2020 Toyota GR Supra Nascar XFinity Concept

Appearing at Toyota’s 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show display, a NASCAR Xfinity Series Supra represents racing in North America.

“When you think of Toyota and sports cars, the Supra is the first thing that comes to mind for many auto enthusiasts,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president – Toyota Division Marketing. “The Supra’s return to production is big news, and competing in American motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is even bigger. From a marketing perspective, it’s important to have a race car that evokes the dynamism and character of its showroom counterpart. We’re confident we’ve accomplished that with Supra, and we hope racing fans the world over will proudly cheer its success on track.”

In 2017, Toyota worked with its subsidiaries, Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. (TRD) and Calty Design Research, Inc. (Calty) to develop a Supra for NASCAR competition. Calty worked hand-in-hand with TRD to ensure consistency between production models and on-track Toyota racecars, while also improving on-track performance with each new build. To build the Supra for the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), TRD and Calty scaled the Supra’s distinct features to fit within NASCAR’s specifications for race vehicle entries in the NXS.

We’ve had tremendous success working with Calty to develop racecars that match the look, feel, and excitement of the production models,” said David Wilson, president of TRD. “Our confidence was well placed, as the Supra has not only proven itself capable of winning races, it is currently leading the NXS championship. For the Supra to be racing in NASCAR just speaks to how important this vehicle is to us, and that we believe the Supra can be a bona fide championship winner.”

Currently, Toyota driver Christopher Bell holds the top spot in the driver standings with his no. 20 Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Supra previously raced in both Japan and America, where it was a dominant force in Japan’s Super GT competition and a contender in the IMSA Camel GT Series in the 1980s. It also made two appearances in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in the 1990s.

Toyota’s commitment to motorsports in America includes six models across eight racing series. TRD’s lineup includes: Camry, Supra, and Tundra in the NASCAR national series; Camry in the NHRA Funny Car competition; Camry in the ARCA Racing Series and Regional Touring Series; 86 and Corolla Hatchback in Formula Drift; as well as engines for dirt midget racing and other series.

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