TEAM TOYOTA COLLECTED IN INCIDENT-FILLED O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SEASON OPENER

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2026) – All six Toyota GR Supras from Joe Gibbs Racing and Sam Hunt Racing failed to finish an incident-filled NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS)
Daytona International Speedway
Race 1 of 33 – 300 miles, 120 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Austin Hill*
2nd, Justin Allgaier*
3rd, Ryan Sieg*
4th, Jordan Anderson*
5th, Sammy Smith*
26th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
28th, TAYLOR GRAY
29th, HARRISON BURTON
30th, BRANDON JONES
35th, DEAN THOMPSON
37th, GIO RUGGIERO
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 28th

What happened out there?

“Just wrong place, wrong time. Guys getting impatient, but at the end of the day, I felt like we had a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra. Can’t thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and TOYOTA RACING enough for working hard all off season and bringing fast cars to the track. We will move on to Atlanta next weekend.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 20 Menards/Swiffer Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 30th

How disappointing that this is how your night ends?
“You never want to start the year like this, especially because we had some people from the Menards family here with us today, Swiffer such a long-time supporter of our race team, so I hate that we have to go out like this, but this kind of racing is just for the birds in my opinion. It is so difficult to make it to the end. We did a lot of things right today, made a couple of mistakes – missed a few runs, here and there, that I can go back and learn from – but I was proud of the save early on. Hopefully the Toyota in-car showed that, because it was pretty epic – there was some really good moments, so I’m going to take the highs and study some of the lows and see how we can do it, because we have plenty of these tracks left on the schedule to try to tackle. We will continue to work at it, including at the home track next week.”

GIO RUGGIERO, No. 19 First Auto Group Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 37th

What happened?

“I think it is just people being stupid. The 8 (Sammy Smith) just looked like he cleared himself or I don’t know if the 1 (Carson Kvapil) got into him, yeah, just stupid move when you are running full-time for points. I don’t think that is going to get you anywhere. Just unfortunate. I hate it for the guys on the 19 Toyota team. Obviously, having a couple of different drivers and starting to start the year off good in owners’ points, so wish I could have brought them a better finish because they brought a really good car. We definitely had a chance to win it.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

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