CHASE ELLIOTT WINNS NASCAR CUP SERIES 800TH FOR CHEVROLET: The #9 Llumar Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Chase Elliott won the inaugural EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), giving Chevrolet its 800th career NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory. With this unheard-of victory, Chevrolet officially became the most prosperous brand in NASCAR history. The Camaro ZL1 1LE was driven by Elliott to victory lane for the 800th victory for the company, the 14th time since it became Chevrolet’s primary NCS race car in 2020, and the fifth time in the 2021 NCS season.
With 14 laps remaining, the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix was canceled due to bad weather. Elliott’s victory marks the NCS’s first outing at COTA, a 3.4-mile, 20-turn, circular track circuit with numerous elevation changes that flow with the hilly terrain. Elliott’s victory marked his first of the 2021 NCS season, sixth on a road course, and 12th overall in the NCS. Additionally, it commemorated Rick Hendrick’s and Hendrick Motorsports’ 268th triumph. Fonty Flock’s victory at Columbia Raceway in Columbia, South Carolina on March 26, 1955 marked the start of Chevrolet’s illustrious history in NASCAR competition. The “Bowtie Brand” is still setting the standard 66 years later. On the way to its 800 triumphs, Chevrolet has so far collected 32 Driver titles and 39 Manufacturer titles. In NASCAR’s top division, no manufacturer has helped more drivers and teams win championships than Chevrolet. Chevy PR (5-23-2021)
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Which automaker has the most NASCAR victories?
Chevy has prevailed for such a long time for two key reasons. Drivers come first and foremost. Chevys have been driven by some of the most talented and well-known NASCAR racers in history. The name Dale Earnhart has always been associated with quality, from the famous Dale Earnhart to his son Dale Earnhart Jr.
Since there isn’t much of a difference between a Chevy and a Ford, the driver is ultimately what makes the difference. However, Chevy leads NASCAR with an amazing 73 victories overall, ranking first.
Does Toyota control 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.
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.
Which motor does Toyota employ in NASCAR?
The V8 racing engine in Toyota NASCAR cars has a horsepower rating of 725. Four racing teams receive engines from Southern California-based Toyota Racing Development. For its NASCAR teams, the business produces 350 to 400 racing engines annually. The blueprinting procedure, which guarantees all engine components fall inside the limitations established by NASCAR’s governing body, is used to build every Toyota racing engine. After the engines are constructed, Toyota Racing Development puts them through testing using a dynamometer, which calculates the engines’ horsepower and torque. This enables the engine’s designers to keep track of how the engine performs at high RPM.
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.
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.