NASCAR’s longtime partner makes major announcement of halting ‘sponsorship of LGBTQ events’ amid corporate refocus  

Toyota Motor Corporation's involvement in the upcoming LGBTQ events in America is getting a major shakeup. According to a report by veteran journalist Adam Stern, the billion-dollar company has decided to revamp its "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) policies, refraining from investing in public events such as pride parades "that fall outside of STEM education and workforce-focused initiatives."

As per The Epoch Times, Toyota sent a memo to its employees and dealers in the U.S. on October 4th, which said:

"We will continue narrowing our community activities to align with STEM education and workforce readiness. As a result, we will no longer sponsor cultural events such as festivals and parades that are not related to STEM education and workforce readiness."

Toyota has been a longtime partner of NASCAR. Their formal move to the sport dates back to 2000, when NASCAR introduced the V6-Celica Goody's Dash program, which lasted only for a few years.

The Japanese car manufacturer debuted in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2007 featuring eight different drivers but ended the season with zero wins. Toyota returned stronger the following year and delivered 10 wins, most of which came through the hands of two-time Cup series champion Kyle Busch.

Today, Toyota fields cars for several bigshot teams in NASCAR like Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing, and, most recently, Legacy Motor Club, a NASCAR Cup Series race team owned by 7X Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson.

---

"Matrix" star Keanu Reeves to race a Toyota at IMS

John Wick, racing a Toyota at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the home to NASCAR's crown jewel, the Brickyard 400, is indeed a rare sight to behold. However, it's happening. The one and only Keanu Reeves will be seen wheeling a Toyota GR 86 in the GR Cup, an amateur-focused racing series.

Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in movies like John Constantine, The Devil's Advocate, The Matrix, and, of course, the John Wick Series. He was named the fourth-greatest actor of the 21st century by The New York Times in 2020. In 2022, Time Magazine added his name to the list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Reeves expressed his gratitude for the opportunity in a recent post by Fanatec GT World Challenge America pwd by AWS and said:

"I just wanna say thank you and my appreciation for the opportunity to race in the Toyota GR Cup at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Thank you."

To this day, several celebrities have run the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race. "Malcolm in the Middle" star Frankie Muniz made three starts in the event in 2004, 2005, and 2011. His best finish came in 2005 (P4). Muniz currently drives the No. 35 machine for Joey Gase Motorsports part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the No. 22 Ford F-150 (also part-time) for Reaume Brothers Racing in the Truck Series.

Besides Muniz, retired NBA player Karl Malone, too, participated in the race that year. Other celebrities who have taken part in the race in the past are William Shatner, Josh Brolin, Lil' Kim, Patrick Dempsey, and Adrien Brody.

Needless to say, fans are excited about Reeves' one-off appearance behind the wheel of a Toyota, also his first attempt at racing since 2014. However, Reeves does have a win to his name in the 2009 Long Beach Grand Prix Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

According to Road and Track, Reeves is an avid motorsport enthusiast, who is seen often at Formula 1 and MotoGP tracks around the world. He even has his own motorcycle brand named ARCH Motorcycle Company, LLC, which formulated the KRGT-1, an S&S-built V-twin motorcycle engineered by Gard Hollinger.