This Week in Motorsports: March 17 – 23, 2025
- NCS/NXS/NCTS: Homestead-Miami Speedway – March 21-23
- ARCA EAST: Five Flags Speedway (Pensacola, Fla.) – March 22
- NHRA: Firebird Motorsports Park (Chandler, Ariz.) – March 21-23
PLANO, Texas (March 19, 2025) – NASCAR’s three national series head to South Florida and Homestead-Miami Speedway for another weekend on a mile-and-a-half oval. The ARCA Menards Series East opens its 2025 season at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, on Saturday. The NHRA also returns to action for the second race of its 2025 season at Firebird Motorsports Park outside of Phoenix.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NXS/NCTS
Toyota seeks Homestead three-peat … Homestead-Miami Speedway has become a comfortable spot for the Toyota Camrys as the manufacturer seeks its third consecutive and ninth overall Cup Series win at the Florida oval after victories by Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell the last two years. Bell comes back to Homestead looking for his fourth win of the 2025 season, which would surpass a career-best mark for a single season just six races in. Reddick, meanwhile, aims for his first triumph of the year to lock himself into the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs. Both drivers are currently in the top three in points, with Bell in second and Reddick in third.
Hamlin eager to continue Homestead success … Finishing third and nearly taking the race victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway last fall, Denny Hamlin returns to one of his favorite tracks this weekend focused on another solid result. In 20 previous starts at Homestead, Hamlin is in a tie for the most career victories at the race track with three (2009, 2013 and 2020), to go along with six top-fives and 13 top-10s. Another victory by Hamlin would also be the 10th Cup Series win for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) at Homestead.
Bonsignore, Heim return to the Xfinity Series … This weekend, Justin Bonsignore and Corey Heim both make their second Xfinity Series starts of the season – Bonsignore once again in the No. 19 GR Supra for JGR and Heim in the No. 24 GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. Saturday will mark Bonsignore’s third career Xfinity Series start, following his runs at Daytona to begin the season and at New Hampshire last June. For Heim, Saturday will mark his 19th career Xfinity Series start. The Toyota Development Driver will be doing double duty this weekend with his full-time Truck Series efforts, aiming for his third win of the season in his No. 11 Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage.
Jones makes first Trucks start of 2025 … Along with his full-time efforts in the No. 20 GR Supra for JGR in the Xfinity Series, Brandon Jones will also make his first start in the No. 1 Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Georgia native returns to the Truck Series for the first time since 2020, with Friday being his first Homestead Truck Series start since 2015. He looks for his second career Trucks victory to couple his triumph at Pocono in 2020.
Friesen looks to continue hot start to 2025 … 2025 has started off strong for Stewart Friesen and his No. 52 Tundra TRD Pro team. The Canadian has two top-10 finishes in three races this season, including a runner-up result at Atlanta in February. Homestead-Miami Speedway is also a strong track for Friesen, who has five top-10s in eight previous starts, along with a pole position in 2019.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series East
Reaves makes ARCA debut … Fifteen-year-old Max Reaves makes his debut this weekend in the ARCA Menards Series East race at Five Flags Speedway, where he will pilot the No. 18 Camry for JGR. Reaves – the 2024 Carolina Pro Late Model Series champion – will make select starts for JGR during the 2025 ARCA season.
NHRA – Top Fuel/Funny Car
Brown seeks three straight wins … After his victory at Gainesville Raceway two weeks ago, Antron Brown heads to Firebird Motorsports Park this weekend in search of three straight race wins, dating back to his victory at Pomona last November, where he claimed his fourth Top Fuel world championship. He also seeks his fourth career win in the Arizona Nationals to go along with his wins in 2009, 2012, and 2014.
Langdon goes for Phoenix repeat … Shawn Langdon returns to Firebird Motorsports Park this weekend looking to repeat his victory from a season ago. The Kalitta Motorsports driver heads west to Firebird after a runner-up finish to Brown in Gainesville, seeking his 20th career victory on Sunday to continue his pursuit of the 2025 Top Fuel championship.
Brown, Langdon and Capps in first #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of 2025 … This weekend’s Arizona Nationals will also feature the first Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge of the 2025 season where the semifinalists from the previous race compete in an event during the Saturday qualifying session for a chance to earn extra championship points and bonus money. With their appearances in the semifinals at Gainesville, Brown and Langdon will compete in the Top Fuel challenge, while Ron Capps will represent the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car contingent in that category. Brown will take on Tony Stewart in the first round of the challenge, while Langdon has Jasmine Salinas. In Funny Car, Capps will match up against Alexis DeJoria.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 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 nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s 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 31 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
