This Week in Motorsports: September 14-20, 2026
NCS/NOAPS/NCTS/ARCA: Bristol Motor Speedway – Sept. 17-19
PLANO, Texas (Sept. 16, 2026) – TOYOTA RACING heads to Bristol for the iconic Bristol night race, part of a weekend full of racing with four events in three days.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS/NCTS
Joe Gibbs Racing looks to add to recent Bristol success … Joe Gibbs Racing continues to have stellar performances at Bristol Motor Speedway. Christopher Bell is the reigning winner, while Ty Gibbs scored his first NASCAR Cup Series race win at the track in the spring. With Denny Hamlin’s wins in the 2023 Bristol Night Race and the 2024 Spring event, Joe Gibbs Racing has won four of the last six races at the Last Great Coliseum.
Gibbs running Kyle Busch tribute … Gibbs will honor the legacy of Kyle Busch this weekend with a tribute scheme on his Toyota Camry, which is very similar to Busch’s title winning car. Busch won a combined 22 times at Bristol across NASCAR’s three national series, including eight times in the NASCAR Cup Series. He swept the summer tripleheader weekend twice (2010, 2017) and remains the only driver to win all three national-series races in a single weekend. Busch is also the all-time race winner for Toyota – claiming over 200 wins across NASCAR’s top-three series. He also remains the only multi-time Cup champion for Toyota, as he claimed the title in 2015 and 2019.
Toyota still near the top of the points … Hamlin held onto the points lead with his ninth-place finish at Gateway on Sunday afternoon. Hamlin leads six Toyota drivers in the top-10 positions, which includes Bell in third, fifth-place Tyler Reddick, Gibbs (sixth), Chase Briscoe (eighth) and Bubba Wallace (10th).
Jones, Gray continue in Championship fight … JGR’s Brandon Jones and Taylor Gray both are continuing to battle for the title. Gray led Toyota with a fourth-place finish at Gateway – his second straight top-10 to start the Chase, while Jones battled back from damage to finish 15th. Gray remains Toyota’s top driver in points as the Georgia-native is in ninth overall.
Crews looks for first NASCAR victory … Brent Crews was impressive at Bristol in the spring. In just his fifth series start, Crews battled for the lead late before finishing third – his first NASCAR O’Reilly Series top-five finish. Despite missing four races to start the season due to NASCAR’s age restrictions, Crews is seventh-best in top-10 finishes with 14, including a seventh-place finish at Gateway last Saturday.
Sawalich double duty … William Sawalich will compete in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Series and NASCAR Truck Series races this weekend at Bristol. On Thursday, Sawalich makes his Halmar-Friesen Racing debut in the No. 62 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, before competing in his normal ride – the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra in the O’Reilly Series on Friday. Sawalich won the pole and finished seventh at Bristol earlier this year.
Honeycutt, Ruggiero start championship push … Toyota Development Drivers Kaden Honeycutt and Gio Ruggiero begin their championship runs this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Honeycutt, who is in the post-season for the second consecutive year, is the second seed on the strength of two wins, including a dominating performance at Richmond Raceway last month. Ruggiero, the reigning Truck Series Rookie of the Year, starts the Chase in fifth, as he looks for his first victory of the season.
TRICON No. 1 team battles for the owner’s crown … Nick Leitz will kick off TRICON’s other championship chance – the owner’s title for the No. 1 team. Leitz, who set many career-bests at his last start at Richmond Raceway, will run the first two races for the team. Corey Heim, who has two wins in the No. 1 Tundra, Brent Crews and Gavan Boschele complete the lineup for the balance of the season.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Reaves looks for first ARCA East title… Max Reaves added another dominating performance this past Saturday – winning the pole and leading every lap at Salem Speedway to claim his sixth ARCA platform victory in 2026. Now Reaves turns to Bristol, where he looks to claim the ARCA East title. He comes into the race in second place – just two points out of the lead. The title would be the fourth ARCA East title for Joe Gibbs Racing and the 10th for Toyota.
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 approximately 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 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.
