This Week in Motorsports: March 15-21, 2021
· NCS/NXS/NCWTS: Atlanta Motor Speedway – March 20-21
PLANO, Texas (March 17, 2021) – This weekend’s NASCAR racing activities include three races in two days at Atlanta Motor Speedway as the Xfinity and Truck Series compete in their first doubleheader of the season prior to Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event.
NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS
Truex Back in Victory Lane… Martin Truex Jr. drove back to victory lane for the first time this season and first time in his career at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Truex has driven to a total of 26 victories behind the wheel of a Camry and captured the 2018 Cup Series championship. Truex will compete in two races this weekend as the two-time Xfinity Series champion makes his first Xfinity Series start since 2010, driving the No. 54 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Toyota history maker… Atlanta Motor Speedway is a special place for Kyle Busch and Toyota. Busch drove his Toyota Camry to victory lane in Atlanta on March 9, 2008, scoring Toyota’s first Cup Series win. Since then, the partnership has proven to be extremely successful for both parties with 52 additional Cup Series victories for the Las Vegas native. Busch will run the Cup and Truck Series races this weekend at Atlanta.
Hamlin continues strong early season performance… Denny Hamlin continued his strong start to the 2021 season with a third-place run in Phoenix last Sunday. Hamlin continues to lead the point standings and looks to score his second Atlanta win this weekend (September 2012).
Georgia-natives look for home state wins… Toyota drivers Brandon Jones, Austin Hill and Chandler Smith are all looking for their first victories in their home state of Georgia this weekend. Atlanta-native Jones is looking to best a fourth-place run from 2019, while Winston-native Hill wants to be one spot better after a runner-up finish last season. Talking Rock-native Smith is making his Atlanta Motor Speedway debut.
Hemric continues to sit near the top … Daniel Hemric continues to hold the second-place spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings after earning a stage victory in Phoenix. Prior to driving a Supra, Hemric finished inside the top-five last season at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a fourth-place result.
Toyota Top-Five Sweep… The Truck Series returns on track for the first time since Toyota swept the top-five positions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago. John Hunter Nemechek scored his first victory for Kyle Busch Motorsports with his boss directly behind him. Hill, Stewart Friesen and Matt Crafton completed the top-five. It was the fourth time in Toyota history that Tundra drivers swept the top-five finishing positions.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.
Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
