This Week in Motorsports: August 21-28, 2023
· NCS/NXS: Daytona International Speedway – August 25-26
· NCTS/ARCA: The Milwaukee Mile – August 27
PLANO, Texas (August 23, 2023) – The NASCAR Cup Series closes its regular season at Daytona International Speedway this weekend, where they are joined by the NASCAR Xfinity Series. On Sunday, the NASCAR Truck Series returns to the Milwaukee Mile along with the ARCA Menards Series.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS
Mobility Pit Box makes its debut… Following Toyota’s mission of ‘Mobility for All,’ Toyota will debut a mobility pit box in Daytona with Team Toyota Olympian Alise Willoughby and her husband, Sam, among those to first experience it. The Mobility Pit Box, which was designed to fit within the NASCAR-regulated pit box, can hold up to three wheelchairs along with three additional guests and two staff members. It features a climate assist for the guests, along with television monitors for the guests to follow along. In the spirit of Mobility for all, Toyota will open this experience to all NASCAR Industry partners and sponsors who sign up to utilize this unique addition for their guests during race weekends.
Truex, Hamlin fighting for regular season title… We know a Toyota driver will earn the regular season championship as Martin Truex Jr. comes into Daytona leading teammate Denny Hamlin by 39 points. Hamlin has had more success at Daytona – earning all three of Toyota’s Daytona 500 wins (2016, 2019, 2020), while Truex looks for his first superspeedway win. Since the trophy was first presented in 2017, this will be Toyota’s fourth time earning it (Truex – 2017, Kyle Busch – 2018, 2019).
Wallace, Gibbs battling for final Playoff berth… Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs are both striving for the final Playoff berth this weekend. Wallace sits in the 16th and final Playoff berth, with a 32-point advantage over the rookie driver. Daytona has been a great track for Wallace, as the Alabama-native has earned three second-place finishes. Gibbs has two starts in the Cup Series at Daytona – with a track-best 13th-place finish in this race one season ago.
Nemechek wants to be one spot better… John Hunter Nemechek started the season with a strong runner-up finish at Daytona. Nemechek is now in tight battle for the Xfinity Series regular season title, trailing Austin Hill by just nine points coming into this weekend. Nemechek won the last superspeedway-style event at Atlanta Motor Speedway last month.
Mosack plans to follow first top-five with another good run… Connor Mosack delivered his first top-five finish at Watkins Glen on Saturday as he led Toyota with a fifth-place run. Mosack will be making his Daytona Xfinity debut but had a strong runner-up finish in the ARCA race earlier this season after winning the pole and leading 25 laps.
Heim looks to clinch Round of 8 position… Corey Heim continued his impressive season with his 10th consecutive top-10 finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park the last time the Trucks were on track. The regular season champion boasts of 14 top-10 finishes in 16 races and a 7.1 average finish – both which lead the series. The Toyota development driver looks to clinch his Round of 8 berth in Milwaukee. He holds a 47-point advantage over the Playoff cut off. Heim has one ARCA start at the track – a sixth-place finish in 2021.
Sawalich double duty… William Sawalich will run two races in the same day as the 16-year-old is scheduled to compete in both the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Truck Series races at Milwaukee. Sawalich did the same at the Truck Series’ last event in Indianapolis – earning top-10 finishes in both races, including a career-best sixth in his Tundra.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Love continues ARCA domination… Jesse Love heads into the Milwaukee Mile with a dominant lead in the point standings. The Toyota development driver won his fourth straight race at Watkins Glen on Friday before finishing third on Sunday at the Springfield Mile. The 18-year-old has now scored 12 consecutive top-five finishes, including eight wins in the series. It will be his third ARCA start at Milwaukee where he finished seventh in both 2021 and 2022.
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 63,000 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 24 electrified options.
