15 victories in 22 races helped Toyota capture its 10th Truck Series Manufacturer Championship in 2021. Jesse Love, a Camry driver, won the ARCA Menards Series West championship for the second time in a row on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.
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Toyota won NASCAR back when?
For the first time in nearly 45 years, a foreign automaker took part in the American racing organization’s premier series as Toyota made their NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2007. Although Toyota made its debut in the Busch (now Xfinity) Series of NASCAR in 2007, the Japanese manufacturer was no stranger to American stock car racing. In fact, the company entered a version of their Tundra pickup into NASCAR’s Truck Series in 2004. Additionally, Toyota had previously raced cars like the Celica coupe in NASCAR’s less well-known Goody’s Dash Series.
However, Toyota decided to race a specific model of its Camry family sedan in the Cup and Busch Series. Admittedly, the parallels between the production Camry and its NASCAR ancestors were and still are essentially restricted to their common likeness, with the former imprinted on the bodywork that covers the latter Camry’s rear-wheel-drive chassis and V-8 engine (good luck finding a rear-drive, V-8 Camry at your local Toyota dealership).
NASCAR’s Cup Series had an unusual 2007 season. You may thank NASCAR’s odd decision to race both its older fourth-generation and newer fifth-generation cars all season long. The latter, known as “The Car of Tomorrow,” was noticeably safer than the earlier fourth-generation vehicles, a chassis with origins in the 1992 campaign.
Nevertheless, Toyota’s Cup Series racing performances in its inaugural season were not particularly noteworthy, since none of the seven cars it fielded won any races throughout the 2007 campaign. Nevertheless, the Camry did manage to finish in the top 10, and driver Dave Blaney even managed to secure a podium berth with a third-place result at Talladega in October.
In 2009, Toyota continued to show Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford that it was a serious competitor in the Cup Series. Despite numerous victories, notably in the season-ending race at Homestead, neither the company nor any of its drivers were able to win the championship (Jimmie Johnson and Chevrolet triumph as the season’s champion driver and manufacturer, respectively).
The spoiler made a comeback for NASCAR drivers in 2010. The capacity of the previous rear wing to elevate the vehicle it was attached to in a collision is to blame, as was the case with Carl Edwards’ Ford Fusion at Talladega during the Aaron’s 499 race the year before. The reintroduction of the spoiler had minimal impact on Jimmie Johnson or Chevrolet, who once more won the manufacturer’s and driver’s championships. Nevertheless, Toyota and driver Denny Hamlin of Toyota racked up enough points to win silver in the respective championships for manufacturers and drivers.
Toyota altered the style of its race cars to match that of the new 2012 Camry later in the season, whereas the brand began the 2011 season with Camry race cars that resembled the decor of the 2011 model-year sedan. Toyota’s Cup Series racers didn’t enjoy the same level of success in 2011 as they had in 2010, despite the updated aesthetics.
Clint Bowyer, the driver for Toyota, came 39 points short of winning the 2012 Cup Series championship, which was ultimately won by Brad Keselowski, who drove for Dodge. Bowyer’s second-place performance may have received praise from some, but as Reese Bobby famously remarked, “if you ain’t first, you’re last,”
In 2013, the sixth-generation of NASCAR race cars made their Cup Series debut. Compared to the outgoing fifth-gen versions, the cars saw improvements in weight and safety. More crucially, NASCAR gave permission to every manufacturer to customize the bodywork of their vehicles. Because of this, compared to previous NASCAR Camrys, Toyota’s Camrys looked far more like their production counterparts (likewise, the competing Chevrolet SS and Ford Fusion featured styling that more closely resembled their road-legal kin).
Toyota modified the bodywork and graphics on its NASCAR Camrys to better reflect the appearance of the 2015 Camry sedan. More significantly, Kyle Busch won the driver’s title during the 2015 Cup Series season in his M&M’s-sponsored Camry racer. Yes, Toyota finally saw one of its race cars propel a driver to the championship podium nine years after it first competed in the Cup Series.
