This Week in Motorsports: March 9-15, 2026
NCS/NOAPS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 14-15
PLANO, Texas (March 11, 2026) – NASCAR’s Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series stay out west and head to ‘Sin City’ and Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first mile-and-a-half race of the 2026 season.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS
Toyota continues strong start to 2026 … Team Toyota continued its strong start to the 2026 Cup Series with six drivers finishing inside the top-10 last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Christopher Bell, who led 176 laps and won Stage 2, finished runner-up in his best finish of the season to-date, jumping him to sixth in the series point standings. Following Bell was Ty Gibbs in fourth, Denny Hamlin in fifth, Bubba Wallace in sixth, Tyler Reddick in eighth and Erik Jones rounded out the top-10. Additionally, after the first four races of the 2026 season, Toyota has led 495 of the 878 total laps run in the Cup Series. Reddick continues to lead the Cup Series point standings by 60 points over second position, with Wallace in third, Bell in sixth, Hamlin in 12th and Gibbs in 15th.
Hamlin looks for back-to-back in Las Vegas … Last October, Hamlin captured his 60th career Cup Series win atLas Vegas Motor Speedway to punch his ticket to the Championship 4. This weekend, the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver is back and looking for a second consecutive victory at the mile-and-a-half track and his first visit to victory lane this season. Hamlin has typically run well at Las Vegas, with a top-10-or-better finish in eight of the last 11 races at the track, dating back to the Fall 2020 race.
Briscoe returns to O’Reilly Series … For the first time since Charlotte Motor Speedway last May, Chase Briscoewill pilot a Toyota GR Supra in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this weekend in Las Vegas. With Brent Crews still under the age of 18, Briscoe will race the No. 19 for JGR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he’s a two-time winner in the series, when he swept both races in 2020. Briscoe also looks to give the No. 19 team a second straight victory at the track after Aric Almirola won there last fall.
Jones, Burton look to continue Las Vegas success … Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a strong track for Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton in the O’Reilly Series. For Jones, he’s earned a top-10 finish in 12 of his 18 career starts at the track, which includes nine such finishes in the last 13 races. Burton has finished inside the top-10 in five of his six career starts at the oval entering this weekend.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
