This Week in Motorsports: July 4-10, 2022
· NCS/NXS: Atlanta Motor Speedway – July 9-10
· NCWTS/ARCA: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – July 8-9
PLANO, Texas (July 6, 2022) – The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series head to their second stop of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes its first ever stop at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – supported by the ARCA Menards Series.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCWTS
Kurt Busch solid in the ATL… Kurt Busch led Toyota in the spring race on the newly-paved Atlanta Motor Speedway as the Las Vegas-native led four laps and finished third. Busch also was strong in the last race at the track before the repave – leading 144 of 260 laps on his way to the victory in July 2021.
Bell looking for redemption… Christopher Bell is looking for redemption at Atlanta after a post-race penalty earlier this season in Atlanta negated a podium finish. Bell has consistently run well at the track, including earning the first NASCAR victory for the Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019.
Gibbs continues to impress… Ty Gibbs scored an impressive win on Saturday at Road America, getting past reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson on the final lap. It was Gibbs’ series-leading fourth victory of the season, which helped him close within nine points of the championship lead. Gibbs is looking for his second straight win at Atlanta after he won earlier this season at the track with a bold last lap pass.
Back home for Jones… Brandon Jones is headed back to his home track – Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Georgia-native is coming off his third top-five finish of the season at Road America and had a strong run earlier this spring in Atlanta, crossing the finish line in seventh.
Truex, Earnhardt return… Ryan Truex and Jeffrey Earnhardt are back in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event this weekend – competing in Toyota GR Supras. Truex will make his fifth start in the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his last start, Truex finished a season-best sixth at Texas. Earnhardt is back in the No. 26 for Sam Hunt Racing (SHR). Similarly, Earnhardt had a strong run in his last start – finishing seventh in Nashville. He competed at Atlanta earlier this season for SHR, finishing 13th.
Majeski, Eckes look to clinch… Ty Majeski and Christian Eckes plan to clinch their NASCAR Truck Series Playoff berths this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with another strong run. With two races remaining in the regular season, Majeski holds a 127-point advantage over 11th in the point standings as he is on a streak of three consecutive top-five finishes. Eckes is seventh in points, 97 points ahead of 11th. He has five top-six finishes in his last seven starts.
Heim battles for Rookie of Year title…Toyota development driver Corey Heim looks to become the second consecutive driver from the Kyle Busch Motorsports stable to earn the Rookie of the Year title, joining last season’s winner, Chandler Smith. Heim, who turned 20 on Tuesday, already owns two wins in his seven starts this season. Despite only starting seven of the 14 events this season, Heim sits just eight points out of the Rookie of the Year lead.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Double for Nemechek… As the Truck Series makes its first laps at Mid-Ohio, John Hunter Nemechek is getting some extra laps in Friday’s ARCA event aboard the No. 55 Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports (VMS). VMS will field four Camrys for the event as Nemechek will have road course ace Parker Chase, 17-year-old Jesse Love and full-time competitor Toni Breidinger as teammates.
Smith looks for three straight… One week after making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut, Sammy Smith heads to Mid-Ohio on a hot streak in ARCA Menards Series action. Smith is coming in on a two-race winning streak after a dominating performance at Minnesota’s Elko Speedway – leading 233 of 250 laps.
Stay Connected
https://www.toyota.com/racing @ToyotaRacing.com @ToyotaRacing
facebook.com/ToyotaRacing Camera With Flash on Apple iOS 11.3 ToyotaRacingMedia.com
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
