Toyota Supra Race Car Revealed For NASCAR Xfinity Series

Following a report earlier this year, Toyota has announced plans to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a new Supra-inspired race car.

Set to enter competition on February 16th, the model was jointly developed by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) USA and Calty Design Research. The race car has little in common with the upcoming production model and Toyota noted “TRD and Calty scaled [the] Supra to fit within NASCAR’s specifications for race vehicle entries in the NXS.”

While the two models will be quite different, a number of Supra styling cues carryover to the race car thanks to an extensive wrap. It features three large air intakes which reside below slender LED headlights and a protruding nose.

The production-inspired styling continues out back as the car has been equipped with slender taillights and a rear bumper that mimics the road-going model. The latter features a center-mounted third brake light which is flanked by a dual exhaust system.

The Supra will replace the previous Camry-inspired race car which has been competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2007. Over the course of its run, the car racked up four manufacturer championships, two driver championships and a total of 143 wins.

While the Camry won’t be competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the model will continue to have a presence in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Toyota also noted this will be the first year the company will a field a different model in all three of NASCAR’s national series as the automaker also competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a Tundra.

According to TRD President David Wilson, “We’ve had tremendous success working with Calty to develop race cars that match the look, feel and excitement of their showroom counterparts. We’re confident Calty and TRD have developed another race car, Supra, that is capable of winning races and championships.” Wilson went on to say the decision to use the Supra in NASCAR shows “how important this vehicle is to us.”