This Week in Motorsports: September 23 – 29, 2024
NCS/NXS/NCTS/ARCA: Kansas Speedway – Sept. 27-29
NHRA: World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway – Sept. 27-29
PLANO, Texas (Sept. 25, 2024) – NASCAR returns to Kansas Speedway for the second time this season, with yet another busy weekend with four races in three days. The Cup Series begins its Round of 12 on Sunday, the Xfinity Series begins its Playoffs on Saturday and the Truck Series has its Round of 10 cutoff race. The ARCA Menards Series will compete in Kansas on Friday for their penultimate race of 2024.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series holds the third race of its Countdown to the Championship at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, just outside of St. Louis.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS
Three Camry XSEs advance to Round of 12 … After Bristol, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin advanced to the Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12. All three begin the Round of 12 above the cutline, with Bell 24 points above, Reddick 20 points up and Hamlin seven points to the good.
Jimmie Johnson back in action … Jimmie Johnson is back in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE this weekend at Kansas Speedway. This is the seven-time champion’s first start since Indianapolis in July and the 696th start of his historic career. Johnson has made 30 previous starts at Kansas, with three wins, nine top-fives and 19 top-10s to his name.
Bell seeks another Kansas pole … Bell and his No. 20 Camry XSE team have been exceptional in qualifying at Kansas of late. The Oklahoma native has captured two consecutive poles at Kansas, including three in the last five races. He also has five top-10 finishes in the last six races at the 1.5-mile oval coming into the weekend.
Smith, Creed begin Playoff push … With the Xfinity Series Playoffs beginning this weekend, Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed begin their quests for a championship. Smith begins the Playoffs as the No. 4 seed – 17 points above the cutline, while Creed is ninth, three points below to start. Creed is also on a hot streak of late, with a top-10 finish in seven of the last eight, and a top-five finish in six of those races.
Toyota seeks another Xfinity win at Kansas … Toyota has been strong at Kansas Speedway in the Xfinity Series of late, capturing five wins in the last seven races, with the most recent being John Hunter Nemechek last fall, where Creed also finished third. Kansas has been a favorable spot for Toyota over time, as the manufacturer also won five consecutive races from 2013-2017.
Heim, Gray in good spots for Playoff cutoff … With the Truck Series paring down to its Round of 8 after this weekend, Corey Heim and Taylor Gray are currently in good positions. Heim has already locked himself into the next round, and Gray finds himself 23 points above the cutline. Heim and Gray will also compete in two races over the weekend as they are both entered in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kansas on Saturday. Heim will make his 12th Xfinity Series start of the season aboard the Sam Hunt Racing No, 26 GR Supra, after finishing fifth in his last attempt at Atlanta earlier this month. Gray, who has earned top-10s in two of his last three Xfinity Series attempts, will make his 11th career start with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 19.
Heim goes for Kansas sweep … After a dominating win in the spring, Heim returns to Kansas Speedway looking for a season sweep and his sixth win of the season. Heim led 79 of the 134 laps in the spring race on his way to victory. He also has four consecutive Kansas top-10s heading into the weekend, highlighting his prowess around the 1.5-mile oval.
Butterbean returns to TRICON Garage … Brenden “Butterbean” Queen is back behind the wheel of the No. 1 Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage this weekend at Kansas. Queen is making his third start of the season for TRICON Garage, his first since Nashville in June. In his maiden start this season, Queen finished fourth at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Tanner Gray does double duty … Like he did in the spring, Tanner Gray will run both the ARCA Menards Series race and Truck Series race this weekend in Kansas. Gray sat on pole for the ARCA race in May, finishing second, and then finished seventh in the Truck Series race that same night. Gray has two ARCA poles in his career at Kansas and has finished inside the top-10 in each of his three starts.
Breidinger returns to favorable Kansas … Toni Breidinger has had a run of success at Kansas Speedway of late, finishing inside the top-11 in her last five ARCA Menards Series races there, including coming off a 10th-place finish in May. Breidinger has also only finished outside the top-12 in just one of her seven starts at Kansas so far, with a track-best and career-best finish of third in 2023.
NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car
Brown seeks three wins in a row … Antron Brown is on a roll to start the Countdown to the Championship, winning the first two races at Maple Grove Raceway and zMAX Dragway in Charlotte. He comes to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway with the Top Fuel points lead over Justin Ashley (second), Shawn Langdon (third) and Doug Kalitta (fourth). Steve Torrence holds the sixth position in the points, while his father, Billy, is 10th. In Funny Car, Ron Capps is fifth, J.R. Todd is sixth and Alexis DeJoria is seventh in the current points standings.
Toyota streaks roll into St. Louis … With Brown’s triumph at Charlotte, Toyota continues its amazing streaks in NHRA competition. Brown’s win gave Toyota its 15th Top Fuel win in the last 17 NHRA races and its 39th consecutive final round appearance in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car.
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.
