This Week in Motorsports: February 16 – 22, 2026
NASCAR: EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) – Feb. 20 – 22
PLANO, Texas (Feb. 18, 2026) – NASCAR heads to week two of the 2026 season as all three national series take on EchoPark Speedway for another high-intensity weekend of speedway racing around the 1.5-mile-oval just outside of Atlanta.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS/NCTS
Reddick coming off historic victory … With his dramatic last lap pass in the Daytona 500 last Sunday, Tyler Reddick captured his first career win in the “Great American Race” and the fourth for Toyota – its first since his team co-owner Denny Hamlin won in 2020. Reddick’s triumph also gave 23XI Racing its first Daytona 500 win and marked his first visit to victory lane in the Cup Series since his victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in October 2024.
23XI looks to build on momentum from Daytona … Along with Reddick’s incredible victory, 23XI also had a stellar Daytona 500 across its four entries last Sunday. Bubba Wallace captured a stage win and led 40 laps (a race high), and finished in 10th, while Riley Herbst also captured a top-10 with an eighth-place finish – the best result of his young Cup Series career. Corey Heim, who made his Daytona 500 debut last weekend, led eight laps down the stretch of the race and was in contention for victory as well. The team looks to continue that momentum this weekend in Atlanta with Reddick, Wallace and Herbst on the grid.
Ruggiero pilots No. 19 GR Supra again … For the second consecutive weekend, and second time in his career, Gio Ruggiero will drive the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at EchoPark Speedway. Ruggiero started 16th last weekend in Daytona and was running a solid race before being caught up in an early-race incident that ended his day after 29 laps. Ruggiero will also once again take on double duty, with two races on Saturday, as he’ll also pilot his full-time No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the Truck Series for TRICON Garage. In Trucks, Ruggiero is coming off a second-place finish at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, his second consecutive runner-up result at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Heim returns to Truck Series … For the first time since capturing the championship in Phoenix last November, Heim will pilot a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the Truck Series this weekend at his home track, EchoPark Speedway. The Toyota Development Driver is back with TRICON Garage, this time in the No. 1 entry, and will make his 90th career Truck Series start on Saturday. The Marietta, Georgia native has had success at his home track, capturing his first career Truck Series win at EchoPark Speedway in 2022.
Andretti joins Toyota, TRICON Garage … In the first of a multi-race Truck Series schedule in 2026, Adam Andretti will be behind the wheel of the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro this weekend in Atlanta. Andretti is slated to make four appearances in the No. 5 this season – this weekend at EchoPark Speedway; St. Petersburg, Florida (Feb. 28); Watkins Glen International (May 8) and San Diego, California (June 19). Andretti is the nephew of Mario Andretti and the cousin of Michael Andretti and John Andretti. He has competed in the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Canada Series, as well as captured multiple victories in Trans-Am racing.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
