Half of the top 10 drivers in the standings are wheeling Toyotas, taking spots 1, 3, 4, 6, and 10, with Martin Truex Jr at the front of the pack. Early on, it looked like Chevy had the upper hand, with William Byron nabbing the Daytona win, Daniel Suarez taking the checkered flag at Atlanta, and Kyle Larson cruising to victory in Las Vegas. But the game changed when Christopher Bell brought home a win for Toyota in Phoenix. Since that race, Toyota’s been on a roll. TRD President David Wilson even gave a nod to their solid start this season, tipping his hat to their impressive performance.⁣

Toyota’s tearing it up on the short tracks and is hot on Chevy’s heels

Right now, Chevy’s in the lead with four wins under its belt, but Toyota is breathing down its neck, just two points shy, with three wins of their own. They’ve evidently been killing it on the short tracks, thanks to Christopher Bell grabbing a win and five Toyota drivers finishing in the top 11 at Phoenix. Then, at Bristol, Martin Truex Jr, and Denny Hamlin showed everyone how it’s done, with Hamlin crossing the finish line first. Subsequently, at Richmond too, Truex Jr was on fire, leading for more than 200 laps, until the #11 driver stole the lead and emerged victorious. 

Toyota’s been flexing its muscles all season, leading laps in every single one of the seven Cup Series races so far. And that’s exactly what David Wilson from Toyota Racing Development asserted when he threw down the gauntlet, hinting that Toyota’s aiming to be the top dog yet again this year.

He mentioned, “Certainly when we look at it where we have been at this point of its season in previous years and not to overstate it, but we haven’t had this strong of a start since 2019. And 2019 was the year that we won past the races and put another championship under our belt with Kyle Bush. Still a lot of racing left to do, but you look at the performance and that’s what I love. And I think one of the leading indicators of performance is last laps. And… a Toyota has lead laps in all seven NASCAR Cup races thus far. We have strong cars across the board.”

However, as many would agree with David Wilson, “It’s not just the 11 car or the 20 car. You know, any given day, you see a couple of Toyotas up there battling.” Take Richmond last Sunday—a prime example of what Toyota is capable of. And it’s not just David Wilson who’s hyped about Toyota’s potential this year. NASCAR experts like Lee Spencer from GoPRNLive ais also hinting Toyota could be the team to beat in 2024.

NASCAR insider opines how Chevy and Ford might be lagging behind on the new short-track setups

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Even with seasoned short trackers like Kyle Larson and Joey Logano in their camps, Chevy and Ford just can’t seem to get a grip on these short tracks. Lee Spencer from GoPRNLive weighed in, pointing out that even though Toyota might have had a slow start, their dominance with the new short-track setup at Phoenix is something you can’t ignore. “I would not discount the Toyota’s chances this weekend whether or not the race is named on their behalf,” he said.

Martinsville’s up next, another short track, and all eyes are on Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. With Hamlin boasting 36 starts, 25 top-10s, 19 top-5s, and five wins, including top-5 finishes in his last three Martinsville appearances, he’s a force to be reckoned with. Though his last win there was back in 2015, he’s still a hot favorite. Truex, on the other hand, has hit the top-10 16 times in 36 starts, with 10 top-5s and three wins. He snagged third place in last spring’s race and took home the trophy in the 2021 spring race too.

Toyota Leaves Its Competitors Behind After Mastering the Short Track Package Heading to Richmond

Keep an eye on Christopher Bell from the Toyota squad too! With eight starts, he’s already nabbed a win along with three top-10 finishes. Bell clinched the 2022 fall race at Martinsville. Then there’s Kyle Larson driving Chevy, who’s shown consistent performance at Martinsville with a win among his six top-10 finishes in 18 starts.

The scoreboard seems to tilt in Toyota’s favor, but what’s your take on this battle of the manufacturers?