This Week in Motorsports: September 9 – 15, 2024
NCS/NXS/ARCA: Watkins Glen International – Sept. 13-15
NHRA: Maple Grove Raceway – Sept. 13-15
PLANO, Texas (Sept. 11, 2024) – NASCAR heads to The Empire State and Watkins Glen International where the Cup Series holds the second race of its 2024 Playoffs, while the Xfinity Series has the penultimate race of its regular season. The two series will be joined by the ARCA Menards Series at Watkins Glen as well. NHRA begins its Countdown to the Championship at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS
Four Camry XSEs above cutline … After a hectic Playoff opener in Atlanta, the Cup Series points shook tremendously as the series heads to Watkins Glen for the second of three races in the Round of 16. Christopher Bell, earning his third consecutive top-five finish and fifth top-10 in the last six races, and Tyler Reddick, getting his 19th top-10 of the season, are the lead Camry XSEs in the standings, 40 and 33 points above the cutline, respectively. Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs also sit above the line, just two points and one point to the good. Martin Truex Jr., is currently 19 points under heading into the weekend.
Montoya makes Camry XSE debut … Juan Pablo Montoya makes his long-awaited return to the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend in the No. 50 Mobil 1 Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. The Colombian makes his first start in the Cup Series since 2014 and will make his eighth start at Watkins Glen this weekend where he captured his second career Cup win in 2010. Montoya also history with Toyota, winning three races with the manufacturer during the 2000 IndyCar/CART season at Milwaukee, Michigan and Gateway.
Watkins Glen top-10s for Toyota drivers … Watkins Glen International has been a favorable circuit for some of the Toyota Racing team. Bell and Reddick have finished inside the top-10 in all three of their Cup starts at the 2.454-mile road course, with Bell finishing third last year. Truex has finished in the top-10 in nine of the last 12 Watkins Glen races, that includes his 2017 victory, while Gibbs earned a top-five finish in his second start at the track last year. Hamlin, who earned the NCS pole at the Glen last year, has posted a top-10 in five of the last seven Watkins Glen events, including his win in 2016.
Points tighten as Playoffs near … With just two races remaining in the Xfinity Series regular season, Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed continue to sit in great spots in the series points standings. Smith held onto third in the standings with his fourth-place finish last weekend and Creed now sits in sixth heading to Watkins Glen this weekend.
Gibbs back in No. 19 GR Supra … Gibbs is back in the Xfinity Series and the No. 19 GR Supra this weekend at “The Glen.” This will be the 21-year-old’s sixth Xfinity Series start of the season and his first since Chicago where he was the runner-up. He makes his fourth Xfinity Series start at Watkins Glen, where he won in 2021 and sat on the pole last year.
Ed Jones returns to Sam Hunt Racing … Ed Jones is back in the Xfinity Series and the No. 26 GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing this weekend at Watkins Glen. Jones has made three starts this season in the No. 26, including a top-five finish at Portland in June. He’s also made one career start “The Glen” in IndyCar in 2017, finishing 13th.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Toyota Development Drivers take on Watkins Glen … After a week off, the ARCA Menards Series is back in action, this weekend at Watkins Glen. Toyota Development Drivers, William Sawalich and Gio Ruggiero, are two of the Toyota Camry drivers this weekend with Sawalich in his familiar No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing and Ruggiero in the No. 20 for Venturini Motorsports. Sawalich makes his second start in Watkins Glen, after finishing fourth last year, while Ruggiero makes his debut.
NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car
Toyota racers begin championship quest … As the Countdown to the Championship begins at Maple Grove Raceway this weekend, Toyota’s nine NHRA drivers begin their chance for a world championship. In Top Fuel, defending world champion, Doug Kalitta, begins the Countdown as the No. 1 seed, followed by Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence and Antron Brown as Toyota holds positions one through five. Billy Torrence begins the postseason as the No. 10 seed. In Funny Car, J.R Todd is the No. 4 seed, while Ron Capps is fifth and Alexis DeJoria is 10th to start the Countdown.
Kalitta seeks Maple Grove repeat … On the way to his incredible world championship a season ago, Kalitta began his magical Countdown to the Championship run with a victory at Maple Grove Raceway. He seeks a repeat win this weekend and the 56th of his career, which would put him fourth all-time in Top Fuel history and just five back of Brown on the all-time wins list.
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.
