Toyota Racing – NASCAR Xfinity Series Announcement
Daytona International Speedway – July 5, 2018
Toyota executives Ed Laukes and David Wilson, and Toyota Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell were made available to the media at Daytona International Speedway during an announcement on Thursday night:
ED LAUKES, group vice president of Toyota Division Marketing
Talk about the event here tonight.
“I just want to say thank you to the members of the press for coming out and getting a chance to spend a little bit of time with us around Supra. We’re really excited about bringing it to the racetrack in the Xfinity Series in 2019. The Camry will still race in the Cup Series, best‑selling car in America for the last 16 years, and we’re still very, very bullish on sedans in the car business, and so we believe that the Camry will still play an important role and stay in the Cup Series. But we’re excited to have Supra. And we’ll make some further announcements about Supra and its retail debut that will be coming in 2019. But this is an historical day for us, so we’re really excited. I’d also like to welcome a couple of guests. First of all, one of the chief architects of this car and everything else that happens on the racetrack, David Wilson. So David, thank you very much for all the hard work that you do for our entire racing program. Dave and I actually started with the company in the same year, 1989, he at TRD and me on the Toyota side. So we share a special bond with that. Also Kevin Hunter from Calty, who you’ve met sometimes before, and they do the design on these vehicles. He’s not here today, but the big deal with that. And also our chief engineer, (Tatsuya) Tada‑San, is also here. Tada‑San, you want to say hello to everyone? Things like this do not happen without chief engineers that are as passionate about racing like Tada‑San, so thank you very much. Congratulations, and thank you for all your hard work and your dedication to NASCAR. Also members of NASCAR and ISC obviously, Lesa France (Kennedy) and Brent Dewar, thank you for coming by and spending time with us along with all your folks that always show us great support, and then Dave Alpern and JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), you’ve got your whole squad back here in a sport coat, and I really appreciate you getting dressed up and showing up here. Appreciate it. With that, exciting day for us. It’ll be very, very exciting in Daytona 2019 when we make the debut with this in the Xfinity Series.”
What has been the fan reaction from the rumors that this was actually going to be a reality?
“Yeah, I think I can answer that. Obviously the rumors came out that the Supra was going to come to the racetrack, but before there was even any discussion about coming to the racetrack, it was ‑‑ there’s been rumors for years about when is Supra going to come back to the streets as a production car. So I think there’s Supra fan clubs all over, especially in California, West Coast. But the reaction has been extremely positive. People are really excited and people are asking for what’s next and when are they going to get a chance to see the production car. We think this is a great place to debut this vehicle as it comes back into the mix, and NASCAR has really served us well from a Camry perspective. As I said earlier, we’re still in the car business. Some of the other guys have decided that they’re going to be in the SUV and truck business, and Toyota is still going to be in the car business.”
So Toyota Racing wasn’t planning on running the Supra in NASCAR until Tada-San said he’d like that? And also in your mind is NASCAR still relevant in terms of winning on Sunday and selling on Monday?
“Yeah, so statistically as an industry we’re running about 70/30 SUV/truck to car. Historically it was 60/40 car to truck and then it went to 50/50. We think it will end up stick around 70/30, maybe a little bit more. But like anything, when you produce a vehicle that brings passion and emotion to people our Camry is selling as fast as we can build them out of Georgetown, Kentucky, and if you’ve seen them out on the road, they really look spectacular. I think when you can evoke emotion into a sedan, then you bring back that emotion. And I’m not sure long term whether these guys will stay out of the car business. Just like any trend, some trends come and go and things come and go. What was the second part of your question? Oh, Tada-San? So Tada-San is the Chief Engineer of Supra, of the production vehicle, and as well as he assisted with this, and as Dave said earlier, his vision was actually to see it on the racetrack. So when he first came to us and showed us the preliminary designs a few years ago, we asked right away, so we want to introduce it into NASCAR and bring it into Xfinity to introduce it, and he’s been 100 percent supportive and been involved every single step of the way.”
ED LAUKES, group vice president of Toyota Division Marketing, cont.
Why is it important to have the Camry, to keep the Camry in the Cup Series?
