This Week in Motorsports: Sept. 1-7, 2025
NCS/NXS: World Wide Technology Raceway – Sept. 5-7
GR CUP: Barber Motorsports Park – Sept. 4-7
PLANO, Texas (Sept. 3, 2025) – NASCAR brings the Cup and Xfinity Series to World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis this weekend, with race two of the Playoffs for the Cup Series and the regular season finale for the Xfinity Series. The Xfinity Series will return to World Wide Technology Raceway for the first time since 2010, as well as the fourth time the Cup Series takes to the 1.25-mile oval. The GR Cup Series heads to Barber Motorsports Park outside Birmingham, Alabama, for its penultimate race weekend of 2025.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NXS
Toyota seeks 200th Cup Series win … After Chase Briscoe’s dominating Southern 500 win last Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, Toyota now sits one win away from 200 in its NASCAR Cup Series history. Former Toyota driver Kyle Busch captured the first Cup win for Toyota in March 2008 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) and captured the 100th win at Pocono Raceway in July 2017.
Team Toyota in solid position after Playoffs race one … After the Southern 500, the Toyota Camry XSE Playoff drivers sit in favorable spots entering the second race of the Round of 16. Briscoe’s win at Darlington secured him a spot in the Round of 12, while Hamlin (+43 points), Tyler Reddick (+35 points), Bubba Wallace (+25 points) and Christopher Bell (+11 points) all sit above the cutline with just two races left in the opening round.
LEAGCY MOTOR CLUB coming off dynamic weekend … The Southern 500 was also an incredible race for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, with both of its Toyota Camry XSEs finishing inside the top-five. Erik Jones came home third in last weekend’s race, marking his best finish of the season and best since the 2023 fall Kansas race. His teammate, John Hunter Nemechek, recorded a fourth-place finish which was his best career result in the Cup Series to-date.
Hamlin, Bell look to continue Gateway success … Hamlin and Bell have garnered success at World Wide Technology Raceway in the three previous Cup Series races at the Illinois track. Hamlin looks for his third straight top-five at the 1.25-mile oval, coming off two consecutive second-place finishes. Bell has finished inside the top-11 in those three previous races at World Wide Technology Raceway. A win by either Joe Gibbs Racing driver this Sunday would lock them into the Round of 12 of the Playoffs.
Sawalich coming off career-best finish … Last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway marked the best result in the young career of William Sawalich with a second-place finish. The Toyota Development Driver has now finished inside the top-10 in four of the last seven Xfinity Series races, seeking to continue his strong run of late in his debut at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday night.
GR Cup
Workman holds points lead entering Barber … After third and fifth-place finishes at Road America three weeks ago, Westin Workman maintained his healthy points lead in the GR Cup Series points standings. The Toyota Development Driver currently holds a 41-point advantage over Jaxon Bell heading to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend. Workman has finished inside the top four in all but one race this season.
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.
