Toyota will race their Supra sports car model in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2019. The announcement was made Thursday night (July 5) at Daytona International Speedway.
The Supra raced in various sports car series’ in the United States and Japan in the 1980s, also competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1990s.
“When you talk Toyota and cool cars, Supra is the first thing that comes to mind for many auto enthusiasts,” Ed Laukes, Toyota Division Marketing’s group vice president, said in a statement. “Supra’s return in production form is huge news, but now we’re also going to see this iconic sports car return to American motorsport.”
The car was designed by collaboration between Toyota Racing Development and Caity Design Research.
“We’ve had tremendous success working with Calty to develop race cars that match the look, feel and excitement of their showroom counterparts,” David Wilson, president of TRD, said in a press release.
The Supra model was last produced in 2002 after being introduced in 1978.
“This is a big deal for the NASCAR XFINITY Series,” Kyle Busch stated in a press release. “Supra is an iconic cool car, and to have it racing in NASCAR to highlight Supra’s return speaks to how important this is. I’m hoping to be the first guy to get Supra to Victory Lane, but I’m sure there’s a few other Toyota drivers thinking the same thing.”
Busch has 81 NXS wins in the Toyota Camry, which has been used in both the NXS and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since 2008, and has won two driver titles and four manufacturer titles. The Camry will continue to be used in the MENCS.
The Toyota Supra will compete against the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang in 2019.