Toyota Racing Development Seeking Larger NASCAR Lineup

Getty Toyota Racing Development wants to expand for 2024.

Toyota Racing Development currently works with two NASCAR Cup Series teams. However, the OEM wants to expand its presence ahead of the 2024 season.

TRD President David Wilson provided insight on the matter to Nate Ryan of NBC Sports during a trip to Daytona International Speedway. He explained that there have been discussions with many “incumbents” and that there is a lot of interest. He also talked about the potential of working with some lower-tier teams to help them make improvements.

“We’ve got some good irons in the fire now,” Wilson explained. “What was once a very effective strategy to amass our resources across fewer cars, with the marginalization of the areas that we have to play in and the flattening out of the playing field, we definitely need some more help.”

Wilson also told Ryan that there the budget is a factor. It doesn’t grow as he adds more teams to the roster. Instead, he has to find ways to allocate the existing money to all of these teams without having a negative effect on performance.

Toyota Entered the Cup Series in 2007

GettyMartin Truex Jr. practices at Richmond Raceway.

Toyota has achieved a significant amount of success in NASCAR considering that its drivers have combined for well over 100 wins and three Cup Series championships. However, this was not always the case.

Toyota entered the Cup Series in 2007, much to the chagrin of some fans. The OEM did not achieve success during this inaugural season while working with Red Bull Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Bill Davis Racing, but the situation changed in 2008 as Toyota inked a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing.

This first year featured several trips to Victory Lane for both JGR and TRD. Kyle Busch delivered eight wins in his first season with the team while Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin each added one of their own.

The success has continued ever since with Busch, Hamlin, Stewart, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Erik Jones, Christopher Bell, Carl Edwards, and Martin Truex Jr. all capturing wins in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.

A New Toyota Team Joined the Ranks in 2021

GettyBubba Wallace drives during qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Multiple teams have fielded Toyota entries over the years. Many, such as Gaunt Brothers Racing, are no longer competing in the Cup Series. Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing has continued to be the flagship organization while delivering consistent success on a wide variety of tracks.

A new team joined the ranks ahead of the 2021 season. Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin joined forces to found 23XI Racing, which initially fielded one Toyota Camry for Bubba Wallace.

The team has since expanded to two full-time entries and one part-time entry, which Travis Pastrana will use while attempting to qualify for the Daytona 500. Now the team will move forward with one entry for Wallace and one for Tyler Reddick as both drivers attempt to reach the playoffs.

While there are now six full-time Toyota-backed entries in the Cup Series, the goal is to have more in the future. Wilson specifically told NBC Sports that nine or 10 entries would be the sweet spot for the 2024 season and beyond with the Next Gen car.