This Week in Motorsports: March 23-29, 2026
NCS/NOAPS: Martinsville Speedway – March 27-29
ARCA EAST: Hickory Motor Speedway – March 27-28
PLANO, Texas (March 25, 2026) – NASCAR’s Cup and O’Reilly Series head to Martinsville Speedway for the first of two visits this season around the famous 0.526-mile short track. The ARCA Menards Series East begins its 2026 campaign at Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton, North Carolina.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS
Team Toyota continues historic run … With Tyler Reddick’s victory at Darlington Raceway last Sunday, Toyota has captured its fifth win in the first six races of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, marking the first time a manufacturer in the sport has accomplished such a feat since 2007 – behind Reddick’s four wins at the Daytona 500, EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and Darlington, along with Denny Hamlin’swin at Las Vegas. For Reddick, he joins Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bill Elliott as the only drivers to win four of the first six races in a Cup Series season, with the win also already eclipsing 23XI Racing’s own record of most wins in a season for the team now in just its sixth full season of competition.
Camry XSE drivers continue to make noise in the points … Reddick’s historic start to 2026 also shows up in the Cup Series points standings, as the 23XI Racing driver sits atop the standings by 95 points over second place. His teammate, Bubba Wallace sits third in the standings after recording four top-10 finishes and two stage wins through the first six races this season. Behind the 23XI pair inside the top-16 in the standings are Hamlin in fourth, Christopher Bell in eighth and Ty Gibbs in 11th.
Gibbs looks to continue hot streak … With a sixth-place result last weekend in Darlington, Ty Gibbs enters this weekend at Martinsville Speedway with four consecutive top-10 finishes – two fourth-place results, a fifth and a sixth last Sunday. The solid finishes for Gibbs and his No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE team have the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver sitting firmly inside the top-16 of the points standings in 11th. Sunday will mark Gibbs’ eighth career start at Martinsville.
Briscoe eager to continue Martinsville success … Chase Briscoe returns to Martinsville Speedway this weekend where he’s found solid success over the last several years. Entering this weekend, the JGR driver has earned six top-10 finishes in the last eight Martinsville races, dating back to the spring of 2022. His best career Cup Series finish at Martinsville was a fourth-place result in the fall of 2023.
Gray looks for Martinsville repeat … JGR driver Taylor Gray captured his maiden NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory in last fall’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Gray started 13th and led 52 laps on his way to taking home the checkered flag at the race’s end. He will make his third career O’Reilly Series start at “The Paperclip” this weekend in search of a repeat victory at the track and his second career triumph in the series.
Crews returns to the No. 19 … After two weeks away from the No. 19 GR Supra for JGR, Brent Crews returns to the cockpit this weekend in Martinsville and will be behind the wheel of the No. 19 for the remainder of the O’Reilly Series season, as he turns 18 years old next Monday. Crews will make his O’Reilly Series debut at the track this weekend, after running the Truck Series race there last fall, where he finished fourth after leading 53 laps.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series East
Reaves looks to begin ARCA East season in style … JGR driver Max Reaves will pilot the No. 18 Toyota Camry this weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series East season opener. The 16-year-old won all three of his East Series starts from pole position in 2025 and is coming off a top-10 finish in the national series race at Phoenix Raceway a few weekends ago.
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.
