The Toyota teams have dominated at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Gen 7 era. This was not the case on Sunday afternoon during a race that became a "head scratcher" for the Camry drivers.
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"Just a miss all around, really," Bubba Wallace said after the race. "We couldn't really seem to get things going."
Two Ford Racing drivers dominated during Sunday's playoff opener. Joey Logano won stage 2 and led a race-high 147 laps before finishing fourth. Ryan Blaney won stage 1, led 116 laps, and won the race. Chase Briscoe was the only Toyota driver to lead laps at 19.
23IX Racing's Wallace and Tyler Reddick, both of whom are in the playoffs, entered the weekend with opportunities to score points and set themselves up to contend for spots in the Round of 8. Wallace, in particular, aimed to keep his hot streak going after scoring the most stage points in the opening round of the playoffs.
This did not happen. Reddick scored two points in stage 1, but he fell to 14th in stage 2. He then ended the race in 21st while falling to 23 points below the Round of 8 cutline.
Here's how things are looking in the Cup Series Playoff Standings following @Blaney's win in New Hampshire 🍿 #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Eh5JWBSwMB
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 21, 2025
"I didn't expect that - that's for sure," Reddick said. "The way the race started I thought we were going to be able to run in the top 10 all day, but between the brake issues we had and - it just got away quick.
"The balance went away and then next thing you know we were trying to battle for 20th. Just terrible day."
Wallace, for comparison, qualified 14th before quickly falling through the field. He did not have the handling he needed in his car, which led to him missing out on stage points. He ultimately ended the race in 26th while falling to 27 points below the cutline.
This marked a significant change considering that Wallace entered the Round of 12 above the cutline and four other drivers.
"I hate it. I felt really optimistic and marched forward at the start and it just never really went anywhere," Wallace said. "We kind of plateaued lap 5 and that was it.
"I hate that. It's just a head scratcher. I told our team we're way better than that. We know it. As much of a gut punch as this one is, we'll move on. This is what we've got to do."
The issues did not only exist at 23XI Racing. All of the Toyota-affiliated teams left New Hampshire Motor Speedway looking for answers.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
Christopher Bell, the winner of two New Hampshire races since 2022, delivered the best finish for Toyota despite sustaining damage in an incident sparked by Brad Keselowski. He crossed the line in sixth place after scoring five stage points.
Briscoe finished 10th after scoring two stage points, Denny Hamlin finished 12th after scoring three stage points, and Ty Gibbs finished 35th after multiple on-track incidents.
"I think from a points standpoint we did well," Bell said. "I know a lot of people are going to look at me and say how can I be frustrated at Gateway and not today.
"Well, this weekend really was a whole different story. We just didn't have the pace. We didn't have the pace to run with the top competitors. We walked out of here with a lot of points, so I think it was a successful day."
The issues continued with Legacy Motor Club. Erik Jones ran outside of the top 25 all day before finishing 28th. John Hunter Nemechek finished 34th after a hard crash into the outside wall that sent the No. 42 into the air.
"I hate it for all of my guys after the run I've had the last few weeks," Nemechek said. "Getting into Turn 3 just under the 35 (Riley Herbst) there I don't know if just when I hit the bumps, but it automatically just turned sideways, and I was kind of along for the ride. I hate it."
Two races remain in the Round of 12, and five drivers remain in contention to advance. Bell, Hamlin, and Briscoe are all above the cutline heading to Kansas Speedway and then the Charlotte Roval. Reddick and Wallace have ground to make up after this head scratcher of a race.
