This Week in Motorsports: May 19 – 25, 2025
· NCS/NXS/NCTS/ARCA: Charlotte Motor Speedway – May 23-25
PLANO, Texas (May 21, 2025) – NASCAR stays in the state of North Carolina and heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where all three national series and the ARCA Menards Series take on the 1.5-mile-oval this Memorial Day weekend. Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 culminates the weekend on Sunday night in the sport’s longest race of the year.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NCTS
Milestone races for Johnson, Gibbs … Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 will be one to remember for Jimmie Johnson and Ty Gibbs, as both will hit milestone starts in their careers. Johnson makes his 700th career start Sunday night behind the wheel of his No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE for LEAGCY MOTOR CLUB, while Gibbs makes his 100th career start, piloting his No. 54 Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Johnson has won the famed 600-mile race four times, last coming in 2014, while Gibbs returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway as the reigning Coca-Cola 600 polesitter.
Bell seeks Coke 600 repeat … A rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 last season saw Christopher Bell as the winner, becoming the sixth Toyota driver to win the crown jewel race. The JGR driver is also coming off a win in last weekend’s All-Star race, hoping to carry the momentum into this weekend for what would be his 13th career Cup Series win.
Nemechek heads to Charlotte with serious momentum … The last few weeks for John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE team of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB have been solid as he continues to climb his way up the Cup Series points standings. In the previous two points-paying races at Texas and Kansas, Nemechek earned the eighth and 10th place finishing positions, where he now has four top-10s in 12 races this year, sitting just 10 points back of being in the Playoffs as the points standings currently sit.
Briscoe makes 2025 Xfinity Series debut … Chase Briscoe will take on double duty this weekend in Charlotte, running the No. 19 GR Supra for JGR in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, along with his full-time duties in the Cup Series on Sunday. This will be Briscoe’s first Xfinity Series start since 2022, and he looks to improve upon his best Xfinity Series finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway of sixth in 2021.
Gray looks for third straight Charlotte pole … Tanner Gray has made Charlotte Motor Speedway one of his best tracks on the Truck Series schedule, this weekend going for a third straight pole position at the mile-and-a-half circuit. He’ll also look to improve upon a career-best finish of sixth he earned in 2022.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Sawalich takes on double duty again … This weekend in Charlotte is another stop on the busy 2025 schedule for William Sawalich, who will once again drive the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the ARCA Menards Series, along with his full-time efforts with the team in the Xfinity Series. It will be Sawalich’s fourth ARCA start of the season as he looks for his first win of the year. A victory by Sawalich — or any of the other Toyota Camrys — would mark Toyota’s fifth consecutive win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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 32 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
