Story By: SAM MAHONEY / TOYOTA RACING – PLANO, TX – NASCAR heads back out west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the second time in 2024. Both the Cup and Xfinity Series begin the Round of 8 in the Playoffs, with Toyota Racing drivers in the thick of championship battles in both series.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS
Toyota reaches 600 races in the Xfinity Series … Saturday’s Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas marks the milestone 600th event for Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Toyota’s road in the Xfinity Series began in February 2007 at Daytona International Speedway, with its first win coming later that season at Indianapolis Raceway Park by the late Jason Leffler. To date, Toyota has won four manufacturer’s championships and earned 211 victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, most recently with Aric Almirola’s win with Joe Gibbs Racing in Kansas.
Bell, Reddick and Hamlin onto Round of 8 … Once the checkered flag flew Sunday in Charlotte, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin found themselves in the Round of 8 that begins this weekend in Las Vegas. Bell and Reddick both start this Playoff round in second and third position in the points, 13 and 10 points above the cutline, respectively, while Hamlin begins in sixth position, eight points below.
Toyota Camry XSE drivers return to favorable Las Vegas … Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a strong track for the Camry XSE drivers, especially of late for Martin Truex Jr, Reddick and Hamlin. Truex comes into the weekend with eight consecutive top-10s at Las Vegas and 16 in the last 20 races, which includes two wins in 2017 and 2019. Similarly, Reddick has five top-10 finishes in the last six Las Vegas races, and for Hamlin, he has six such finishes in the last eight races around the mile-and-a-half circuit, that includes his triumph in 2021.
Bell continues top-10 streak … With his runner-up finish last weekend, Bell has finished inside the top-10 in nine of the last 11 Cup Series races, and currently has four-in-a-row. With the current streak, Bell now has more top-10 finishes than any other driver this season with 20. He’s also finished inside the top-10 in four of his nine starts at Las Vegas, meaning another such finish could be in the cards for the Oklahoma native to begin the Round of 8.
Smith’s championship push rolls into Round of 8 … Chandler Smith has brought his No. 81 GR Supra team into the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Series, which begins Saturday in Las Vegas. The 22-year-old begins the round in fourth position, eight points above the cutline. And like his Toyota compadres in the Cup Series, Smith has been strong at Las Vegas, finishing inside the top-five in all three of his starts – including the spring race where he led 74 laps and finished third.
No. 20 GR Supra seeks Las Vegas sweep … That same race where Smith led 74 laps in the spring, the No. 20 GR Supra and John Hunter Nemechek captured the first Xfinity Series victory of the season for Team Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing. This weekend, that team aims for a sweep at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Almirola behind the wheel, who seeks his third win of the season after triumphs at Martinsville and Kansas. Another victory would be the ninth of the season for the No. 20 team and be paramount in their mission to capture the Xfinity Series owner’s championship, as they are currently leading by six points.