When Denny Hamlin crossed the finish line on Sunday to secure his place in the Championship 4 at Phoenix, he secured more than a berth to run for his first NASCAR Cup Series title. Hamlin’s win — Toyota’s 18th victory of 2019 — was enough to secure the manufacturer’s championship for the automaker.
Toyota extended it’s points lead to 43 markers over Ford on Sunday, which puts them in a spot where they mathematically can’t be passed next weekend in Homestead, regardless of how good or bad they perform.
This marks Toyota’s third manufacturer’s title in the last four seasons.
Now, the focus for Toyota shifts to securing the driver’s and owner’s titles as well. Three of the four drivers and teams in the Championship 4 will be driving Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. The lone driver in the Championship 4 that doesn’t will be Kevin Harvick in Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ford Mustang.
So far this season, Toyota has 18 wins, Ford has 10 and Chevrolet has seven.
