This Week in Motorsports: August 29-September 4, 2023
· NCS/NXS: Darlington Raceway – September 2-3
· NHRA: Indianapolis Raceway Park – September 4
· ARCA: DuQuoin State Fairgrounds – September 3
PLANO, Texas (August 30, 2023) – It’s a special motorsports weekend as NASCAR takes on the annual Labor Day Classic at Darlington Raceway, while NHRA has the biggest race of the year – the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS
Truex ready to battle for second title… Martin Truex Jr. clinched his second regular season championship on Saturday in Daytona. The last time Truex won the regular season title in 2017, he also walked away with the overall championship. Truex starts his Playoff push as the no. 2 seed. He had a great run going in the Spring – winning the pole and leading 145 laps before being caught up in a crash. Truex has two wins in Darlington, including this race in 2016.
Wallace experiences Playoffs for the first time … Bubba Wallace is making his Playoff debut after a clutch performance in Daytona on Saturday night. Wallace heads into Darlington as the no. 16 seed. He has been very good at Darlington Raceway recently, with back-to-back strong runs. Wallace earned a track-best fifth-place run in May.
Hamlin double duty… Denny Hamlin heads into Darlington as the no. 3 seed in the Cup Series Playoffs. Hamlin, who will run the Xfinity Series race as well on Saturday, has four Cup Series victories in Darlington, including in this race two years ago. Hamlin also owns five Xfinity Series wins at Darlington.
Nemechek desires final push for regular season title… John Hunter Nemechek sits just 28 points out of the championship lead heading into Darlington. Nemechek has had impressive runs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington – as he has three consecutive top-10 finishes at the track. Nemechek also won the Truck Series race at Darlington last season.
Heim makes fourth career Xfinity Series start… Corey Heim will make his fourth career NASCAR Xfinity Series start on Saturday in the No. 24 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing (SHR). Heim, who clinched his Round of 8 berth in the NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs on Sunday in Milwaukee, earned his first career Xfinity Series top-10 finish in the spring race at Darlington, as part of the first double top-10 weekend for SHR.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Love continues ARCA domination… Jesse Love finished second in Milwaukee on Sunday to extend his streak to 13 consecutive top-five finishes in ARCA Menards Series competition. Love currently leads the ARCA championship standings by 120 points. The 18-year-old ran at DuQuoin last season and finished second after leading 15 laps.
NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car
Toyota holds down top three in Top Fuel… Justin Ashley, Steve Torrence and Antron Brown are leading the pack in Top Fuel as Toyota-partnered drivers and teams hold down the top-three spots in the Top Fuel point standings. The three drivers have won the last four Top Fuel races with Ashley picking up wins in Sonoma and Topeka, Torrence earning Toyota’s 200th NHRA victory in Seattle and Brown delivering most recently in Brainerd. Brown also won the U.S. Nationals last season.
Capps looks for second straight U.S. Nationals win with special scheme… Ron Capps finally got his long-awaited U.S. Nationals win last season, defeating a tire-smoking Robert Hight in the final round. Capps will look for his second straight U.S. Nationals victory with a special scheme to highlight drag racing legend and his former owner, Don Prudhomme.
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.
