This Week in Motorsports: September 5-11, 2023
· NCS/NXS/NCTS/ARCA: Kansas Speedway – September 8-10
PLANO, Texas (September 6, 2023) – Kansas Speedway is the site for all the racing action this weekend with four races in three days.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS
200 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins in Toyota’s sights… After Denny Hamlin’s win in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Darlington, Toyota has won 199 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and looks to earn 200 this weekend in Kansas. The late Jason Leffler won the first race for Toyota at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August 2007, while Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 192 of the 199 race wins. Toyota currently supports two teams – JGR and Sam Hunt Racing – in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with five Toyota GR Supras on track each weekend. This weekend, Sammy Smith, Joe Graf Jr., John Hunter Nemechek, Connor Mosack and Kaz Grala will look to earn the milestone.
Reddick off to strong start… Tyler Reddick had a great race to kick off the 2023 Playoffs. Reddick led 90 laps – his most in a single race this season – and finished second to move up to third in the point standings. The California-native led 23 laps and earned a top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway in the spring.
Wallace looks to go back-to-back … Bubba Wallace heads to Kansas Speedway as the defending race winner. Wallace passed Daniel Suarez with 43 laps to go and led the balance of the race to earn his second career NASCAR Cup Series win. Wallace was one of four Toyotas inside the top-five finishers at Kansas last fall.
Hamlin plans to sweep Kansas event… Denny Hamlin took the lead for the final time on the last lap at Kansas Speedway to earn his first win of the season earlier this year. It was Hamlin’s fourth win at the track. He won the first Cup Series race at Kansas for Toyota in 2012, before adding victories in 2019 and 2020.
Nemechek battles for regular season title… John Hunter Nemechek comes into the regular season finale for the NASCAR Xfinity Series just 23 points out of the regular season championship title. Nemechek won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway in 2018 but is making his first series start on the track since 2019. Nemechek scored the victory in the NASCAR Truck Series at Kansas last fall as well.
Heim looks to add to Playoff total… Corey Heim clinched his spot in the Round of 8 in Milwaukee with his 11th consecutive top-10 finish. Heim finished runner-up in the spring race at Kansas Speedway and has two wins in ARCA Menards Series competition at the track.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Love closes in on title… Jesse Love added to his impressive season at DuQuoin over the weekend, scoring his ninth race win of the season. The 18-year-old won from the pole at Kansas in the spring after leading 96 of 100 laps.
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.
