CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Toyota is now just one win away from earning their 200th NASCAR Cup Series win after Chase Briscoe won Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
Briscoe secured his fourth career win in the Cup Series and his second of the 2025 season. It also locked him into the Round of 12 in the playoffs.
“To be that close to 200 in such a short amount of time that Toyota’s been in the sport, I think says a lot about just the success they’ve had. To be the guy that would win the milestone race would be pretty special. I was the 200th different Cup Series winner ever [at Phoenix in March 2022], so it’d be pretty cool to be the 200th Toyota winner as well,” Briscoe said.
As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway Gateway for the Enjoy Illinois 300, Briscoe and his eight Toyota teammates are chasing the manufacturer’s 200th Cup win.
Briscoe’s team, Joe Gibbs Racing, leads with 165 Cup wins for Toyota. JGR and Kyle Busch earned the manufacturer’s first Cup win, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2008 – and their 100th Cup win, at Pocono Raceway in July 2017.
Photo: Marcus Leno/TRE
Seventeen drivers have a Cup win with Toyota. Busch has the most – 56 – but current Toyota driver Denny Hamlin could tie that mark at Gateway with the 200th win.
“I’ve been part of some great milestones for Toyota. I was part of the 600th win for Toyota across the three national series at Pocono in 2023. Milestone win like that… is special because you always have the souvenirs and the hats that are always laying around that reminds you of that day and the significance of it. It’s a big, big deal,” Hamlin said.
Photo: Jeff Ames/TRE
Hamlin is one of six current Toyota drivers who have won with the manufacturer. Two of them are still winless in 2025, including playoff driver Tyler Reddick.
Photo: Josiah Kopp/TRE
“It would be amazing. When I think about the drivers that have been a part of Toyota’s family, all the way back to the very beginning to where it is now, and to add my name further to that history would just be a huge honor. I think of all the great people at Toyota who have helped me get to this point and it would just be a really special moment to get that win for them,” Reddick said.
Like Reddick, Erik Jones is also looking for his first Cup win of 2025. It might be even bigger for Jones, who missed the playoffs but finished a strong third to Toyota teammates Briscoe and Reddick in the playoffs opener at Darlington.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
“It would be special for me. I started my career out with Toyota in the Truck Series in 2013 and have been with them for most of my career. To add to that group in the Cup Series would be pretty special. To celebrate any milestone like a 200th win is special for anybody. Would love to share that moment in Victory Lane and see everybody there. That’d be a pretty special one,” Jones said.
Teammate John Hunter Nemechek finished behind him and also showed speed. Nemechek is looking for his first Cup win. He is also looking to become the sixth different driver to win with Toyota in all three NASCAR national series.
“Getting win number 200 for Toyota in the Cup Series would be huge for me. I think winning any race in the Cup Series is big but being able to win the 200th Xfinity race for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023 and winning quite a few races underneath the Toyota banner and getting another milestone for them would be big,” Nemechek said.
Photo: Josiah Kopp/TRE
Photo: Jeff Ames/TRE
Nemechek has 11 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 13 wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, mostly all with Toyota. If either he or Jones can win, they would make Legacy Motor Club the sixth team to win a Cup race for Toyota.
Photo: Marcus Leno/TRE
Photo by Franklin Romero/TRE
Like Nemechek, Ty Gibbs has won in the Xfinity Series with Toyota but he’s still chasing his first Cup win.
“Yeah, that’d be really nice. That’s a lot of Cup wins and being the 200th winner would be really cool. With what Toyota has meant to Joe Gibbs Racing, it would be awesome if we got number 200. They’ve been such a great partner for so many years. There have been so many great drivers that have won for Toyota, but it would great for me or any of my teammates to get number 200,” Gibbs said.
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
Meanwhile, Riley Herbst has never won a NASCAR national series race with Toyota. Herbst made his national series debut with Toyota in 2018 and ran his rookie 2020 Xfinity season but went winless before a 2021 move to Stewart-Haas Racing. He then went on to earn three Xfinity wins in the two seasons before jumping to Cup with 23XI Racing in 2025.
Herbst’s return is right on time as he now stares down another milestone win.
“I was fortunate enough to get win number 100 for Stewart-Haas Racing and that was a very cool achievement. To get 200 for Toyota would be pretty neat as well,” Herbst said.
Getty Images/NASCAR Media
Photo: Ryan Kemna/TRE
23XI teammate Bubba Wallace is especially fired up about going for win No. 200.
“Oh, that’d be awesome! I think it’s special that I’ve been able to add three to that number but looking forward to the opportunity. To capture 200 for Toyota, that’s going to be a competition within ourselves,” Wallace said.
Of course, there is always Christopher Bell.
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
With his strength on tracks like Gateway, Bell could easily spoil everyone else’s chances at win No. 200.
“That would be special. I go back to being the first winner for Toyota in a GR Supra in the Xfinity Series and I was fortunate enough to get the 200th Joe Gibbs Racing Cup Series win at Martinsville in 2022. Those super-high importance races always mean a lot,” Bell said.
If one of Toyota’s nine Cup drivers were to win Sunday, it would be the first Cup win for Toyota at Gateway. They’ll likely have to beat a Ford to do it too.
Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images
Joey Logano and Austin Cindric won for Ford in 2022 and 2024, respectively, while Kyle Busch won for Chevrolet in 2023.
Toyota NASCAR Cup Series winners (17)
Kyle Busch: 56
Denny Hamlin: 55
Martin Truex Jr: 32
Matt Kenseth: 15
Christopher Bell: 12
Carl Edwards: 5
Tyler Reddick: 5
Clint Bowyer: 3
Bubba Wallace: 3
Chase Briscoe: 2
Erik Jones: 2 Y
Joey Logano: 2
David Reutimann: 2
Brian Vickers: 2
Kurt Busch: 1
Kasey Kahne: 1
Tony Stewart: 1
bold denotes current Toyota driver
Toyota NASCAR Cup Series team winners (5)
Joe Gibbs Racing: 165
Furniture Row Racing: 16
23XI Racing: 9
Michael Waltrip Racing: 7
Red Bull Racing: 2
bold denotes current Toyota team
Photo: Marcus Leno/TRE
Martin Truex Jr. does a burnout after his victory in the 2018 Pocono 400. (Tyler Head | The Racing Experts)
Getty Images/NASCAR Media
No DNFs in 2009* for David Reutimann; Photo: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR
MORE: NASCAR at Gateway 2025: Odds and more info
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com