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The next era of Toyota Tundra TRD Pro has infiltrated the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Toyota Racing Development officially unveiled the 2022 Tundra that will run on circuits during the 2022 season, starting with a test run by Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The new Tundra features new headlights and taillights that resemble the trucks found in showrooms across the United States. The unveiling also coincides with the Sept. 19 reveal of the 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. The new truck will be available in showrooms while the Truck Series drivers will showcase the race version during the 23-event season.
“The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has always been extremely important to Toyota not only in our history, but our focus at our dealerships,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager of motorsports for Toyota Motor North America, in a press release. “The launch of the new Tundra is a really exciting time for our entire organization so to be able to reflect that new styling in our NASCAR Tundra with the TRD Pro design is a reflection of the importance of the series to all of us and allows us to continue ensuring our on-track production resembles its production counterparts that can be found in our Toyota showrooms.”
Toyota is the only manufacturer in NASCAR that uses a different vehicle for each of the top three series. The Truck Series drivers head to the track in Toyota Tundras while the Xfinity Series drivers control Toyota Supras. The Cup Series drivers, such as Busch and Denny Hamlin, race Toyota Camrys.
TRD Drivers Channeled Their Inner Spies
While the new Tundra rolled up to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and entertained fans, Toyota dropped a special video on Twitter. This wasn’t a simple clip featuring a truck heading around a track, however, as the TRD drivers pulled off a full-on heist.
Toyota released the clip on Twitter, showing Austin Hill and John Hunter Nemechek as they channeled Tom Cruise. The two drivers showed up at a locked facility that held the new Tundra, but they could not gain access due to a lone security guard. Fortunately, a fellow TRD driver, Christian Eckes, distracted the guard with Supra and provided Hill and Nemechek with an opening to complete the heist.
While the two Truck Series drivers had an opportunity to defeat the security protocols and get their hands on the new Tundra, they didn’t complete the heist. Busch showed up with a remote and popped open the door so they could all get some time behind the wheel.
“All of us at Kyle Busch Motorsports are proud to have carried the Toyota Tundra badging since we started this race team,” Busch said in a press release. “Toyota and TRD are always working with us to ensure we’re as competitive as possible on the race track, but also ensuring that the body styling of our Tundras matches what fans can buy in their dealerships. The new Tundra is really aggressive looking and it’s great to see that reflected in our NASCAR Tundras with the TRD Pro badging for the 2022 season.”
Another Manufacturer Has To Reveal Its New Body
The release of the 2022 Toyota Tundra is the second of the week. Ford previously showcased the new F-150 that will become the primary ride for Hailie Deegan, Todd Gilliland, and other Truck Series drivers.
The F-150 reveal provided the first look at race vehicles that resemble their showroom counterparts. The noses and tails look more like the production models while the bodies feature both composite materials and steel.
While Ford and Toyota both revealed the new bodies, Chevrolet has remained quiet. The manufacturer behind GMS Racing, Niece Motorsports, and Young’s Motorsports has not yet revealed the 2022 Silverado. There is also no concrete date for when this announcement will take place, per Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass.
NASCAR noted in the original press release that it is not mandatory that teams switch to the new bodies for the 2022 season. The sanctioning body would prefer to see every team in a 2022 Toyota, Ford, or Chevrolet, but the 2021 models will remain eligible for the competition to aid with cost management.
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