The upcoming race at Martinville Speedway will be an important moment for Toyota in NASCAR as the company takes part in its 500th race. When Toyota competes in the Craftsman Truck Series “Boys & Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 250,” it will officially reach this 500-race milestone, with Kyle Busch playing a significant role in this achievement.
Out of the 499 races that have already taken place, Toyota drivers have claimed victory 236 times, which gives the company a 47% win rate. Kyle Busch leads with the most wins for Toyota at 56, followed by Todd Bodine with 22 and Johnny Benson with 14.
Toyota Approaches Milestone with Kyle Busch Leading the Charge
Toyota’s success story started over 20 years ago when Travis Kvapil won at Michigan on July 31, 2004. Since then, the company has won nine drivers’ championships and 13 manufacturers’ titles.
Corey Heim from TRICON Garage will drive the main Tundra on Friday. Since his debut in 2013, he has achieved 13 wins for Toyota.
Busch aims to finish off a memorable weekend with a win. The driver from Richard Childress Racing has played a key role in some of Toyota’s biggest achievements, including sweeping the Martinsville weekend in 2016.
Before the 2016 Martinsville race weekend, Busch didn’t have a grandfather clock, the famous trophy for winning at Martinsville, but he left with two. He achieved a rare weekend sweep by winning the STP 500 in the Cup Series after also winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
That victory put Busch in a great spot to defend his 2015 championship, but a strong finish by Jimmie Johnson left him just five points shy of the title. In 2017, Busch had another memorable moment at Martinsville by winning the Round of 8 opener. He made an exciting pass on Denny Hamlin during overtime, securing his spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
In 2018, Busch reached another milestone at Martinsville by winning the pole for the playoff race called the “First Data 500.” He led at the start, ahead of Clint Bowyer and Hamlin, but ended up finishing third as Hamlin crossed the finish line first. Now, after a streak without a win, Busch hopes to harness Toyota’s Martinsville magic and return to victory lane.
