Story By: SAM MAHONEY / TOYOTA RACING – PLANO, TX – NASCAR hits the second race of the Round of 8 across its three national series as the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series take on Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend.
NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS
Cup Series points shake up heading to Homestead … Following Sunday’s race in Las Vegas, the three remaining Camry XSE Playoff drivers all find themselves in different positions heading to Homestead this weekend. Christopher Bell, coming off a pole position in Las Vegas, his second consecutive runner-up finish and another stage win, currently sits 42 points above the cutline with two races remaining in the round. His Toyota teammates, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick find themselves below the Playoff cutline going into this weekend, 27 and 30 points under, respectively.
Bell looks to continue strong runs … Bell and his No. 20 Camry XSE team have built serious momentum in the current stretch of races on the Cup Series schedule, now with 10 top-10s in the last 12 races, seven of those being in the top-five. Bell has now set his career-best in top five (13) and top-10 (21) finishes in a season and can still add more with three races remaining. He also returns to Homestead this weekend looking to repeat after last year’s victory at the 1.5-mile South Florida oval sent him to the Championship 4.
Hamlin also eager to continue top-10 streak … Hamlin and his No. 11 Camry XSE team have also been on a strong streak of late, finishing inside the top-10 in four of the last five races, dating back to Bristol Motor Speedway in September. Homestead has been a solid track for the 43-year-old in the past, with a win at the Florida track in 2020, to go along with three top-fives and 12 top-10s in his 19 career starts.
Smith remains above the cutline … With his seventh consecutive top-five finish at Las Vegas, Chandler Smith sits in an ideal position in the fight for the Xfinity Series Championship 4, currently eight points above the cutline heading to Homestead this weekend. Smith has only made three total career starts at Homestead across the Truck and Xfinity Series so far, with a best finish of seventh in the Xfinity Series in 2022.
Sawalich makes Xfinity Series debut in double duty weekend … In a monumental 2024 season for William Sawalich, he adds another feat to his list by making his Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Minnesotan will pilot the No. 19 GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing on Saturday around the mile-and-a-half track. Just a few weeks ago, the recently turned 18-year-old made his superspeedway debut in the Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway, where he sat on pole, nonetheless. He’ll also be running the Truck Series race on Saturday with TRICON Garage in the No. 1 Tundra TRD Pro to start his double duty day, making his eighth Truck start of the season.