Toyota ousted Chevrolet from the top spot it had long held, ending the bow-tie brand’s 13-year tenure as manufacturer’s champion. However, Toyota was unable to win back-to-back driver’s championships as Kyle Busch came in third place, trailing Jimmie Johnson of Chevrolet and Joey Logano of Ford.
Toyota was unable to duplicate its Cup Series triumph from 2017 in 2018. However, the Camry’s performance was anything but disappointing. In fact, throughout the season, the model brought Toyota more than a dozen victories. Martin Truex Jr. was able to move up to second in the driver’s championship as a result.
Thanks to Denny Hamlin’s victory at the Daytona 500, Toyota’s 2020 Cup Series campaign got off to a solid start. Sadly, the business’s fortune eventually ran out. Ultimately, Ford and Chevy drivers took the top three slots in the driver’s championship, with Hamlin coming in fourth. Toyota finished second to Chevy in the manufacturer’s standings, but the company’s nine Cup Series victories were significantly less than the 18 checkered flags that Ford drivers collected during the 2020 campaign.
Toyota failed to win the Cup Series title in 2021. Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin, who drive Camrys, took second and third place in the driver’s championship. Kyle Larson, a Chevy driver, won the race.
The seventh-generation stock vehicle for NASCAR will make its debut in the 2022 Cup Series. The most recent NASCAR racer is equipped with numerous cutting-edge engineering technologies, at least by NASCAR standards. This includes features like a five-speed sequential transmission, an independent rear suspension, and 18-inch wheels with a single center-locking lug nut. The live rear axle, four-speed manual transmission, and 15-inch five-lug wheels of the outgoing vehicle are replaced by these components. Although a Formula 1 car is a technological marvel, NASCAR’s seventh-generation racer embraces modernity in a way that the sports has long lacked. It remains to be seen whether Toyota, Ford, or Chevrolet will be successful with this new vehicle during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Which automaker has the most NASCAR titles to their name?
One of America’s favorite sports is NASCAR. Something about the adrenaline and the sound of the motors going causes your heart to beat rapidly. A true fusion of man and machine that has the potential to lead to triumph on the track, but just as every racer is unique, so are all cars.
Since the birth of the sport, automakers have developed their skills to compete for NASCAR supremacy, but one stands out among them: Chevrolet.
The firm, sometimes known as Chevrolet, has won more NASCAR races and titles than any other automaker. Chevrolet established itself as the all-time leader in the category by winning the NASCAR Cup Manufacturers’ Championship 40 times.
Is there a NASCAR team for Toyota?
As of the 2021 season, Toyota Camrys are run in the NASCAR Cup Series by 23XI Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and MBM Motorsports.
Will Honda enter NASCAR?
Honda Performance Development, which manages the factory racing programs for both its premium performance brand Acura and its parent company American Honda, said it would concentrate its present and next efforts on open-wheel and sports car racing.
When asked if it was thinking about entering NASCAR, which has been the subject of persistent rumors, HPD CEO Ted Klaus responded that the Next Gen formula and stock car racing are not in its plans.
“With regard to NASCAR, he said, “I think we’ve got our hands full right now working on DPi for next season and IndyCar.” ” We’ll see what happens with that. The more North American motorsports can benefit from current expenditures made throughout the series, in my opinion, the more opportunities manufacturers have to pursue multiple objectives.
What caused Dodge to quit NASCAR?
Since 1949, NASCAR has had a crowded field of manufacturers competing for victories. The following four businesses should and could participate in the sport.
There have only been three manufacturers in NASCAR since Dodge exited the series in 2012: Chevy, Ford, and Toyota. NASCAR has made an effort to emulate the automobiles you’d see on a freeway since its inaugural season. Every American automobile manufacturer used to field a team on Sundays.
Rumors regarding more organizations entering the sport have recently been circulating. But none of these rumors have materialized as of yet. NASCAR requires a significant time and financial investment, as Toyota discovered when they entered the sport in 2007. Even while this may deter some manufacturers, investing in the sport can have a significant positive impact. Here, I examine four significant manufacturers who ought to think about joining NASCAR.
