This Week in Motorsports: March 24 – 30, 2025
- NCS/NXS/NCTS: Martinsville Speedway – March 28-30
- NHRA: In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip – March 28-30
- TOYOTA GR CUP: Sonoma Raceway – March 29-30
PLANO, Texas (March 26, 2025) – NASCAR’s three national series are off to Martinsville Speedway for the sport’s first of two visits in 2025. NHRA continues its streak on the west coast, back in action this weekend at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the first of two visits this season. The Toyota GR Cup series opens its 2025 season at Sonoma Raceway this weekend.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NXS/NCTS
Toyota hits 500th Truck Series appearance … Friday night at Martinsville Speedway marks the 500th Truck Series race for Toyota in its series tenure. Now in its 22nd Truck Series season, Toyota has 236 wins, the first by Travis Kvapil at Michigan in 2004, and 179 pole positions to-date, along with nine driver’s championships and 13 manufacturer’s championships. This weekend specifically, Toyota also goes for its 19th Truck Series victory at Martinsville.
Camry XSE drivers remain near top of the points … After six races into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, six Toyota Camry XSE drivers find themselves inside the top-20 of the series points standings. Tyler Reddick leads the group in fourth position, with Christopher Bell in fifth on the strength of three victories this season. Bubba Wallace, coming off a third-place finish in Homestead last weekend, sits seventh, with Denny Hamlin in eighth, Chase Briscoe in 13th and John Hunter Nemechek in 18th.
Hamlin’s Martinsville success … Hamlin returns to Martinsville Speedway, another dynamic track for the 21-year Cup Series veteran. In 38 career starts at Martinsville, Hamlin has five victories (2008, 2009, 2010 – twice and 2015), 20 top-fives and 26 top-10s, while also completing over 97% of laps run in those starts. He also has four top-fives in the last five Martinsville races.
Staropoli makes Xfinity Series debut … Racing driver and professional retinal surgeon Patrick Staropoli makes his debut in the Xfinity Series this weekend at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 24 GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. The Florida native, who was the 2013 PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge winner, has made multiple starts across the ARCA Menards Series and has one previous start in the Truck Series in 2016. He recently ran the ARCA Menards Series race at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month with Venturini Motorsports, finishing in eighth.
Heim leads Truck Series points … With his third top-five finish in the first four races of the 2025 Truck Series season, including two race wins at Daytona and Las Vegas, Corey Heim leads the series points standings heading to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. The Toyota Development Driver currently holds an eight-point advantage over second position. Heim is joined inside the top-five of the points by Toyota teammate, Stewart Friesen, who collected points in both stages last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway and sits in the fifth spot of the standings.
Alan makes first Truck start in 2025 … Twenty-five-year-old Lawless Alan will pilot the No. 1 Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Alan has made 76 career Truck Series starts to-date, including four at Martinsville. This weekend is the first of four scheduled starts for Alan in the No. 1 truck this season.
NHRA – Top Fuel/Funny Car
Toyota seeks to continue winning ways … After Shawn Langdon’s victory in Phoenix last weekend, Toyota looks for its fourth consecutive NHRA Top Fuel victory. Antron Brown’s wins at Pomona last November to end 2024 and at Gainesville Raceway to begin 2025, are now joined by Langdon’s Phoenix triumph. Toyota also seeks to continue its hold on the category at In-N-out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, coming into the weekend going for five straight victories at the California track after season sweeps the last two years – with Justin Ashley and Doug Kalitta in 2023; and Ashley and Brown in 2024.
Postponed Top Fuel callout to commence this weekend … After a rainout in Gainesville a few weeks ago, the NHRA All-Star Top Fuel callout will take place this weekend in Pomona. The Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters taking part in the event are Brown, Ashley, Langdon, Kalitta and Steve Torrence. The callout, where competing drivers call out foes they’d like to race, offers a chance to earn additional prize money during the race weekend. Brown captured the challenge win in 2024.
GR Cup
Third GR Cup season begins … After two stellar opening seasons, the Toyota GAZOO Racing North America’s GR Cup is back for season three, beginning at Sonoma Raceway with two races on the schedule this weekend. Of the 31 entries for this weekend’s event, includes Toyota Development Driver Westin Workman who makes his move to BSI Racing this season. The 2024 Toyota GR Cup Rookie of the Year is eager to transform his multiple podiums from a season ago into victories.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 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 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 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 31 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
