This Week in Motorsports: May 8-14, 2023
· NCS/NXS/NCTS: Darlington Raceway– May 12-14
· ARCA: Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway – May 13
PLANO, Texas (May 10, 2023) – It is time for the annual throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway for all three national series of NASCAR.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS
Hamlin looks to add to Darlington success… Coming off his first win of the season, Denny Hamlin heads to one of his best tracks on the circuit. Hamlin owns four NASCAR Cup Series victories, and five NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the track. He has finished inside the top-five in four of the last six races at Darlington.
Toyota ranks high in standings… At the one-third point of the season, Toyota drivers rank high in the point standings. Christopher Bell (second), Martin Truex Jr. (third), Hamlin (fourth) and Tyler Reddick (sixth) all have race wins and rank among the top-six in the point standings.
Wallace double duty… For the first time this season, Bubba Wallace will run two races this weekend. Wallace will make his 2023 Truck Series season debut in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. The Alabama-native has six wins in 49 starts in the series but will be making his first Truck Series start at Darlington. In the Cup Series, Wallace finished a track-best ninth last fall in the Southern 500.
Nemechek at one of his best tracks… John Hunter Nemechek has been impressive at Darlington Raceway throughout his career. Nemechek earned his first career Cup Series top-10 finish at the track in 2020, while last season Nemechek won the Truck Series race and finished in the top-10 in both Xfinity Series races, driving for Sam Hunt Racing. Coming into this weekend, Nemechek sits just four points outside of the top spot in the Xfinity Series standings on the strength of two wins and eight top-10 finishes in 10 races.
Heim continues to run strong… Corey Heim added another strong run at Kansas Speedway over the weekend with a runner-up finish, marking the Toyota driver’s sixth top-10 finish in eight races – which is tied for the series best. Heim looks for multiple strong runs this weekend as the Toyota development driver runs double duty in the NASCAR ranks for the first time. The Georgia native will run in his normal No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro on Friday night, before making his second career Xfinity Series start on Saturday in the No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota GR Supra.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA East
Sawalich looks to extend points lead… After back-to-back top-five finishes to start the ARCA East season, William Sawalich holds a slim one-point advantage in the point standings. Sawalich has started from the pole in both races so far this season, led laps in both and is averaging a 2.5 place finish.
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