One veteran race team with close to 20 years of stock car experience, another with an owner who has been driving race cars for more than 20 years, and a third totally new team will all be running the Toyota Camry in the 2007 Nascar Nextel Cup Series.
Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull will all use the Camry when the series season kicks off next February with the Daytona 500.
Bill Davis Racing has been a regular competitor in the Nascar Cup Series since 1993, while Michael Waltrip Racing has primarily been involved in the Busch Series. Team Red Bull is new, although the company has been heavily involved in worldwide motorsports.
"Based on our motorsports experience, we know the importance of working with experienced teams and partners," said Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports and president and CEO of TRD, USA.
Toyota began competing in Nascar in the 2000 Goody’s Dash Series and for the past two years has been a participant in the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series. In addition to the Nextel Cup Series, Toyota will enter the Busch Series next season and continue to compete in the Craftsman Truck Series.
"Next year, 2007, marks Toyota’s 50th anniversary in America and seeing a Toyota Camry in the series will be a great way to celebrate this milestone," said Kim McCullough, TMS corporate manager, marketing communications. "The response to Toyota’s involvement in the Craftsman Truck Series has been very positive, and we look forward to building on that acceptance at the next levels."
The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America for four straight years and eight of the past nine years. Assembled at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant, more than six million Camry models have been sold in the United States since its debut 23 years ago. The 2007 Camry, a complete redesign from previous models, was recently introduced at the North American Auto Show in Detroit.
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