Toyota Racing – David Wilson
NASCAR Quotes

DAYTONA BEACH (February 17, 2023) – David Wilson, president, TRD was made available to media prior to the Daytona 500 on Friday:

DAVID WILSON, president, TRD (Toyota Racing Development)

What’s new for you heading into 2023 and what are you most excited about?

“2023, there’s a lot of excitement, anticipation that we all share at this time of the year – being back at the beach. For Toyota, 2023 represents our 20th anniversary of coming into the sport and into the Truck Series. We’re going to spend some time celebrating that and recognizing that as it’s been an incredible journey and continues to be. Of course, we’ve got a couple of new faces. Looking forward to our year with Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs of course and we’re going to have some fun this weekend with Travis (Pastrana) racing in the Daytona 500. Might have to help with his enthusiasm level (laughter), but we’re looking forward to a great season and here we go again.”

Where do the OEMs stand on electrification within your NASCAR program?

“Obviously social and market forces are driving all of us as car manufacturers to be respectful and to be sensitive to put carbon reduction at the front of our business. When you take it to the race track, I think every motorsport globally is faced with the same pressures, including NASCAR. The question is how and when and what. What I’ll say is all of us sitting up here have been working very closely with NASCAR on new technologies, on a focus towards reduction of carbon, but it continues to be a work in progress.”

Do you feel you’ve been kept in the loop on information around the Garage 56 program?

“I have to start by saying that I have to kind of be nice to both of these guys as I might be leaning on them for Formula 1 tickets later (laughter). All kidding aside, yes, we were outspoken about it. Here’s the good news is that NASCAR has been amazingly transparent with all of us on what’s been happening on the testing. We’ve attended testing, the data has been shared with us and the silver lining is that NASCAR is learning some things from that testing and will learn some things when they take that car to Le Mans that will benefit all of us. Will it benefit some just a little bit more? Of course, yeah.”

Would the OEMs be open to a team salary cap and how would you expect to be impacted?

“The issue of budget cap falls under the larger umbrella of cost containment of putting some business sustainability across this sport that our teams have struggled with. This isn’t something new, it’s something that other sports have engaged, stick and ball obviously, but also Formula 1 on the motorsports side. Generally speaking, we’re supportive of it in the interest that it could again put some measures of reasonableness on what’s spent. That’s not a bad thing. The challenge, like every other application of budget cap is going to be on how and how it’s implemented and measured and controlled. As we all sit up here today, we have direct engagements with our team partners and more of those are not check writing engagements, they are technology based. Technology is a form of currency so how you value those and measure them will be a challenge, but principally right now, this is a conversation between our racing teams and NASCAR.”

Did you figure out why Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick suffered from carbon monoxide exposure at the Clash?
“Yes, they both did suffer from some carbon monoxide exposure. The subsidization is it was a multi-faceted issue. One probably being the mufflers that we ran, and the other racing in a bowl and a lot of time at low speed contributing to that. I’m not aware if other drivers suffered to the same extent, but we don’t have any cause to believe that it is a Toyota-specific issue.”

Do you have enough data to feel comfortable about what happened to rear of the car?
“I would start by saying that the simulation that NASCAR has done, the crash testing that NASCAR has done, the engineering that NASCAR has done is all positive and sound. Like anything else, the real experience is going to be in what happens on the race track. We are going to see that – good, bad or otherwise – it is going to happen, and we are going to continue to collect data. We are satisfied that NASCAR continues with a mentality that there is no such thing as a perfectly safe race car, and it is something that all of us as an industry have to remain focused on and committed on continual improvement.”

If you had to go and find the next Christopher Bell, what would it take in today’s dollars to develop them?

“A gazillion. Is that fair? All kidding aside, Christopher (Bell) certainly, arguably, is the poster child. I’ve said before – everything that we’ve invested, our partners like JBL, ExxonMobil and Safelite, all that they have invested. All it takes is one Christopher Bell to make it all worthwhile. We’ve checked that box. The motivation was certainly to grow our own, but that was just a motivation. More broadly, as a stakeholder, as a company that gets so much value from competing, it has become more of a social responsibility and culture. It mirrors part of our culture – in having respect for people and giving these young athletes opportunities that they may not otherwise have had. There is nothing more that I enjoy more than walking down the grid any given Sunday afternoon and giving out hugs and high-fiving a third of the grid, a half of the grid – it seems like, because we have helped them in some matter – I don’t care who they drive for. Their success is our success to some extent. We will continue to be committed to that, and we are good. We will be okay.”

Are we going to continue to see more development in World of Outlaws?

“That has been a passion project for TRD. We have had that 410 engine on our to do list for a better part of a decade, ever since we turned a wheel in USAC, in the midgets, it became apparent that we needed to develop a Sprint Car engine. The World of Outlaws season started just the other day. We are getting closer to a broader coverage of our TRD 410 but want to make sure it is right and ready for a broader market as well. Stay tuned.”

