Toyota

Though it may seem to some that Toyota Motorsports is a recent addition to racing, the fact remains that NASCAR is one of the last beachheads that the Japanese automaker has sought to conquer. Dating back to the 1970s, Toyota has sponsored numerous racing events including the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Toyota Tundra 200, Celica/Solara Funny Car, National Midget Series and has been the official vehicle at Willow Springs since 1982.

Making Its Way To NASCAR

In 2002, NASCAR welcomed Toyota who was seeking to enter the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the Toyota Tundra. Immediately, Toyota began working on a truck and engine to field for the event, announcing that they would begin participation in the truck series in 2004.

It wasn’t long before Toyota was claiming its first NASCAR victory when Travis Kvapil finished ahead of the pack at the Michigan International Speedway that July. Four racing teams Bang Racing, Bill Davis Racing, Innovative Motorsports and Darrell Waltrip Motorsports were part of Toyota at the beginning, helping Toyota win four races that very first year.

Expanding NASCAR Presence

In 2006, Toyota Motorsports announced that they would be entering the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series beginning in 2007, fielding three teams — Bill Davis Racing, Team Red Bull and Michael Waltrip Racing. Toyota also said that they would be fielding two teams, Braun Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing for the NASCAR Busch Series, filling out a full field in NASCAR racing.

In July 2007, Toyota received its first NASCAR Busch Series victory when Jason Leffler won at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. By 2008, Toyota began to win what is now known as the Sprint Series and Nationwide Series as well as the newly reminted Camping World Truck Series. Indeed, in 2008 Toyota won 10 Sprint Cup races as well as numerous Nationwide and truck series races.

Toyota Drivers and Teams

Among the drivers for Toyota today are Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose, Kirk Shelmerdin, Michael Waltrip, Max Papis, Brian Vickers, Scott Speed, Scott Riggs, Jeremy Mayfield, David Starr, Brian Ickler, Stacy Compton, Terry Cook, Todd Bodine and Johnny Benson.

Flush with cash, Toyota has wooed several teams over to their side and now includes Red Horse Racing, Randy Moss Motorsports, HT Motorsports, Wyler Racing, Doug Stringer Motorsports,  Billy Ballew Motorsports,  Germain Racing,  Marc Davis Motorsports, CJM Racing,  and Braun Racing among the many teams driving modified Camrys and Tundras on racetracks all across America every weekend.

While Chevy and Ford continue to duke it out for top honors each year, Toyota isn’t to far behind the top two, having easily passed Dodge once they began to field cars in every race. As the first foreign car maker to participate in NASCAR, Toyota’s entry was initially received with skepticism. But, with some of the best drivers and teams in NASCAR driving Toyotas, the Japanese automaker has proven that it, too, belongs in the winner’s circle.

Photo courtesy of Toyota Motorsports.