This Week in Motorsports: September 3 – 8, 2024
NCS/NXS: Atlanta Motor Speedway – Sept. 7-8
PLANO, Texas (Sept. 4, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series begins its 10-race Playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. The Xfinity Series also takes on the Georgia 1.5-mile oval with just three races remaining in their regular season.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS
Five Camry XSE drivers ready for Playoff push … The push for the championship begins Sunday in Atlanta for five of Toyota’s Cup Series drivers. Christopher Bell begins the 2024 Playoffs as the highest Camry XSE, starting in second position 27 points above the cutline. He’s joined above the cutline by the regular season champion, Tyler Reddick (third), and Denny Hamlin (sixth). Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. begin the Playoffs in 15th and 16th position, respectively, both one point below the cutline.
Bell riding momentum into Playoffs … Seeking his third consecutive Championship 4 appearance, Bell enters the 2024 Playoffs off a handful of strong results. The driver of the No. 20 Camry XSE has four top-10 finishes in the last five races, including back-to-back third-place results. Another top-10 for Bell this weekend in Atlanta would be the third of his career, with his career-best being a third-place finish in the spring of 2023.
Regular season champion also seeking another top-10 … The close of the 2024 regular season by Reddick was impressive, propelling him to the regular season championship by the night’s end in Darlington on Sunday. He heads into this weekend with top-10s in 11 of the last 13 races, and 18 in total, the most in the Cup Series this season.
Points battle with three races left … Heading into Atlanta this weekend, Chandler Smith remains third in the Xfinity Series points after his top-10 result at Darlington. The Georgia native currently sits second in the Playoff standings courtesy of his two wins this season and accrued stage points. After nearly missing out on his maiden win last weekend, and finishing third, Sheldon Creed has jumped to fifth in the series points standings, thanks to five consecutive top-10 finishes. Creed also finished inside the top-10 in Atlanta back in February, in the fourth position.
Heim takes on home race … Corey Heim will pilot the No. 26 GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing for the 11th time this season and 15th time in his career Saturday at his home race track of Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 22-year-old makes his Xfinity Series debut at Atlanta, the same track where he captured his first career Truck Series win in 2022.
Truex eager to continue Atlanta success … Following his epic win in Daytona two weeks ago, Ryan Truex is back at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he’s found success in his Xfinity Series career. The 32-year-old has finished inside the top 11 in each of his Xfinity Series starts at the track, including four consecutive top-10s. He also hopes to extend the win streak for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team who have been triumphant the last two races with Truex in Daytona and Bell at Darlington.
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 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th 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 29 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
