Story By: SAM MAHONEY / TOYOTA RACING – PLANO, TX – NASCAR makes its first of two stops in 2024 at Darlington Raceway this weekend, with all three of its national series in action on Mother’s Day weekend. The ARCA Menards Series East heads to the Nashville Fairgrounds for the series second race of the 2024 season.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCTS
Toyota drivers holding steady in Cup Series points … After Sunday’s wild race in Kansas, the Toyota Camry XSE contingent held steady in the Cup Series points standings. Barely missing out on the win in the four-wide finish, Martin Truex Jr. stays second in the standings, with Denny Hamlin (fourth), Tyler Reddick (fifth) and Ty Gibbs (eighth) joining him inside the top 10. Christopher Bell’s strong weekend showing, which included his 11th career pole, got him back inside the top 16 of the standings to 13th position, as he’s already locked into the Playoffs with his Phoenix win in March.
Jones returns to the No. 43 … After two weeks of recovery, Erik Jones is back behind the wheel of the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. Jones hops back in the cockpit at one of his favorite circuits in Darlington Raceway, where he has two career wins, including his most recent triumph in 2022. He has a top-10 finish in eight of his 12 previous starts at Darlington.
Wallace aims for continued Darlington success … Darlington Raceway has been a strong circuit of late for 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace. The 30-year-old comes back to the famed-South Carolina track with three consecutive top-10 finishes there. Another would provide a boost for he and the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE team as they battle to be in the mix for a Playoff spot.
Smith leads Xfinity points with return to action … After a week off, the Xfinity Series is back on track at Darlington, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith holding the top spot in the series points standings. The Georgia native leads by a mere point heading into this weekend on the strength of six top-five finishes this season, including two wins. His teammate, Sheldon Creed, is now in eighth position after a fourth-place finish at Dover two weeks ago.
Nemechek back in Xfinity Series … John Hunter Nemechek returns to the Xfinity Series this weekend for his first start since Austin, this time with Sam Hunt Racing and the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra. The North Carolina native made eight starts for the team in 2022. This is Nemechek’s sixth Xfinity start at Darlington, where he’s been on pole the last two races at the ‘The Track Too Tough to Tame.’
Creed seeks another top-10 … Heading to Darlington, Creed has scored two consecutive top-10 finishes, which has helped him climb to eighth in the NXS points standings. Not only would another top-10 mark three in a row this season, it would also notch the fourth in five races at Darlington for the California native.
Heim regains points lead after Kansas win … Following his dominant victory Saturday night, Corey Heim took back the Truck Series points lead, currently holding a seven-point cushion. Heim is joined by his TRICON Garage teammates, Taylor Gray (seventh) and Tanner Gray (ninth) inside the top 10 of the standings with eight races remaining in the regular season.
Heim’s incredible streak continues … With his win at Kansas, Heim has now finished inside the top-10 in all eight Truck Series races this season. Additionally, the Georgia native has scored a top-10 finish in 23 of the last 24 Truck Series races.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series East
Toyota Development Drivers take on Nashville Fairgrounds … The ARCA Menards Series East is back on track this weekend at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, with a few Toyota Development Drivers in the hunt for a victory. Isabella Robusto and Gio Ruggiero will pilot Toyota Camrys for Venturini Motorsports, while William Sawalich will be racing a Joe Gibbs Racing Camry. Ruggiero looks to hold his series points lead, which is at a mere two points heading into the weekend.