What will the Toyota Racing program and TRD look like without Kyle Busch?

“We were so close to getting out of here. (laughter) I was the one touting everything that Kyle Busch and Toyota have done together in the past decade and a half. I guess I said last year that we will forever celebrate that record of success, because of the Kyle Busch rule being implemented, there will probably not be another driver ever that matches his level of success with one manufacturer. He is going to be missed. Life goes on. I sleep well at night because I know how that went down and how everybody acquitted themselves, so we are focusing forward. We have a terrific young man in Tyler Reddick. We are convinced that he is going to be great for our brand. He is a good person. We are going to – and are – having fun with him. On the Truck side, you mentioned TRICON and our friends along those lines. That is a very capable outfit – one of only three vertically integrated teams in the Truck garage that can not only go race, but can built their trucks. We were very intentional in bringing them in the fold. They have become an extension of our driver development program. It is a process. One of the things we are intentional about is being strategic and focusing forward and anticipating changes. It is not going to happen overnight, and certainly there are days that we will miss Kyle and there are days that we won’t.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 20 electrified options, with more in showrooms later this year.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
OEM Press Conference | Friday, February 17, 2023

Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports was part of a panel discussion this afternoon where a variety of issues were discussed with members of the media. Here is a transcript of Rushbrook’s answers.

MARK RUSHBROOK, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports – WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST IN 2023? “I think 2022 was obviously a revolutionary season with the new car and a lot of changes coming, so we see 2023 very much as evolutionary. It’s good to see some of the changes in the cars that are being made and all the teams continue and manufacturers continue to learn these cars, so it’s gonna be interesting as we saw strengths and weaknesses across the three OEM’s last year throughout different parts of the season. I’m sure that’s gonna continue as we go through 2023 as well, so definitely an evolution of the Next Gen car. Also an evolution for us is we had three rookies last year with Austin and Harrison and Todd and we’re excited about continuing to watch their individual development as drivers and also welcoming Ryan Preece into a full-time Cup ride with Stewart-Haas. We’re definitely excited about that, and then in the Truck Series welcoming ThorSport back and seeing Hailie Deegan with a new opportunity there. There’s a lot of excitement across all the different series.”

WHERE ARE WE IN THE EV PROCESS? “In the question you talk about hybridization or electrification and I think that is important for relevancy at some point when it’s right. It’s also about the carbon reduction as David said. We see in a lot of other series and certainly to be discussed here, and part of the decision for the sport, while keeping a combustion engine going to a low carbon fuel or a responsible fuel. You see that in a lot of other series. There’s certainly an opportunity to do it here as well as the overall carbon footprint of the sport, not just what we’re doing on track. I think those are areas we continue to work together as OEM partners and with NASCAR on that, and then electrification, as I said to start out, it’s just when the time is right and when the technology is right. We’ve got a great formula here with Cup and Xfinity and Truck and three good national series, but there’s an opportunity to look and do more and try to introduce that technology in a way that makes sense.”

LATER TODAY THE GARAGE 56 ENTRY IS GOING TO BE REVEALED BY CHEVROLET AND NASCAR. TOYOTA AND FORD WERE OUTSPOKEN ABOUT THAT ISSUE LAST YEAR. HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW? “We both definitely were outspoken and a lot of that though was because we didn’t know all the details of exactly what was going to happen with the plan. What’s good about this sport is we do work together as partners, NASCAR does listen, and from that discussion I think there’s a good plan so we are able as manufacturers to attend the tests as David said. We are able to see all the data. I think with what the car is we’re comfortable with what can be learned from it and there are some good things that are being learned that can be shared with everybody and to help the sport, but it’s also really good for the sport to have that car competing at Le Mans. I think it makes a good statement. I know it’s a Chevy, but it’s still a good statement for the sport and at the end of the day it’s good for all of us.”

TEAMS SAY THEY ARE OPEN TO A SALARY CAP OR BUDGET CEILING. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? “Certainly, for the sport to be sustainable the business model for the teams and the manufacturers, and all the stakeholders in the sport, needs to be sustainable. So, how a cost cap would be implemented is obviously going to be very important. How it’s tracked. How it’s enforced, but I think even before we get to that there’s still a lot more that we can do with the rules in the sport to take out cost and spend for both the teams and the OEMs.”

WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE WAYS TO HELP TEAMS AND MANUFACTURERS? “Well, there are things that have already been done, such as the wind tunnel hour restrictions. That could still go lower. The number of CFD runs drives a lot of costs in engineers and CPU time. We’ve made improvements at different points in time with some of the engine rules and seals. I think there is further opportunity there, so it’s really just looking across everything that we do and where we are as an industry – OEMs, teams, other stakeholders – where is the money being spent and where is it really adding value to the sport to the fans.”

