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Bob PockrassNASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Toyota teams in the Xfinity Series will campaign with the Supra model in 2019, a move that corresponds with a relaunch of the Toyota sports car.
The move likely won’t mean much on a competitive basis, but it shows the boost Toyota believes NASCAR can give the Supra, which it built from 1978 to 2002 and is relaunching in 2019.
“This is truly a landmark occasion and an opportunity for Toyota,” Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson said. “We’ve been absolutely dedicated to bringing Supra back to American motorsports and the fact that it gets to debut in the Xfinity Series really speaks to how important NASCAR is to our company.”
Toyota will not change its model — the Camry sedan — for the NASCAR Cup Series for at least the time being. Manufacturers have moved from sedans to muscle cars in recent years, with Chevrolet bringing the Camaro to Cup this season and Ford bringing Mustang to Cup next year.
“NASCAR has really served us well from a Camry perspective,” Toyota Division marketing group vice president Ed Laukes said. “We’re still in the car business. Some of the other guys [car manufacturers] have decided they’re going to be in the SUV and the truck business.
“Toyota is going to be in the car business.”
Joe Gibbs Racing is the only top team in the Xfinity Series that fields Toyotas, but the manufacturer is open to adding teams.
The passenger car version of the Supra has not yet been unveiled. It will be built in Austria and will be available for purchase by summer 2019.