Toyota, a Japanese automaker, has expressed its displeasure at NASCAR’s decision to lower the horsepower on their Nationwide series engines after recent dyno tests demonstrated their supremacy.
After the race on June 21 at The Milwaukee Mile, dyno tests showed that Toyota had a considerable horsepower edge over Ford and Chevrolet. Toyota’s maximum horsepower was 632 compared to Ford’s, Chevrolet’s, and Dodge’s of 611, 612, and 628.
The new rules are intended to balance competitiveness, according to NASCAR. This season’s 21 Nationwide races have been won by Toyota 14 times, with 13 of those triumphs coming in Joe Gibbs Racing-driven vehicles.
There is no technical rationale, according to Lee White, President and General Manager of Toyota Racing Development, for NASCAR to make engine regulation changes that will ultimately penalize its teams for their success this season.
They’ve now made it mandatory for all Toyota engines to compete with a smaller restrictor that reduces their horsepower by between 10 and 20 hp, putting them on par with the current generation of engines used by Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge, according to the argument.
White issued a statement saying, “We’re really disappointed in NASCAR’s decision. “No technical reason exists, in our judgment, to penalize the Toyota engine used in the Nationwide Series.
“Toyota has always adhered to all NASCAR-mandated engine requirements and will continue to do so. The Nationwide engine was developed entirely to NASCAR requirements.
“All of our race teams have put in a lot of effort and worked hard to succeed this year, which is evident in the performance of the Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series. We will work hard to maintain the competitiveness of our Nationwide teams despite this setback. We continue to believe that at the end of this year, a Toyota team or driver will be honored with a championship.”
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What about Toyota in NASCAR?
The last straw was witnessing yet another Toyota victory in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. The other manufacturers have little chance now that Toyota has seized control of NASCAR’s top series.
The best quote came from Clint Bowyer in the Nationwide race, another category that the foreign manufacturer has dominated this year. The Toyotas, according to Bowyer, simply have too much power.
I’m interested in finding out what NASCAR will do. Great American vehicle manufacturers created this sport.
In 2007, Toyota entered the top two NASCAR divisions. Just ask team owner Jack Roush: Toyota invested TOO much money and hired the best minds in sports. In an effort to make ownership more affordable, NASCAR unveiled the COT in 2007. Teams ended up paying even more money to obtain data on the new vehicle as a result of NASCAR’s limited schedule with the new chassis.
This resulted in one of the most unbalanced seasons in recent memory, with nearly half of NASCAR’s 36 victories going to Hendrick Motorsports. Toyota has won seven of the 18 races so far this year, followed by Chevrolet four times, Dodge four times, and Ford three times. It’s not all that horrible to look at these statistics unless you break them down by driver.
With six victories, Kyle Busch has the most in the series; Carl Edwards is second with three victories. It shouldn’t take NASCAR too long to realize that TOYOTA is the key differentiator.
Since they will likely lose their only championship driver to Haas CNC, I don’t blame Joe Gibbs Racing for switching. However, NASCAR has to examine their 2008 campaign theme, “Back to Basics,” and take action against Toyota’s hegemony in the sport.
Toyota: Does it rule NASCAR?
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.
Uses Toyota engines in NASCAR?
The NASCAR engines from Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet are identical in size and have a lot of structural similarities. The three engines differ in that different manufacturers supply different engine components. For instance, while Chevrolet provides engine parts to the Chevrolet NASCAR teams, Ford provides engine parts to the Ford NASCAR teams. The only automaker in NASCAR that produces complete engines for teams is Toyota.
Do automakers have any impact on NASCAR?
Although the specifics of engine regulations won’t change significantly with the next generation, it’s anticipated that hybrid engines with more electric components than the present generation will be available. Engines that use both fossil fuels, such as gas, and electrical energy are known as hybrid engines. Notably, all three engine providers produce vehicles with hybrid engines and have made significant investments in electrical engine development in recent years. For NASCAR, Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet would all produce engines that are more in line with what they already sell to customers and what automobiles of the future will resemble.
Indy car is preparing a transition to hybrid engines, and Formula 1 has had hybrid engines since 2013. Other motorsport categories have also been making the switch to hybrid technology. The switch also makes sense from an environmental standpoint because hybrid engines pollute less than conventional engines. For NASCAR (and all of motorsport) to succeed in the long run, minimizing environmental damage is essential, which also helps to explain the switch to hybrid engines.
A hybrid engine might also draw additional automakers to the event, as they are eager to promote their own efforts in hybrid and electric technology. The introduction of new well-known automakers that provide engines would boost competition, which is always positive for the sport and entertaining for the spectators.
The competition between the three businesses who supply NASCAR with engines won’t alter, even though the engine itself will. The NASCAR hybrid engines that Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet each design and provide to the teams that use them will not all be identical, even if they must all abide by the same rules.
Toyota plans to enter the Supra in NASCAR.
Back on the track is the Toyota Supra! The fiercely competitive NASCAR Xfinity Series will include the worldwide renowned legendary sports vehicle starting in 2019. (NXS). On Saturday, February 16, 2019, Supra will make its on-track debut in the NXS event at Daytona.
“Many auto aficionados immediately think of the Supra when you mention Toyota and cool automobiles, according to Ed Laukes, group vice president of Toyota Division Marketing. ” While the Supra’s return in manufacturing form is fantastic news, this legendary sports car will also soon make a comeback in American motorsport. A race car must convey the dynamism and personality of its showroom equivalent from a marketing standpoint. With Supra, we’re certain that we’ve achieved that, and we hope that racing enthusiasts everywhere will joyfully applaud its triumph on the track.
To create a Supra for NASCAR competition, Toyota collaborated with its subsidiaries TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, California, and Calty Design Research, Inc. (Calty) in Newport Beach, California. The 2018 Toyota Camry, which won the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, was one of the two teams’ previous NASCAR cooperation projects.
TRD and Calty scaled the Supra to meet NASCAR’s requirements for race vehicle entries in the NXS in order to develop it for the series.
“According to David Wilson, president of TRD, “We’ve had great success working with Calty to produce race vehicles that match the look, feel, and excitement of their showroom counterparts.” “With the Supra, Calty and TRD have created a new race car that is capable of taking victories and titles. The fact that Supra is competing in NASCAR shows how important this car is to us and how confident we are in Supra’s ability to win a genuine championship.
Since Toyota started running the Camry in NXS competition in 2007, the car has won 143 races, two driver championships, and four manufacturer championships. Toyota will run a separate model in each of NASCAR’s three national series for the first time in 2019: Camry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS), Supra in the NXS, and Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).
As a dominant force in Super GT competition and a competitor in the IMSA Camel GT Series in the 1980s, Supra has competed in both American and Japanese racing in the past. In the 1990s, it also participated in two 24 Hours of Le Mans races in France.