This absurd stat highlights Toyota's NASCAR playoff dominance

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are two races in, and it is clear who the dominant manufacturer has been thus far. After 800 miles of racing over the past two weeks, Toyota has won each race and made a statement to the rest of the field.

Chase Briscoe kicked off the 10-race stretch with a dominant showing in the Southern 500, becoming the first driver since Hall of Famer Bobby Allison in 1971 to lead 300 or more laps in the prestigious race.

Denny Hamlin then earned his 59th career win at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and now possesses the most wins in the series (five) despite competing in one fewer race.

While Briscoe and Hamlin have swept the opening two playoff races, Toyota drivers have completely dominated the laps led department. According to NASCAR Insights, the manufacturer has been out front for 515 laps in the two races at Darlington and WWTR, compared to 72 for Chevrolet and 20 for Ford.

Toyota has been lights out to start the playoffs

Although Briscoe and Hamlin have the wins to show for it, several other Toyota drivers have had plenty of speed so far in the playoffs. Take Bubba Wallace, for example. The 23XI Racing driver had a breakout win in the Brickyard 400 in July to snap a 100-race winless streak, which assured him of his second playoff berth and first by virtue of a win.

He has been no slouch in the playoffs either, with a sixth place finish at Darlington and an eighth at Gateway. He arguably could have won both races with the speed he had. He led 10 laps in the Southern 500, though he could not overcome a lengthy pit stop to retighten his right rear tire and was unable to take advantage of the speed. He looked even more dominant at Gateway, leading 73 laps and taking the stage two win before his car got stuck in gear on the lap 156 restart.

Execution issues have plagued Wallace's 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick all year, but he appeared to have a better car than Briscoe over the long run at Darlington before having to settle for the runner-up position.

The same can be said for Christopher Bell, whose three straight wins earlier this season seem like an afterthought at this point. However, he still came home seventh at Gateway and was able to drive through the field multiple times on fresh tires, proving how much pace was in his No. 20 Camry on Sunday.

Even non-playoff drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones of Legacy Motor Club have had speed in recent weeks. Nemechek has finished fourth (Darlington) and sixth (Gateway), while Jones was third in the Southern 500.

The speed from the Toyotas has vaulted Hamlin to the top of the odds board as the new outright championship favorite two races into the playoffs. Three-time champion Joey Logano has certainly noticed the performance from the Toyotas.

"Toyota has smoke right now," Logano said following the race on Sunday.

Saturday's Bristol Night Race will be a good indicator going forward, given the fact that Kyle Larson has led a combined 873 of the 1,000 laps in the two most recent races there. As dominant as he has been, Toyota teams are definitely on a heater entering Bristol and will look to keep the momentum rolling in search of their first title since 2019 when Joe Gibbs Racing won it with Kyle Busch.