IS THERE A WAY TO ACHIEVE HIGHER HORSEPOWER WITH A LONGER LIFESPAN FOR THE ENGINES? “In terms of controlling costs, the biggest thing that we can do is keep the horsepower and the rules steady and constant and not be moving them up or down in different years. That’s one thing we can do because development is one of the areas where we spend a lot of money. There are also in most other series there’s a homologation of the engine that it’s not as much open development that’s allowed week to week throughout the year and by reducing the number of specifications through a season it reduces your development and some of your spend for the engineering as well as the durability testing.”

DOES THE INVOLVEMENT IN F1 IMPACT ANYTHING WITH YOUR CUP TEAMS AND RELATIONSHIPS THERE OR WHAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM IN THE FUTURE? “The way that we’re approaching it is Formula 1, for us, is an overlay to our existing programs. It is not substitutional or displacing any of our current plans.”

The NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been adapted for endurance racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 17, 2023) – NASCAR officially unveiled the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and livery it plans to race as the Garage 56 entry in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Garage 56 project, which is anticipated to be approved for entry by l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) in the coming weeks, is a partnership between NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear – the winningest team, manufacturer and tire in the sport’s 75-year history.

The systems and components of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 are largely unchanged from the Next Gen race car that competes weekly in the NASCAR Cup Series. Among the changes made to prepare the car for an endurance race are functioning headlights and taillights, a larger fuel cell, carbon brake discs and specially designed Goodyear Eagle race tires.

“From the beginning of this project, it was important to us that the car we bring to Le Mans is a true NASCAR stock car,” said Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO. “While there have been some adjustments to allow the car to compete in a 24-hour endurance race, fans in Le Mans will be treated to the full NASCAR experience.”

On-track testing for the project began last August at Road Atlanta with two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, who will be joined by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button behind the wheel at the upcoming 100th anniversary of the world-famous endurance race. Altogether the test car and its previous iteration have logged more than 3,600 miles at six separate tests (Road Atlanta, Virginia International Raceway, Goodyear Proving Grounds, Carolina Motorsports Park, Sebring International Raceway and Daytona International Speedway).

NASCAR Next Gen Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Specs:

Length:                                     195.4” / 4,961 mm
Width:                                       78.6” / 1,996.4 mm
Height:                                      50.4” / 1,280 mm
Wheelbase:                               110” / 2,794 mm
Weight:                                     2,960 lbs / 1,342 kg
Spoiler:                                     6” / 152.4 mm
Body:                                        2023 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 composite symmetric body featuring integral flap systems, camera mounts and dive planes

Underwing:                               Full carbon undertray w/Le Mans spec splitter, engine panel and rear diffuser
Chassis:                                   Steel tubing w/bolt-on front and rear clips and front/rear bumpers
Transaxle:                                 5-speed paddle shift sequential with ramp and plate differential
Suspension (Front and rear):     Double wishbone billet aluminum control arms w/adjustable coil over shock absorbers
Steering:                                   Rack and pinion
Wheels:                                    Dry Fronts – BBS-G56 forged aluminum 18” x 12.5” / 462 mm x 317.5 mm

                                                Dry Rears – BBS-G56 forged aluminum 18” x 13.5” / 462 mm x 342.9 mm

                                                Wets – BBS forged aluminum 18” x 12” / 462 mm x 304.8 mm
Tires:                                        Dry Fronts – Goodyear Racing Eagles – 365/35R18 (day / night)

                                                Dry Rears – Goodyear Racing Eagles – 380/35R18 (day / night)

                                                Wets – Goodyear Racing Eagles – 365/35R18 (inter / full)

                                                ** Cured in-tire, passive TPMS system, Powered by Goodyear Sightline

Brakes:                                     Six piston monobloc front calipers / four piston monobloc rear calipers – heavy duty carbon disc packages

Front Brake Rotors:                   15” x 1.57” / 381 mm x 40 mm carbon disc w/titanium bell
Rear Brake Rotors:                   14” x 1.26” / 355.6 mm x 32 mm carbon disc w/titanium bell
Engine:                                     NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet R07 cast iron small block V8
Engine displacement:                358 cu in / 5.8 L
Induction system:                      Naturally aspirated
Fuel system:                             Fuel injection
Oil system:                               Dry sump
Engine cooling:                         Air exits radiator through hood louvers
Exhaust:                                   Split-side exit exhaust
Fuel cell:                                   32 gallons / 127 L (Total Excellium Racing 100)

About NASCAR

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

About the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)

International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the IMSA Prototype Challenge, as well as four one-make series: Ferrari Challenge North America, Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and Porsche Carrera Cup North America. IMSA – a company within the NASCAR family – is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. For more information please visit IMSA.com, www.twitter.com/IMSA, www.facebook.com/IMSA or www.instagram.com/imsa_racing.

About Hendrick Motorsports

Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (291) and laps led (more than 77,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 38 different seasons, including an active streak of 37 in a row (1986-2022). The team fields four full-time Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Headquartered on more than 100 acres in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports employs approximately 600 people. For more information, please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 74,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.