NASCAR
How Do Toyota Drivers Stack Up for the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs?
Nearly one-third of the 16 NASCAR Playoff drivers for 2023 come from Toyota Racing. Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing are very well represented, only having one car not making the cut. From the top seed to 16th, Toyotas are well poised for a deep Playoff run that could end with the Bill France Cup. Here’s a look below at the five Toyota drivers gunning for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title.
Martin Truex Jr. – 2,036 points
From outside the Playoffs last year to the top seed this year, 2023 has been a banner year already for Martin Truex Jr. Erasing his year-and-a-half long losing drought at Dover in May, Truex’s terrific season only springboarded from there. Stops in victory lane at Sonoma and New Hampshire helped the 19 leap to the top of the standings, ending as the regular season champion. Now tied as the first Playoff seed with William Byron, Truex is in prime position for another championship.
“We are focused on the championship again this year, and that feels really good,” Truex said. “It’s really awesome to get these bonus points. I’m just really proud of my team and everybody at JGR, TRD, Bass Pro, Auto Owners, Resers – all of our partners for giving us the opportunity to be here and to be able to have the season that we had. Hopefully, we can keep it going. We’ve got to put together 10 great races like we did in 2017 again.”
Arguably the most consistent driver and team all season long is the 19. Truex has a series-leading 15 top-10s and 11.4 average finish. Far from needing a win in the first round, expect Truex to still be tough to beat. The Round of 16 includes three of Truex’s best racetracks, meaning the 19 could win again very soon. Thanks to his wealth of bonus points, Truex is all but assured to make it through the first two rounds. MTJ getting back to Phoenix also has little doubt. Confidence, swagger, execution and speed are all as high as ever on the 19 team. Perhaps the best shot at a Toyota title, Truex cannot be counted out of any Playoff race.
Denny Hamlin – 2,025 points
If Truex is the Toyota standard-bearer for 2023, then Denny Hamlin is not far off. Driver 11 has a pair of victories through the opening 26 weeks, coming at Kansas and Pocono. Coming into the postseason as the third seed, Hamlin is situated nicely for a stress-free round or two.
“I have to execute, we have to win races,” Hamlin said. “Winning races always fixes things and gets you to the next round. I think the tracks lay out nicely for us. It’s just about execution, not making any mistakes. At Playoff time we always come ready, and I’m sure we will this time.”
Much like with Truex, the opening Playoff round makes stops at some of Hamlin’s best circuits. This includes his favorite track in Darlington and Kansas, where he won in May. Hamlin enters the opening three races as arguably the favorite in each of them. The 11 should at least be a regular top-five threat on a weekly basis. If not for the Hail Melon last season, Hamlin would have been in the Championship 4. A year removed from that heartbreaking loss, Hamlin could break through into Phoenix again.
Christopher Bell – 2,014 points
Falling a bit behind his two teammates, a respectable regular season puts Christopher Bell as the seventh seed. Bell’s lone victory so far this season came at Bristol Dirt all the way back in April. The 20 did enter last year’s postseason with only one win as well though. The last 10 races of 2022 were where Bell’s team shined the most. The 20 saw three top-fives in the Round of 16 alone, then proceeded to win the next two elimination races. These led Bell to his maiden Championship 4 appearance, eventually finishing third in points.
“The first round is number one about being consistent, and just not beating yourself,” Bell said. “If you get through there with a couple of solid races, you should be in pretty good shape. With that being said, they are great race tracks for us and great opportunities for us to score more Playoff points. If we win Stages and win races, those are still bonus points that are carried into the Round of 12 and the Round of 8. Hopefully, we can execute on the small stuff and put ourselves in position to transfer. If we have fast cars – which we should – hopefully, we can take advantage of it.”
Should any hint of the 2022 consistency return for Bell, he will be battling for another spot in Phoenix. Quiet top-10s have been Bell’s strength this season, batting .500 with 13 through 26 weeks. The 20 ended the regular season not far off of the 19 or the 11 at fourth in points. Between Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens, the third Joe Gibbs Racing can cannot be overlooked for the championship.
Tyler Reddick – 2,009 points
In his first season with 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick has been a bit of an anomaly. The Playoff fate for the No. 45 was secured all the way back in March with a dominant win at COTA. Since then however, execution issues and bad luck have kept this team shut out of victory lane.
“(Making the Playoffs) was the obviously step one of the goals moving over to 23XI and being part of the Toyota family,” Reddick said. “We were hoping to get more points, I don’t know where we actually ended up in the regular season – but we will be ready to go in Darlington to make a charge for the championship with this The Beast Unleashed team.”
Reddick rode high into last year’s Playoffs, only for bad luck to eliminate him in the first round. Ideally Reddick has his poor results out of the way, and the 10th seed can rally past the opening round. Simply making the Round of 12 would be uncharted waters for Reddick, a feat he’s never achieved. The 23XI Racing team is surely eyeing the Round of 12 cutoff race at the Charlotte Roval as a high point, if not a must-win day.
Bubba Wallace – 2,000 points
The flagship driver and team for 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace is making his first Playoff appearance. Getting in by the skin of his teeth with a 12th-place run last week at Daytona, Wallace is reset as the 16th seed.
“I’m just relieved,” Wallace said. “I apologized to my wife (Amanda) all week. I haven’t been myself – I’ve been stressing. Thankful that we are in it. That is the most calm I’ve ever been. It’s ass-backwards. You come to Daytona, and you focus so much on controlling the things that you can control. My stubborn ass never wants to listen to people telling me that. I finally did that, and we are locked in. What an incredible feat for our 23 team. I had a heart-to-heart with my team after Atlanta after qualifying. I said if we got our shit together, we can do great things in the Playoffs. I’m so proud of the team from top down, very thankful. Back to the team – it took longer than I wanted, but to get the 23 and 45 locked in the Playoffs for all our partners, coming off a great week down at the Grove. Just to be here and get it done. Shoutout to Chris Buescher – I’ll finally let our Dover beef go. Congrats on the win. We are settled. Good job.”
Zero Playoff points is a huge setback already for this team, having to dig out from the standings basement. All hope is not yet lost for Wallace however in the opening round. Darlington in May saw Wallace start second and finish fifth, in one of his better races of 2023. All eyes will certainly be on him at Kansas the next week though. Wallace won at Kansas as a non-Playoff driver last year, and fourth in the spring was one of his four top-fives this season.
Starting off already below the cut line, Wallace’s fate for advancing onward without a win is likely out of his hands. The 23 team must remain consistently in the top-10 if not better and score Stage points across these first three weeks. In addition, they need others to inevitably stumble in order to leapfrog them in points.
Kansas is as close to a must-win race as Wallace will face these Playoffs. While probably not having to win there, another top-five should be required. In the elimination Playoff era, the 16th seed has advanced forward four out of nine years. Wallace will try and keep this trend at a 50% success rate over the next three weeks.
Joe Gibbs Racing is the only team who has claimed a Championship 4 appearance each year since 2014. Between JGR and the 23XI Racing duo, Toyota has more than a fighter’s chance at the 2023 Cup Series title. Truex, Hamlin and Bell have all been the picture of consistency in 2023, ending the regular season as three of the top four in points. Reddick and Wallace both have something to prove as well, trying to assert 23XI as an equally-competent powerhouse team. These five drivers will all be very intriguing to watch over the next 10 weeks. Odds are high that the eventual 2023 champion will be in a Toyota.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
