrete track. During their tenure at Dover, Kenseth has the most top-five (17) and top-10 (24) finishes, while Busch has the second most laps led (1,158). Camry drivers have also won 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) races at Dover, including last year’s events which were won by Cup rookies Erik Jones and Daniel Suárez. In two Dover starts, Toyota’s sole NXS Playoff driver Matt Tifft has earned two top-10 finishes.
Trucks Vegas Bound: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) heads west this weekend to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the second race of the Playoffs. Tundra divers have won five Las Vegas races. Vegas is the hometown of Toyota’s Noah Gragson, who has earned three pole positions and 11 top-10 finishes in 2017, including a career-best runner-up result in Canada Labor Day weekend in his rookie NCWTS season. With three Toyota drivers competing in the NCWTS Playoffs, Matt Crafton has the most top-five (six) and top-10 (nine) finishes at Las Vegas, while his ThorSport Racing teammate Ben Rhodes only has one start at the 1.5-mile track. Christopher Bell – who already punched his ticket to the next Playoff round with a win at New Hampshire – finished sixth in last year’s race.
Staying Connected: You can follow Toyota Racing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and online at www.toyotaracing.com. For media images, please visit www.toyotaracingmedia.com.
Toyota at Dover and Las Vegas – Notes & Numbers:
Two-time Paralympian (2012, 2016) and four-time World Champion bronze medalist Hannah McFadden will drive the 2018 Toyota Camry pace car at Dover International Speedway as the Honorary Pace Car Driver … McFadden is a member of Team Toyota and competes for the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team … Toyota drivers have earned eight-straight pole positions across all three national series dating back to Richmond … Martin Truex Jr. is from New Jersey, about 130 miles north east of Dover … Dover is the site of Truex’s first career MENCS win, which he earned in 2007 … Hamlin has earned three poles at Dover since 2012 and has started 10th or better in 10-of-the-last 11 races in Delaware.
Toyota 2017 Statistics:
Series | Races | Starts (Drivers) | Wins | Stage Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | Times Led | Laps Led |
Cup | 28 | 243 (17) | 10 | 38 | 48 | 89 | 12 | 209 | 4,509 |
XFINITY | 27 | 183 (28) | 10 | 13 | 34 | 49 | 13 | 97 | 1,697 |
Truck | 17 | 174 (21) | 9 | 24 | 45 | 91 | 10 | 93 | 1,668 |