Toyota Camry Making 400th MENCS Start at Phoenix… This weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) event at Arizona’s ISM Raceway will be the 400th for the Toyota Camry since entering the series in 2007. Since Toyota’s Cup debut, 11 different Camry drivers have won 111 MENCS races and captured a win at every race track on the series schedule. Camry drivers have won two-of-the-last three MENCS titles and two consecutive manufacturer championships.
Aiming for Back-To-Back Wins in the Desert… The last time Toyota visited ISM Raceway in 2017, former Camry driver Matt Kenseth claimed an emotional win in what marked the final victory of his MENCS career. Kenseth’s victory was the first time a Camry driver visited victory lane at Phoenix since 2012 when Denny Hamlin won the spring race. Toyota drivers will look to win back-to-back races in the desert and capture their first MENCS victory of 2018 in Sunday’s race.
Where They Stand After Three… Through the first three MENCS races this season, Camry drivers Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Hamlin find themselves inside the top-10 of the Cup Series standings. Truex has scored back-to-back top-five finishes, while Busch and Hamlin have both produced three solid race results to start the season. Truex is fourth in the standings, while Busch is fifth after climbing six positions after his Las Vegas runner-up result and Hamlin is in eighth heading into Phoenix.
The Reign of Rowdy in the Xfinity Series… Following his first NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) start of the season at Las Vegas, Busch will make his second series start of the year this weekend at ISM Raceway. Busch has been the king of the desert in the NXS as he has accumulated 10 wins, 14 top-fives, 17 top-10s and has led nearly half of all laps completed (2,001 of 4,102 laps) in 21 series starts at ISM Raceway. Busch owns an average NXS finish at ISM Raceway of 4.4. ‘Rowdy’ Busch will look to capture Toyota’s first NXS Phoenix victory since 2016 when he won both Xfinity Series races that season.
Bell Looking to Ring in First NXS Win of 2018… Through three NXS races this season, Camry driver Christopher Bell is inching closer to his first win of 2018. Bell has captured two-consecutive poles (Atlanta, Las Vegas) and has back-to-back top-three finishes. The Oklahoma native has led laps in his last two races and will be making his second career NXS start at Phoenix this weekend. In his track debut in the NXS last season, Bell placed fourth while starting the race eighth.
Tundras Take Two-Straight in the Truck Series… Busch won his 50th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Las Vegas over the weekend – leaving him one victory shy of the all-time NCWTS wins record of 51. Busch’s Vegas win also served as the second-consecutive win for Tundra drivers after Brett Moffitt previously won at Atlanta. Tundra drivers will look to make it three-straight after a two-week break when racing resumes at Martinsville Speedway where Noah Gragson claimed his first-career victory last year.
Staying Connected… You can follow Toyota Racing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and online at www.toyotaracing.com. For media images, please visit www.toyotaracingmedia.com.
Toyota Notes & Numbers at Phoenix… Camry drivers have won three MENCS races at Phoenix and 10 NXS events with Kyle Busch accounting for nine of those wins … When Busch won the NCWTS Las Vegas pole position, it gave him 98 poles across NASCAR’s national series and positioned him two away from 100-career poles in a Toyota (26 MENCS, 53 NXS and 19 NCWTS) … He will have two opportunities to win a pole at Phoenix this weekend as he is entered in both the MENCS and NXS races … Both Erik Jones (2013 and 2014) and Daniel Suárez (2016) have previously won at Phoenix in the NCWTS.
Toyota 2018 Statistics:
| Series | Races | Starts (Drivers) | Wins | Tops-5s | Tops-10s | Poles | Times Led | Laps Led |
| Cup | 3 | 19 (7) | 0 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 89 |
| Xfinity | 3 | 19 (11) | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 23 |
| Truck | 3 | 20 (10) | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 240 |
