INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 29, 2023) – NHRA and Toyota officials announced today that Toyota will continue as the “Official Car of NHRA” as part of a new multi-year extension.
This continues the long-term partnership between NHRA and Toyota that started in 2002. Toyota became the “Official Car of NHRA” in 2014, with the latest extension continuing the official partnership between the two companies for now more than a decade.
“Toyota is pleased to extend our agreement with the NHRA,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager, Motorsports and Assets, Toyota Motor North America. “The partnership with the NHRA has provided a unique platform to promote our Toyota product lineup in markets across the nation with their passionate and dedicated fanbase. We look forward to continuing to build on that momentum for years to come.”
As part of the long-standing partnership with NHRA, Toyota will have a season-long presence at NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series national events and will be featured prominently throughout the NHRA’s television broadcasts on FOX and Fox Sports 1, and on the NHRA social media pages.
Toyota will also continue to enjoy a significant onsite presence at NHRA national events, including trackside signage, in-venue video ad placements the popular Toyota display as part of NHRA’s Nitro Alley and more. The Toyota displays feature a number of interactive items for fans to enjoy and also showcase the Toyota line of vehicles, including a replica Toyota GR Supra Funny Car driven by some of the top NHRA stars.
“For more than 20 years, Toyota has been an integral part of the NHRA at so many levels and we’re thrilled to have them remain as ‘Official Car of the NHRA’ and continue this great partnership,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer. “Toyota has continually shown a strong commitment to NHRA drag racing and its race teams, and their dedication to innovation on the track has been evident in the outstanding success they’ve enjoyed over the years.”
Along with its “Official Car of NHRA” status, Toyota also works closely with a number of standout race teams in the nitro ranks, including Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon and J.R. Todd with Kalitta Motorsports, Antron Brown, Steve Torrence, Justin Ashley, Ron Capps and Alexis DeJoria.
Toyota-supported NHRA teams hit a milestone during 2023 season, as Torrence’s win in Seattle handed Toyota its 200th victory in the NHRA. Toyota ended the season with 210 victories as well as a championship, as Top Fuel veteran Kalitta won his first world title in a winner-take-all final round in Pomona to close out the season. In all, Toyota-supported teams won 17 races in 2023 between the Top Fuel and Funny Car ranks.
Kalitta’s championship handed another world title to Toyota, with the likes of Brown, Capps, Todd, Langdon, Del Worsham, Larry Dixon and Cruz Pedregon also winning world championships under the Toyota umbrella.
For more information on Toyota, please visit www.toyota.com. For more information on the NHRA, including the 2024 schedule, please visit www.NHRA.com.
About TOYOTA
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America (more than 49,000 in the U.S.).
Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 45 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.4 million cars and trucks (more than 2.1 million in the U.S.) in 2022, of which, nearly one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).
About Mission Foods
MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/
About Camping World Holdings, Inc.
Camping World Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, (together with its subsidiaries) is the World’s largest retailer of RVs and related products and services. Our vision is to build a long-term legacy business that makes RVing fun and easy. Our Camping World and Good Sam brands have been serving RV consumers since 1966. We strive to build long-term value for our customers, employees, and shareholders by combining a unique and comprehensive assortment of RV products and services with a national network of RV dealerships, service centers and customer support centers along with the industry’s most extensive online presence and a highly trained and knowledgeable team of employees serving our customers, the RV lifestyle, and the communities in which we operate. We also believe that our Good Sam organization and family of programs and services uniquely enable us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With RV sales and service locations in 43 states, Camping World has grown to become the prime destination for everything RV. For more information, visit www.campingworld.com.
About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