Nissan unveiled the Vmotion 2.0 concept on January 9, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, at the Cobo Center for the 2017 North American International Auto Show. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Romain Blanquart/Detroit Free Press
It would make sense for the Japanese corporation to enter NASCAR. The company is one of the biggest automakers in the world, selling about 1.5 million vehicles annually in the US. It has several American manufacturing facilities, and its sales have increased annually. Nissan’s brand would undoubtedly benefit from joining NASCAR and fighting against Ford, Chevy, and its Japanese rival Toyota. This would also help Nissan increase sales.
In particular, competing in the Camping World Truck Series would provide the Nissan Titan much-needed exposure. Nissan has worked hard to promote the brand, but sales of the truck have lagged far behind those of Ford, Chevy, Toyota, and Ram. Nissan would likely compete in the truck series with the Titan and the XFINITY and Cup series with the Altima or Maxima. The manufacturer’s participation in NASCAR would significantly increase its sales.
8.01.2017; Detroit, Michigan, USA; At the Garden Theater during the North American International Auto Show, the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas R-Line is unveiled. Elaine Cromie/Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY NETWORK is required credit.
European automakers have participated in NASCAR for a longer period of time than casual spectators might anticipate. In 1954, Al Keller, driving an imported Jaguar XK120, took first place in NASCAR’s first road course race. Long imports continued to make sporadic cameos in NASCAR for a while, a European manufacturer has never been a regular participant in the sport.
It makes sense to choose Volkswagen to open the road. The German team joining the sport has long been the subject of rumors. Recently, rumors circulated that the Volkswagen affiliate Audi will start selling vehicles in 2020. Although the corporation denied these rumors, it ought to nonetheless think about participating in the sport. After Dieselgate, the company’s fuel pollution scandal, made headlines in 2016, Volkswagen could use some good PR. A strong showing in NASCAR, most likely with its iconic Passat sedan, would help Volkswagen put that problem behind them.
8.01.2017; Detroit, Michigan, USA; During the 2017 North American International Auto Show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the 2018 GMC Terrain Denali was unveiled. Mandatory credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press
Chevrolet has been the most successful brand in NASCAR history, and General Motors already has a significant presence there. Oldsmobiles raced alongside Chevys until 1994, while Pontiacs continued to compete until 2004. Nevertheless, GM used to have a strong heritage of backing numerous manufacturers in NASCAR. General Motors, one of the top manufacturers in the world despite surviving a chapter 11 bankruptcy, might bring back its three other American lines for the competition. It makes sense to bring Buick back to the Monster Energy Cup Series. Chevy and Buick would share chassis, engines, and R&D, saving GM from having to fund the program. The GMC Sierra would be added to the truck lineup, which would result in the same advantages of low launch costs and extensive exposure for GM’s other brands.
9.01.2017; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan won the award for utility vehicle of the year, which was accepted by Jim Kuniskis, head of Fiat Chrysler automobile brands. At the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle, Honda Ridgeline truck, and Chrysler Pacifica minivan were named North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year. Mandatory credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press
Dodge has already stated that they are investigating a comeback to NASCAR. Dodge left the competition following Brad Keselowski’s 2012 victory, despite creating a Gen-6 vehicle. Because it was unable to locate a flagship team to take the position of departed Penske Racing, the American carmaker withdrew its backing. However, Dodge has a chance to re-enter NASCAR because Ray Evernham has welcomed his return to the competition.
Dodge could be revived by Evernham, as he did sixteen years ago, or the group could take a totally new path. The business would not need to start from scratch like they did in 2001 because they already have Gen-6 chassis and engine technology from the Car of Tomorrow. Dodge could easily field two or three teams if they decide to return to the sport because once-proud organizations like Roush Fenway are no longer supported by their manufacturers. Since many teams are seeing a decline in sponsorship money, a new manufacturer with fresh funding would attract attention right away. Since Dodge is an American icon, it is only fitting that it compete in the nation’s most recognizable motorsport.