This Week in Motorsports: June 29 – July 5, 2026
NCS/NOAPS/ARCA: Chicagoland Speedway – July 3-5
PLANO, Texas (July 1, 2026) – For the first time since 2019, NASCAR’s Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series make their highly-anticipated return to Chicagoland Speedway this July 4th weekend. Joining them back in Joliet, Illinois, will be the ARCA Menards Series.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS
Hamlin overtakes Reddick in points … Five months into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, and for the first time, Tyler Reddick is not the Cup Series driver’s points leader. Now sitting second in the standings, just one point behind, Reddick finds himself looking up at his 23XI Racing team co-owner Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE team with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in first place. With three straight wins at Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway in late May and early June, along with a third-place result at the Coca-Cola 600, Hamlin carved into the massive points lead Reddick held from his historic start to 2026. Hamlin and Reddick are both more than 100 points clear of third-place in the point standings entering this weekend.
Five Toyota drivers move on in In-Season Challenge … After last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge opener at Sonoma Raceway, five Toyota drivers are moving onto Round 2 this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Hamlin, the No. 2 overall seed, will take on LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones, while Christopher Bell will face Chris Buescher. The defending In-Season Challenge winner Ty Gibbs competes against his JGR teammate, Chase Briscoe.
More Chicagoland success yearned by Hamlin … Before NASCAR left Chicagoland in 2019, Hamlin had a knack for the 1.5-mile oval in Joliet. The Virginia native had five top-10s in the last six Chicagoland races, including his victory in 2015. Hamlin has finished inside the top-10 in half of his 14 career starts at Chicagoland, as well as three top-fives. Hamlin also seeks his fourth consecutive win on an oval this season, after those triumphs at Nashville, Michigan and Pocono.
Heim seeks second straight win … After his monumental first career Cup Series win at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego two weeks ago, Corey Heim returns to the 23XI Racing No. 67 Toyota Camry XSE this weekend in Chicagoland. This will be Heim’s 14th career Cup Series start and seventh of the 2026 season as he continues his development ahead of his full-time debut in 2027.
Crews continues strong debut … Another top-five result (third) last weekend at Sonoma gave Brent Crews his seventh top-five and 10th top-10 finish in his debut season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The result was also Crews’ third top-three finish in the last four races, as he now sits 11th in the series point standings with five races remaining before “The Chase.”
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Team Toyota eyes another Chicagoland triumph … Heading into this weekend’s ARCA Menards Series race at Chicagoland, Team Toyota eyes its seventh series triumph at the 1.5-mile oval, and its third in the last four races there. Entered this weekend for RAFA Racing in the No. 2 Toyota Camry is Kyle Steckly, who makes his third start of the season. Piloting the No. 18 Camry for JGR is William Sawalich, who takes on double duty with his full-time efforts in the O’Reilly Series. This will be Sawalich’s first ARCA national start since Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2025. For Nitro Motorsports, the lineup is Jade Avedisian in the No. 15, points leader Jake Bollman in the No. 20, Gavan Boschele in the No. 25, Isabella Robusto in the No. 55 and Thomas Annunziata in the No. 70.
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 approximately 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 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.
