Tag Archives: The Hellmann’s 500

Chase Elliott Eyes Victory Lane as a Cure for Chase Deficit

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Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 21, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo - Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 21, 2016 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images

In a sense, Chase Elliott comes to Talladega Superspeedway with the greatest amount of freedom, simply because he has the largest challenge to overcome and the narrowest path to do so.

After unfortunate results at Charlotte and Kansas, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points leader is 12th in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, 25 points behind Joey Logano and Austin Dillon, who are tied for eighth.

After the Hellman’s 500 on Sunday at 2 pm ET on NBCSN, the Chase field will be cut from 12 drivers to eight, and Elliott likely must win in order to advance. Continue reading →

TOYOTA 1000th NASCAR National Series Race By-The-Numbers

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HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 22: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Crispy Toyota, celebrates winning the series championship and the race with a burnout after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22, 2015 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 22: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, celebrates winning the series championship and the race with a burnout after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22, 2015 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

The Hellmann’s 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is the 1000th national series race for Toyota.
Here’s a By The Numbers look at the manufacturer’s presence in NASCAR. All stats are as of races prior to this weekend at Talladega.

1 – Number of Toyota driver championships in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Kyle Busch, 2015) and the NASCAR XFINITY Series (Kyle Busch, 2009).

4 – Number of car owner titles Toyota has won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (Joe Gibbs: 2008, ’09,’10 and ’12). 

6 – Number of driver titles Toyota has won in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Todd Bodine, 2006 and 2010; Johnny Benson, 2008; Matt Crafton, 2013-2014; and Erik Jones 2015). Continue reading →