Toyota Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For the first time since Johnny Benson a decade ago, the defending NASCAR Truck Series champion won’t defend their title with the team they won the championship. That’s the case for Brett Moffitt, who won’t be returning to Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2019 as announced Wednesday via statement by Shige Hattori, and it’s an absolute crushing blow to not just Moffitt, but the state of NASCAR. “We are extremely proud of what we achieved with Brett and winning the championship together,” said Hattori. “Our organization’s relationshipRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. –With eight victories heading into Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kyle Busch was having a career year, tying a personal-best mark with victories and setting career-highs in top-fives (21) and top-10s (27). However, Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota lacked rear grip throughout the race and struggled on pit road. It was an atypical performance from one of the strongest teams of the season when it counted the most. “We just didn’t have the rear grip thatRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The clear favorite heading into the championship race on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway was Christopher Bell. The Norman, Oklahoma native had a stellar rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, winning seven times to break the rookie record for wins in a season (previously five, set by Greg Biffle – 2001, Kyle Busch – 2004 and Carl Edwards – 2005). Bell qualified second in the No. 20 GameStop Transformers Toyota and was scored in the sixth position at the end of StageRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Championship 4 Contender Cole Custer swept all three rounds of knockout qualifying and will lead the field to green in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Custer’s final round lap at 165.598 mph in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford bested fellow championship competitor Christopher Bell in the No. 20  Gamestop Transformers Toyota. “Sure it gives you a little bit of confidence but it doesn’t pay anything to win the pole, so we still have to do what we haveRead More

Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Score one for the underfunded teams as Brett Moffitt and Hattori Racing Enterprises took the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship on Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Moffitt led a race-high 59 laps in the Ford EcoBoost 200 and beat pole sitter Grant Enfinger to the checkered flag by 2.000 seconds for his sixth victory of the season. The 2018 season was a constant battle for funding for the team owned by former driver Shigeaki Hattori of Japan, with the low point being theRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Grant Enfinger turned a lap at 169.348 mph in the No. 98 Champion Power Equipment Ford to take the top spot for Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was the second pole of 2018 and the third of Enfinger’s career in his 60th start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. “Our truck has been driving good all day even from when we first unloaded,” said Enfinger. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in the truck and a really good team behindRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicked off the final race day of the 2018 season with a pair of practice sessions on Friday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Championship contender Johnny Sauter paced the opening 50-minute practice session in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet with a lap at 170.465 mph as 30 trucks recorded a time. Fellow championship contender Brett Moffitt was third in the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota. Justin Haley was sixth in the No. 24 GMS RacingRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – John Hunter Nemechek grabbed his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in a race that threw the championship battle into chaos. Pulling away with three laps after the final restart on Lap 169 of 200, Nemechek took the checkered flag 5.200 seconds ahead of Daniel Hemric to win the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, the venue where his father, Joe Nemechek, won his final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in 2004. Though Nemechek fell far behind Hemric after sliding throughRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Saturday afternoon at Kansas Speedway was the first race of the second round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs. All eight playoff contenders qualified inside the top-12 and everything appeared set for a great battle amongst the best drivers in a series with the tagline “Names Are Made Here.” Mayhem broke loose as the field barreled into Turn 2 on the first lap when Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet got loose and made contact with Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota, touchingRead More

By Charlie Krall, ARCA Communications Manager KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Sheldon Creed put a period on his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship season with a comeback win in Friday’s ARCA Kansas 150 at Kansas Speedway. Creed (No. 28 United Rentals Toyota) was leading on lap 46 when he was involved in an incident with a lapped car. Creed’s car was damaged on the driver’s side, but quick work by crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz and the MDM Motorsports crew kept him on the lead lap and in contention. Several late raceRead More