his Week in Motorsports: July 10-16, 2023
· NCS/NXS: New Hampshire Motor Speedway – July 15-16
· NHRA: Bandimere Speedway – July 16
· ARCA: Iowa Speedway – July 15
PLANO, Texas (July 12, 2023) – It’s a busy weekend across the country in motorsports as NASCAR takes on New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the NHRA is back on track for their annual Western Swing which begins just outside of Denver at Bandimere Speedway, while the ARCA Menards Series runs at Iowa Speedway.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS
Toyota closing in on milestone NASCAR victory… After two wins over the weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Toyota sits at 597 NASCAR victories, with 175 in the NASCAR Cup Series, 195 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 227 in the NASCAR Truck Series.
Bell one of Loudon favorites… Christopher Bell is a driver you are going to have to beat when you go to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Bell is undefeated in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at the track with three wins in three starts, along with an additional victory in the NASCAR Truck Series – where he has a 1.5 average finish in two starts. Bell is also the reigning winner in the NASCAR Cup Series event. The Oklahoma-native led 42 laps and won by over five seconds.
Nemechek plans to add to winning tally… John Hunter Nemechek took the lead on the final restart in Atlanta and drove away from the pack to earn his third victory of the season and add five more Playoff points to his tally. Nemechek has made two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Loudon, with a top-five finish in his track debut in 2018.
Grala back close to home… Kaz Grala is making his first start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway since 2019, but it is sure to be an important one for him as this race is the closest event to home for the Boston-native. Grala, who is coming into Loudon off back-to-back top-15 finishes, has ran two races at his home track – earning 14th-place finishes in both events.
Toyota Xfinity Series Loudon dominance… Loudon has been a stellar place for Team Toyota. Since 2008, Toyota drivers have won 11 of the 14 Xfinity Series races they’ve competed in at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car
Holding at 199… After a final round appearance by Justin Ashley at the series’ last race in Norwalk, Toyota continues to hold at 199 race wins in its NHRA tenure coming into Bandimere Speedway this weekend. Antron Brown is the most recent Toyota victor at the track – in 2017.
Special place for Todd… J.R. Todd has many fond memories at Bandimere Speedway. The former Funny Car world champion won his first NHRA national event in 2006 at the track, picking up the victory in Top Fuel, on his way to the Rookie of the Year title. Todd also won his first race for Kalitta Motorsports, also in Top Fuel, in 2014.
300 for Torrence… Steve Torrence hits another milestone this weekend – 300 NHRA starts. The multi-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion has 53 race wins in 83 final rounds. The Texas-native has 463 round wins.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Love plans to expand points lead… Jesse Love added to his points advantage in Mid-Ohio as the Toyota development driver battled through adversity to finish fourth. Love, who now leads by 43 points, has made three starts at Iowa Speedway with a best finish of seventh in 2021.
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.
