This Week in Motorsports: August 17 – 23, 2026
NCS/NCTS: New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Aug. 21-23
ARCA: Illinois State Fairgrounds – Aug. 22
PLANO, Texas (Aug. 19, 2026) – NASCAR’s Cup and Truck Series remain in action this weekend, heading to New England at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the annual visit to the one-mile short oval. This weekend’s Truck Series race in New Hampshire is the cutoff to set ‘The Chase’ field for the series’ run to the championship.
The ARCA Menards Series is also in action this weekend, heading to the Midwest and the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NCTS
Two more Camry XSE drivers lock themselves into ‘The Chase’ … With second and seventh-place finishes, respectively, last weekend at Richmond Raceway, Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell have officially locked themselves into ‘The Chase’ with two races remaining in the 2026 regular season. Briscoe and Bell now join fellow Toyota drivers Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick in the provisional postseason field. Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace has yet to clinch a spot in ‘The Chase,’ but is within the provisional field, sitting 14th in the point standings and 70 points to the good entering this weekend in New Hampshire.
Team Toyota leads in top-five finishes … Toyota drivers have continued to be a mark of consistency on track this season. Five drivers have scored at least 10 top-fives this season, and all five drive Toyota Camrys. Points leader Hamlin has the most with 14, while Bell, Briscoe, Gibbs and Reddick have 10 each. No other driver has more than eight, and only two drivers have more than five.
Bell, Briscoe look to continue New Hampshire success … Bell and Briscoe have become fond of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in their young NASCAR Cup Series careers, as the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) duo looks to continue their success there this weekend. Bell has two career victories at New Hampshire in 2022 and 2024, and has finished in the top-six in four of his six career starts. The driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE also has two career O’Reilly Series victories at the track in two starts. For Briscoe, he has three consecutive top-10 finishes at New Hampshire, including a runner-up result to Bell in 2024. Another strong run by either or both drivers this weekend will be paramount as “The Chase” nears.
Friesen fights for Chase spot … Heading to this weekend’s Truck Series regular season finale, Stewart Friesenarrives to New Hampshire 20 points below the cutline to advance to ‘The Chase.’ The last time Friesen raced at New Hampshire was in 2017, where he finished fifth. Another such finish or better this weekend might be enough to secure him a chance to fight for the 2026 driver’s title.
Boschele, Nemechek and Bell take on New Hampshire Truck race … For this weekend’s Truck Series race in New Hampshire, Gavan Boschele (No. 1), John Hunter Nemechek (No. 5) and Bell (No. 62) will be behind the wheel of Toyota Tundra TRD Pros. Boschele makes his second career start this weekend after piloting the No. 1 for TRICON Garage at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July, where he finished eighth. Nemechek makes his third Trucks start of 2026 and first with TRICON Garage this season, after running the No. 62 at Daytona International Speedway and EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) earlier this season, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively. Nemechek has made four career Truck Series starts at New Hampshire, with top-10 finishes in three of those four. Bell returns to the No. 62 for Halmar-Friesen Racing for the sixth time this season. He has also been victorious at New Hampshire in all three national series, with his Truck Series win coming in 2017.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series
Toyota seeks sixth consecutive Illinois Fairgrounds win … The Illinois State Fairgrounds has been dominated over the last several years in the ARCA Menards Series by Team Toyota, with five consecutive victories for the manufacturer at the one-mile short track. Wins over the last five years include current Toyota NASCAR drivers Brent Crews (2025), William Sawalich (2024) and Corey Heim (2021). Of the drivers looking to extend the win streak this weekend will be Max Reaves in the JGR No. 18 Toyota Camry, as well as Jake Bollman and Thomas Annunziata in the No. 20 and No. 70 Toyota Camrys for Nitro Motorsports, respectively. Bollman and Annunziata are also in the middle of a fierce battle for the series championship, as Bollman leads Annunziata by just seven points with six races remaining in the season.
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.
