TOYOTA WINS FIRST NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S TITLE
Camry Drivers Claim Toyota’s First Manufacturer’s Title in 10th Cup Season
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 20, 2016) – Toyota secured its first-ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) manufacturer’s championship with a sixth-place finish by Kyle Busch at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday to capture the title in Toyota’s 10th year of Cup competition.
Camry drivers won 16-of-36 races to take the NSCS manufacturer’s championship in the season finale. The championship is the first manufacturer’s title for Toyota in the Cup Series, and Toyota has now secured the manufacturer’s title in all three NASCAR national touring series.
“Capturing our first Cup Series manufacturer’s title is a tremendous accomplishment, and one that has been a goal for Toyota since entering the series 10 years ago as underdogs in this ultra-competitive series,” said Ed Laukes, Vice President of Integrated Marketing Operations for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. “With the partnership of great teams like Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing, Toyota has been able to breakthrough and become the first different manufacturer to earn this championship in 13 seasons. Toyota has now won manufacturer’s championships in all three NASCAR national touring series, and to have reached this amazing milestone really speaks to Toyota’s commitment to not only NASCAR, but also to motorsports endeavors around the globe. We’re proud of the effort put forth by each of our Toyota teams, and all of the Toyota team members that have allowed us to reach this goal.”
Five Camry drivers collected 16 wins over 36 races during the 2016 season, including 12 wins by Joe Gibbs Racing and four by Furniture Row Racing. Busch and Martin Truex Jr. led the group with four wins a piece, while Carl Edwards (three victories), Denny Hamlin (two), and Matt Kenseth (two) also recorded triumphs in 2016.
In addition to securing the 2016 NSCS manufacturer’s championship, Toyota claimed the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) manufacturer’s title at Phoenix International Raceway and the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) manufacturer’s championship at Homestead. Toyota drivers also won multiple championships across the NASCAR national touring series, with Daniel Suarez winning the driver’s championship in the NXS and Kyle Busch Motorsports taking the owner’s title in the NCWTS.
Toyota first entered NSCS competition in 2007 and the 2016 season marks the Camry’s 10th year competing at NASCAR’s highest level. Since joining NSCS competition, Toyota has won 95 races and captured 90 poles in 360 races.
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About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company’s extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
About TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development)
TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Salisbury, N.C. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyota’s factory racing engines and chassis. TRD powers Toyota’s racing activities in NASCAR, NHRA and USAC, among other series.
