This Week in Motorsports: March 25 – 31, 2024
- NCS/NXS: Richmond Raceway – March 30-31
- ARCA WEST: Irwindale Speedway – March 30
PLANO, Texas (March 27, 2024) – On Easter Weekend, NASCAR’s Cup and Xfinity Series head to Richmond Raceway for the annual ToyotaCare 250 and Toyota Owners 400. The ARCA Menards Series West holds its second race of 2024 at Irwindale Speedway.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS
Toyota leads Cup Series points … After Sunday’s affair at the Circuit of the Americas, Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs, sit atop the Cup Series points standings. Truex has been in the top two of the standings the past few weeks, while Gibbs – coming off his fifth consecutive top-10 finish – now sits in second just five points back. They are joined inside the top 16 in points by Toyota teammates Denny Hamlin (fourth), Christopher Bell (seventh), Tyler Reddick (10th) and John Hunter Nemechek (15th).
Hamlin returns to home track … Virginia native, Hamlin, has had a plethora of success at his home track of Richmond Raceway. The 43-year-old has four career wins at the 0.750-mile short oval, along with 18 top-fives and 22 top-10s. A fifth career Richmond Raceway triumph would give Hamlin his second win of the season and second in three races following his victory at Bristol two weeks ago.
Bell aims to continue Richmond success … After a near victory on Sunday in Austin, Bell heads back to Richmond Raceway where he’s had strong runs in his Cup Series career so far. The Oklahoma native has five top-10 finishes in his seven Cup starts at the Virginia oval. Bell has also had a strong start to the short track portion of the Cup Series schedule this season, winning the first short track race in Phoenix a few weeks back, part of a Toyota-dominated race.
Supra drivers continue near top of points … Through five races of the 2024 season, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed find themselves inside the top 10 in the Xfinity Series points standings – Smith in second and Creed in 10th. Smith has finished inside the top-10 in each race this season, including his win at Phoenix two races ago. In his first season with Toyota, Creed has three top-five finishes, including a second at Daytona to begin the season.
Gray makes Xfinity Series debut … Toyota Development Driver, Taylor Gray, will make his Xfinity Series debut this weekend with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra. The 19-year-old is in his first full-time Truck Series season, where he’s currently fourth in the series standings driving for TRICON Garage and is coming off a second-place finish in Austin last weekend.
Smith seeks Richmond three-peat … Already having a short track win in-hand this season, Smith returns to a favorable Richmond Raceway. The 21-year-old captured his first Xfinity Series victory at Richmond last season and was also the Truck Series winner in 2022, now looking for a third consecutive season of triumph at the Virginia short track.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA West
Robusto makes second ARCA start … After a great showing at Phoenix earlier this month, Toyota Development Driver, Isabella Robusto, makes her second career ARCA start in the ARCA Menards Series West race at Irwindale Speedway this weekend. The 19-year-old started and finished sixth at Phoenix Raceway in her debut as she continues her development with Toyota. Robusto will drive the No. 15 Toyota Camry this weekend for Venturini Motorsports.
Hingorani seeks Irwindale repeat … Defending ARCA Menards Series West champion, Sean Hingorani, comes to Irwindale this weekend seeking a repeat victory at the California short track. The 17-year-old captured victory at Irwindale last April, which was the first of his four wins in 2023 that propelled him to the series title.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 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 more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th 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 26 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
