Toyota engine issues at Martinsville cause for concern heading to Phoenix

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Mechanical problems plagued Toyota yet again with three blown engines in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Chase Briscoe

While running 14th in Stage 2, Briscoe came over the radio and reported the engine was blowing up. He brought his car to pit road, where his day ultimately ended.

“I was just running around there,” Briscoe said. “I felt really good about coming here and where we were at and racing with (Kyle) Larson there and went to upshift and something happened. I’m not really sure, it’s unfortunate. We’ll go on to next week and that won’t matter anyways.

Sunday was a dress rehearsal for Briscoe and the Nov. 2 NASCAR Cup Series Championship race. Briscoe clinched his Championship 4 spot last week at Talladega. 

Briscoe’s crew chief, James Small, said the team found a hole in the valve cover. 

Riley Herbst

Not long after Briscoe, Herbst went to the garage with engine issues — signaling a potential broader issue within the Toyota camp. That created some anxiety for Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell who fought for positions within the top-five. 

Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin’s turn to blow an engine eventually came.

With smoke billowing from the car, Hamlin brought it to the garage and set his sights on Phoenix.

Hamlin also had issues with his starter on Saturday but wasn’t sure if his issues during the race were connected. He also felt like the car was coming to him at the time of the blow-up. 

Hamlin was already locked into the Championship 4 after his win in Las Vegas. However, back-to-back weeks of mechanical issues heading into Phoenix will certainly not help the nerves in his camp. 

Potentially even more worrisome, Joe Gibbs Racing isn’t a stranger to mechanical issues in the Cup Championship race.

In 2023, Bell’s brakes exploded and ended his title bid in his second Championship 4 appearance. 

Apart from the mechanical scare, Hamlin and Briscoe should both have confidence heading to Phoenix.

“I’m obviously concerned, but there obviously nothing I can do about it,” Hamlin said. “We’ll live with it and hopefully we’ll get back next week and we are just going to have to see how it goes. I’m confident in the speed that we’ll have next week.”

Hamlin finished second to Bell by less than a car length in the Spring race in Phoenix. Briscoe also earned his first career win at Phoenix while racing for Stewart-Haas Racing. 

Toyota has recently been the fastest team at Phoenix, with Bell winning the last two spring races and arguably having the best long run car in the championship race last year. 

With no Penske cars to worry about in the Championship 4, Hamlin and Briscoe each have a strong chance of being crowned champion next Sunday.