This Week in Motorsports: March 14-20, 2022
· NCS/NXS/NCWTS: Atlanta Motor Speedway – March 19-20
· ARCA EAST: 5 Flags Speedway (Pensacola, Fla.) – March 19
PLANO, Texas (March 16, 2022) – NASCAR is back on the East Coast as they take on the newly repaved Atlanta Motor Speedway, while the ARCA Menards Series East takes to the track for the second time this season in Pensacola, Florida.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCWTS
Toyota’s First Cup Win… Atlanta will always be a special place for Toyota and Kyle Busch. On March 9, 2008, Busch drove Toyota to its first Cup Series win at Atlanta. Busch has since added another Cup Series win at the track in September 2013. He also scored Toyota’s first Xfinity win at Atlanta in 2016.
Kurt Busch looks to continue to check boxes… Kurt Busch checked another box in his first season for 23XI on Sunday as he drove the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD to a top-five finish. Busch has a stellar record at Atlanta Motor Speedway with three wins at the track, including his most recent victory last July.
Bayne adds Atlanta… After two stellar runs, Trevor Bayne has added Atlanta to his 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. Bayne, who will now make eight starts in the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, won the pole and finished fourth in Phoenix. The Tennessee-native sits 12th in the point standings despite only starting two of the first four events.
The 26 turns 50… Sam Hunt Racing will make the organization’s 50th start in Atlanta coming off one of its best ever performances in Phoenix as Truck Series championship contender John Hunter Nemechek led the team’s first ever laps and scored its second-ever top-five finish. After four events, the team sits ninth in the owner’s standings and ranks as the top-single car team. Jeffrey Earnhardt returns to the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra this weekend for the team’s milestone start.
Georgia state of mind… Toyota has several drivers heading home this weekend. Atlanta-native Brandon Jones is coming off a season-best second place finish in Phoenix. He drove to a career-best fourth place finish at his home track in 2019. In the Truck Series, Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers Chandler Smith and Corey Heim will both compete at their home race. The Truck Series most recent winner – Smith – is from Talking Rock, Georgia, while Heim, who is making his track debut, is from Marietta. Smith is also the series points leader heading into Atlanta.
Majeski off to impressive start… In his first full-time season with ThorSport Racing, Ty Majeski is off to an impressive start as one of just three drivers with top-10 finishes in both races to start the season. The Wisconsin-native sits third in the overall point standings and will make his second Truck Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA East
Smith plans for strong start to continue… Sammy Smith is the defending race winner at 5 Flags Speedway. The 17-year-old Toyota development driver led 145 of 200 laps on his way to his first ARCA East win. The reigning ARCA East champion started the season strong with a win at New Smyrna Speedway and leads the point standings heading into 5 Flags Speedway.
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