This Week in Motorsports: October 28 – November 3, 2024
NCS/NXS/NCTS: Martinsville Speedway – Nov. 1-3
NHRA: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Nov. 1-3
PLANO, Texas (Oct. 30, 2024) – NASCAR and the NHRA both reach their penultimate races this weekend as championship battles intensify. NASCAR’s three national series are in Martinsville for the Round of 8 cutoff race to decide who will race in Phoenix for the championship. NHRA is in Las Vegas for the second time this season as the Countdown to the Championship nears its conclusion.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS
Camry XSE drivers fight for chance at a championship … After his monumental victory at Homestead on Sunday, Tyler Reddick has locked himself into the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway – the first NCS title race appearance for he and 23XI Racing. His Camry XSE teammates, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin have work in front of them to also advance to the championship race. Bell is in a solid position as things currently sit, 29 points above the cutline, while Hamlin will enter Sunday’s race 18 points below.
Toyota continues Championship 4 streak… With Reddick’s victory, Toyota will continue its streak as the only manufacturer to have at least one driver in every Championship 4. Since NASCAR switched to this points system in 2014, Toyota has been represented by Hamlin (2014, 2019, 2020, 2021), Kyle Busch (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Carl Edwards (2016), Martin Truex Jr. (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) and Bell (2022, 2023).
Hamlin back at favorable Martinsville … In racing for a spot in the Championship 4, Hamlin is back at Martinsville Speedway, which has been a strong track for he and the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team of late. The 43-year-old has three top-five finishes in the last four Martinsville races, and four in the last seven. Hamlin also has five career victories at the half-mile oval (2008, 2009, 2010 – twice and 2015). Adding a sixth Martinsville triumph to his name would secure Hamlin a spot in the Championship 4 for the sixth time in his career and first since 2021.
Toyota seeks to continue pole streak … Following the pole by Reddick last weekend at Homestead, which capped off its 13th-all time national series race weekend pole sweep, Toyota will look to pace the field for the third consecutive weekend. This would be the third time this season Toyota would have three poles in a row and would give the manufacturer its 13th pole of the season, as it already has the most in the Cup Series.
Smith to go all in at Martinsville … Entering Saturday’s race 28 points below the Xfinity Series Playoff cutline, Chandler Smith will be going for victory at Martinsville. The half-mile Virginia oval has been a solid place for the Georgia native, who has two top-10s in his three career Xfinity Series starts, including a third-place finish in the spring.
Bubba Pollard makes GR Supra debut … Georgia native Bubba Pollard will make his second career Xfinity Series start, and Toyota debut, with Sam Hunt Racing this weekend in the No. 26 GR Supra. Pollard, an accomplished late model racer and champion, made his Xfinity Series debut in the spring at Richmond, where he finished an impressive sixth place.
It comes down to Martinsville for Heim and Gray … Friday night’s 200-mile race at Martinsville Speedway offers one last chance for Corey Heim and Taylor Gray to lock themselves into the Truck Series Championship 4. Heim, who seeks his second consecutive appearance in the title race, currently sits a favorable 49 points above the cutline after a fourth-place result last weekend at Homestead, which included his first pole of the 2024 season. For Gray, he is currently 24 points below the cutline following his 10th-place finish at Homestead. He has been strong at Martinsville Speedway so far in his career with top-10 finishes in all three of his starts.
NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car
Ashley, Brown lead Toyota title fight contingent … With just two races remaining in the 2024 NHRA season, Toyota continues to hold serve in Top Fuel. Justin Ashley, following his victory at Ennis three weeks ago, holds a 44-point advantage over Toyota teammate, Antron Brown in the Top Fuel points standings heading to Las Vegas this weekend. Following those two is Shawn Langdon in third, 76 points behind and Steve Torrence in fourth, 88 points back. Doug Kalitta is seventh and Billy Torrence is 10th in the current standings. In Funny Car, Ron Capps remained in the fourth points position after a finals appearance at Ennis. J.R. Todd is eighth and Alexis DeJoria is 10th going into Las Vegas.
Toyota looks to continue streaks … After the win by Ashley in Top Fuel and finals appearance by Capps in Funny Car in Ennis, Toyota continued its incredible hot streak in NHRA. Ashley’s triumph made it 16 Top Fuel victories for Toyota in the last 19 races, dating back to Pomona last November. The final appearances by Ashley and Capps marked 41 consecutive NHRA races that Toyota has had at least one finalist.
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 nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s 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 30 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
