This Week in Motorsports: August 10-16, 2020
· NCS/NXS/NGROTS/ARCA: Daytona Int’l Speedway Road Course – August 14-16
PLANO, Texas (August 12, 2020) – The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) turns left and right for the first time this season at Daytona International Speedway, which will host a road course race for the first time in decades. The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS) and ARCA Menards Series (AMS) will also compete on the Daytona Road Course this weekend.
NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS| NGROTS
Road Course Aces… Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are among the current road course stars in the NASCAR Cup Series. Truex has won the last two races, and three overall, at Sonoma Raceway (2013, 2018, 2019), while also scoring a victory at Watkins Glen International in 2017. Busch has two wins each at Sonoma Raceway (2008, 2015) and Watkins Glen International (2008, 2013)
Nine Top Two Finishes… Denny Hamlin scored his series-leading ninth top-two finish this season on Sunday with a runner-up finish at Michigan International Speedway. Hamlin has one NCS road course victory at Watkins Glen International in 2016.
Four Races till Playoffs… With four races before the Playoffs begin, Toyota continues to have three drivers in the tentative field. Hamlin and Truex have clinched their spots due to victories this season, while Busch continues to hold a Playoff spot on his season-long point total. Erik Jones currently sits in 17th position – one spot outside of a Playoff position – while NCS rookie Christopher Bell is up to 19th in the point standings – his highest rank this season.
Xfinity Ready for Second Road Course in a Row… While the NCS is headed to its first road course race of the season, the NXS will be competing in its second consecutive road course event and third overall. Toyota NXS drivers Riley Herbst, Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton are searching for their first road course top-10 finish of the season, while continuing to hold down their NXS Playoff spots.
Eckes Ready for First… NGROTS rookie driver Christian Eckes is ready to be one spot better this weekend. In search for his first Truck Series win, the 19-year-old driver has finished second in three of the past four races on the schedule. This is Eckes’ first career road course start.
Hill Continues to Lead… Austin Hill continues to lead the overall championship point standings as the season heads to its halfway point. Hill has nine top-10 finishes in the 11 events this season and has led the standings since the second event of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hill has two previous road course starts in the NGROTS and scored top-10 runs in both events.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Self Headed Back to Daytona… Although we are not racing on the oval this weekend, Michael Self will have fond memories as he returns to Daytona International Speedway. He has won two of the past three events at the track including a dominating win from the pole earlier this season. After a third-place finish in Michigan, Self continues to lead the overall point standings.
McLaughlin a Road Course Winner… The last ARCA road course race featured Max McLaughlin leading throughout the event. The 20-year-old led every lap from the pole to score his first ARCA Menards Series East victory last summer at Watkins Glen International.
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