Toyota Racing
This Week in Motorsports – May 20-26, 2019
Toyota Racing On-Track this Week
· MENCS/NXS/ARCA: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina) – May 23-26
· POWRi: Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex (Sweet Springs, Missouri) – May 24-25
Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, Missouri) – May 26
NASCAR National Series – MENCS | NXS
Weekend of Remembrance… In recognition of Memorial Day Weekend and 600 Miles of Remembrance, Toyota will honor several fallen service members during Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race. U.S. Army Sergeant Jason Denfrund and U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Herrmann will adorn the lead and splitter Camry pace cars while the RAV4 Hybrid grand marshal vehicles will carry the names of U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Jason Hicks, U.S. Marine Corps Major James Brophy and U.S. Marine Corps Corporal David Sonka.
600-Mile Sizzler… Toyota drivers have won three of the last four 600-mile races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Former Toyota driver Carl Edwards captured the checkered flag in 2015 while Martin Truex Jr. (2016) and Kyle Busch (2018) have each scored a win in the track’s May event. Busch is the most recent winner after last year’s victory, becoming the only driver in the MENCS to win at every active NASCAR track on the schedule at the time. Toyota’s first Charlotte Cup Series victory came from former Camry driver David Reutimann in May 2009.
Backyard Showdown… The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races at Charlotte Motor Speedway where Toyota drivers have captured eight wins since 2008. Denny Hamlin is the most recent winner, securing a victory in May 2016. Kyle Busch has logged six Toyota wins and former Toyota driver Joey Logano also won in a Camry in 2012. While Saturday’s Supra lineup has not visited victory lane at the 1.5-mile track, three of the Supra race car’s six wins this season have been on similarly configured race tracks – Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
Home Track Return… Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to the No. 18 Supra for his fourth start with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. Although Earnhardt has five previous starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, his last appearance came in Fall 2014. Earnhardt has logged two top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks this season, including Atlanta Motor Speedway (sixth) and Texas Motor Speedway (eighth).
Regional Stock Car Racing – ARCA
Toyotas Top Charts… Toyota drivers are six-for-six in ARCA Menards Series wins in 2019. Michael Self has the most victories with two wins while Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, Christian Eckes and Chandler Smith have each scored one victory this season. Last year, Toyota drivers captured 18 of 20 race wins, including the first 12 victories of 2018.
Return to Charlotte… ARCA drivers return to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a second-consecutive season after a 12-year break from the 1.5-mile track. Toyota driver Brandon Jones won last year’s event, leading 32 laps (of 100). Toyota drivers led every lap of the event with Gilliland (60 laps) and former Camry driver Sheldon Creed (eight laps) also pacing the field.
Midget Racing – POWRi
Seavey Takes Point Lead Into POWRi Triple-Header… On the strength of three victories in the season’s first six races, Toyota’s Logan Seavey takes a 190-point lead into this weekend’s POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League triple-header in Missouri. The series heads to Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex on Friday and Saturday before closing out the weekend at the Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon on Sunday.
