NASCAR History: The story of Toyota as a manufacturer in the sport

In the olden days of the sport, NASCAR was seen as a showcase and proving ground for American-made iron. Manufacturers from around the country were entered into races sanctioned by the governing body, often lightly modified by their drivers off their showroom floors.

However, gone are the days of picking up your favorite road car and modifying it to enter the Daytona 500. Modern-day NASCAR is a billion-dollar industry with giant automotive companies and their racing departments investing in the sport.

For a long period of time, these manufacturers used to be the Golden Bowtie i.e. Chevrolet, the Blue Oval i.e. Ford, and the Charging Bull i.e. Dodge. However, not too long ago, Japanese OEM Toyota decided to step into the sport owing to its vast presence in the country.

Despite launching the Camry in 1983, the road car on which the current Next-gen Cup car is based, Toyota entered NASCAR only in 2007. The Japanese automotive giant's first year in the sport went winless. However, Toyota could not overlook the obvious marketing prowess possessed by stock car racing.

The subsequent year saw Toyotas win on 10 different occasions, with the lion's share of the victories going to a certain Kyle Busch. Toyota had successfully announced itself as a major player in the sport and was here to stay.

Fans initially did not warm up to the idea of a non-American manufacturer in NASCAR. However, as it usually does, with time came acceptance.

What does Toyota's future in NASCAR look like?

Toyota seems to be invested in stock car racing for the foreseeable future. The Japanese OEM recently revealed its new NextGen Cup Series car due for competition in 2024.

The renamed Camry XSE in the Cup Series drops the TRD monicker as the XSE now claims top-dog status in the Camry's road-going lineup.

With a completely new facia, the older Toyota's strengths lay at intermediate tracks as well as road courses. However, with this new design, teams can expect improved drafting aerodynamics, helping drivers race on superspeedway-style tracks such as Daytona Internationa Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Watch the new Toyota Camry XSE in action next year during the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, along with the much-awaited Daytona 500. The 500-mile-long event goes live on February 18, 2024, at 2:30 pm ET. The sport then heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Ambetter Health 400 on February 25.