This Week in Motorsports: June 2 – 8, 2025
- NCS/NCTS/ARCA: Michigan International Speedway – June 6-8
- NHRA: Bristol Dragway – June 6-8
PLANO, Texas (June 4, 2025) – NASCAR’s Cup and Truck Series, along with the ARCA Menards Series, head to Michigan International Speedway to do battle on the fast two-mile oval. This is the first time the Truck Series will race at Michigan since 2020. NHRA is right back on track at Bristol Dragway for race eight of the 2025 season.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NCTS
Multiple Camry XSE drivers in/near Playoffs going into the summer … With the calendar now flipping to June, the focus of the Cup Series begins to shift to the Playoffs and how drivers and teams begin to position themselves to be able to fight for the 2025 championship in NASCAR’s top series. Currently, five Toyota drivers are inside the cutline in the Playoff standings – Christopher Bell (third) and Denny Hamlin (fourth) have locked themselves into the Playoffs with wins already this season, with Tyler Reddick (sixth), Bubba Wallace (10th) and Chase Briscoe (11th) join them in the provisional field. Just outside the Playoff field are LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s John Hunter Nemechek (22nd) and Erik Jones (24th), who sit just 24 and 32 points, respectively, below the cutline heading to Michigan this weekend.
Reddick seeks Michigan repeat … En route to his 2024 Cup Series regular season championship, Reddick captured two wins (and then a later win at Homestead in the Playoffs), that included a triumph at Michigan International Speedway last August. The driver of the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing led 15 laps and held off competitors on an overtime restart to claim the victory and the Heritage Trophy for Toyota, given to the winning manufacturer. A repeat win at Michigan would lock Reddick into the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, as he also aims to return to the Championship 4 for the second straight season.
Hamlin returns to favorable Michigan … A week after his 700th career Cup Series start, and another top-five finish, Hamlin is back at Michigan International Speedway where he’s garnered plenty of success over the course of his career. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver and 23XI Racing co-owner has seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan and 10 in the last 13 races there. He also has two career victories in 2010 and 2011. Another top-10 finish or better would be the eighth top-10 for Hamlin so far this season.
Heim eager to continue dominant season run … Though he wasn’t victorious last weekend in Nashville, Corey Heim continued his dominant 2025 Truck Series season. The Toyota Development Driver led 58 laps, gathered his 10th stage win of the season and came home in the runner-up spot for his eighth top-five and 10th top-10 finish this year. Those results – in addition to his four race victories – have the driver of the No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage with a 122-point lead in the series driver standings with just six races remaining in the regular season.
Alan returns to No. 1 Tundra… For the second time this season, Lawless Alan is back behind the wheel of the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage this weekend at Michigan. Alan’s only other start this year came at Martinsville, where he earned a top-10 finish.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Ruggiero makes 2025 ARCA debut … Along with his full-time efforts in the Truck Series with TRICON Garage, Toyota Development Driver Gio Ruggiero will make his first start of the season in the ARCA Menards Series, piloting the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Ruggiero made 10 appearances in the ARCA Menards Series last season, bringing home seven top-fives and nine top-10 finishes.
NHRA – Top Fuel/Funny Car
Todd looking to keep momentum from Epping triumph … J.R. Todd’s victory at Epping last weekend was the first for he and Toyota in Funny Car since his win at Gainesville to open the 2024 season – nearly 15 months since the last triumph. Both parties hope the win opens up the floodgates as Todd looks to push for the 2025 Funny Car championship to add a second world title to his resume, as he climbed from 10th to sixth in the standings after last weekend.
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 32 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