“So the Camry has been with us since 2007 since we entered in Cup, and we believe the Camry is the best-selling car in America for the last 16 years, and as I said earlier, we still believe in cars. We believe in the sedan business, and we also believe the exposure that the Camry gets as a nameplate has served us very well, and we’ll continue with it in Cup Series for the very near future. Similar to, I believe, Camaro and Mustang both started in Xfinity Series, this will start in Xfinity Series, and you never know long term, but right now our current plans are to stay with Camry.”
DAVID WILSON, president of Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A.
What does it mean to have another Toyota, not just another car, not just the Camry, but now the Supra in NASCAR?
“This is truly a landmark occasion and opportunity for Toyota and TRD USA. We’ve been absolutely dedicated to bringing Supra back to American motorsports, and the fact that it gets to debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, it’s a great honor, and it really speaks to just how important NASCAR is to our company. You know, I can’t say enough about the special collaboration that this project took. Tada‑San, Kevin Hunter and his team at Calty Design, and of course our engineers at TRD USA, they’ve just done a phenomenal job, the styling, building that Supra ready for the racetrack, just like they did with our 2018 Camry. So it takes a team. These are some of the most passionate people that I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with, and I’m just proud to be on that team. It’s going to be a little bit different seeing something other than just Camry out there on the racetrack, but we have a terrific record of success with our Camry in the Xfinity Series. Our first champion, I think, in Camry in the Xfinity Series is standing to the left of me, and this guy over to the far left hopefully will be our next champion driving a Camry. But as Ed (Laukes) said, obviously we remain committed to Camry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but we are excited to get that Supra into the Xfinity Series and see it start to build its own history.”
You’re running Camry next year, and I assume the composite body work is a reason for going Supra. Will composite body work bring Supra over to the Monster Energy Series?
“So again, obviously Supra we’re going to run with the carbon fiber flange fit bodies because that’s the current rules structure in the Xfinity Series. We are working along with our other OEM partners with NASCAR on the future as it relates to composite bodies in the Cup Series, but at this point the decision and a definitive timeline hasn’t been set.”
Which came first, the idea of wanting to introduce a new model into NASCAR competition, or finding a home for Supra itself?
“Well, again, the spirit the OEMs have with NASCAR is the production vehicles always come first, and what was neat is Tada‑San, who is the father of the Supra from the beginning, he wanted to see it race, and he came and talked to his friends here. He’s been to several NASCAR races looking at the sport, and last year, early last year, he put his stamp of approval on NASCAR, and that really started the ball rolling with getting the Supra to where we are today.”
“With the new model change for 2019, does it allow the door to be opened for newer existing teams to switch from another manufacturer to Toyota or a new team to come in and run the Supra?”
“Yeah, you know, we’re always open to new teams joining Toyota in all three garages. With a body change, it requires a bit of new investment, so certainly that might lead to some new Toyota teams coming on board. We’d welcome the opportunity.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What is it like for you knowing you’re going to get a chance to race this thing and hopefully put it in Victory Lane?
“Well, I certainly would like to think I could be the first one to put it in Victory Lane, so that’s what I want to look forward to is being able to get back to the racetrack in the Xfinity Series driving a Supra in 2019 and obviously getting to Victory Lane with it. You know, with all the work and all the things that I’ve done with Toyota over the course of my years with them and with JGR, there’s certainly been a lot of victories in the Camry, both in Xfinity and the Cup Series. But certainly looking forward to adding a new nameplate to my winning and history books with Toyota and being able to be the guy that runs across all three series with Tundra, with Supra, and with Camry I think is just going to add to the legacy of what we’ve been able to accomplish over the course of the last 10, 11 years. So it’s been a phenomenal ride. It’s been a lot of fun. Love the look of the Supra already. Can’t wait to put my colors all over it in order to get it out there on the racetrack and show everybody what the Supra is all about, and thanks to David, thanks to the guys at Calty, thanks to Mr. Tada‑San about designing the car and getting it to where it is today and can’t wait to see what happens on the street, as well, too, with Supra.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 GameStop PDP Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Can you get it in Victory Lane before Kyle Busch does?
“Well, I did beat him to the driver’s seat of that thing, so I got to drive it first. It would be pretty special to be the first winner in the Supra. Kyle has won his fair share of races in the Camry, and it would be cool if I could stay above him there in the Supra Victory Lane.”
