This Week in Motorsports: May 15-21, 2023
· NCS/NCTS: North Wilkesboro Speedway – May 20-21
· NHRA: Route 66 Raceway – May 21
· ARCA EAST: Flat Rock Speedway – May 20
PLANO, Texas (May 17, 2023) – For the first time since 1996, NASCAR competes at North Wilkesboro Speedway. NHRA also makes a return, as they compete at Route 66 Raceway for the first time in several seasons, while the ARCA Menards Series East runs at Flat Rock Speedway.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NCTS
Wallace coming on strong… Bubba Wallace continues to move forward in the Cup Series point standings. After his second straight top-five finish, Wallace is inside the provisional Playoff field for the first time since Phoenix in March. Wallace has registered five top-15 finishes in the last six races and ranks a season-best 15th in the point standings. The Alabama-native will also compete in the Truck Series event on Saturday in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage for the second straight week. He finished seventh in the truck in his season debut in Darlington.
Bell continues to rank high… Christopher Bell closed the gap to the top spot in the Cup Series standings with a top-15 finish in Darlington Raceway on Sunday. Bell still leads the series with eight top-10 finishes in 13 races this season. He will also be competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series on Saturday, running a second entry for Hattori Racing Enterprises. The 2017 Truck Series champion has seven wins in 54 career starts in the series.
Heim looks to continue to close the gap… With another top-10 finish on Friday evening at Darlington, Corey Heim added to his series lead. The Toyota development driver now has seven top-10 finishes in nine races, and his 9.4 average finish also leads the league. With the run in Darlington, the Georgia native has closed within 15 points of the series lead.
Friesen adds another strong run… Stewart Friesen earned a season-best second place finish on Friday in Darlington, his second consecutive top-five result and third overall in the last five races as the Canadian ranks amongst the top-10 drivers for the first time this season.
Gray on track for career season… Tanner Gray finished third in Darlington – his third top-five finish this season in just nine starts. His three top fives are already more than he earned in the 2022 season. Gray comes into North Wilkesboro with three top-10 finishes in the last four races.
NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car
Torrence looking for first win this season… Steve Torrence leads the point standings after five races as he works toward his fifth NHRA title. Although he is leading the standings, Torrence is looking for his first win of the season. Torrence won the last running of the Route 66 Nationals in 2019.
DeJoria continues to impress… Alexis DeJoria continues to be on-track for a career season. Through five races, DeJoria has earned round wins in every race and is coming off a runner-up finish at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte. She sits in second in the point standings – less than three rounds out of the points lead.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA East
Sawalich ready to be back in Victory Lane… After dominating at Nashville Fairgrounds but coming up just one spot short, William Sawalich is looking for his second win of the season. The Minnesota-native holds the points lead after three races, with a six-point advantage over second.
Venturini makes his return to the driver’s seat… Venturini Motorsports co-owner Billy Venturini will make his return to the driver’s seat this weekend at Flat Rock Speedway. Venturini has one win, and 75 top-10 finishes in 161 ARCA starts. He last competed in 2007.
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 65 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 45 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 more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.
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.
