As we approach this weekend’s NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway, Toyota made an announcement that they will be putting the Toyota Supra in the minor league Xfinity Series in 2019. The new Supra will replace the Toyota Camry, which has served a long time in the spot. The new Supra will be made by TRD USA and Calty Design Research. It borrows some design cues from the Gaza Racing Supra concert well say in spring this year that the Geneva Auto Show.
The Xfinity Supra has a sharp nose facia and exterior designs that throw back to the original Toyota FT1 concept of 2014. Under the hood, it’s all NASCAR though. It’s a full NASCAR-spec tube frame chassis with a carbonated pushrod V8 engine, and has a four-speed manual transmission. Like with every other NASCAR car in the world, this is the car by name alone, it barely even looks like the Supra we’re going to see on the streets soon enough.
It’s a little odd and awesome to see the Toyota Supra racing in North America again, even if it’s just purely the nameplate. It’s been since the 1980s when we saw the Supra racing in the United States, that happened during the IMSA GT Series. Back in the 1990s, Toyota raced the Supra in Japan’s Super GT Series, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Xfinity Toyota Supra has a big legacy to catch up with as the Camry has been in the series since 2007. During this time, the Toyota Camry landed four manufacturer titles and 142 wins. Four of the teams in the Xfinity Series use Toyotas, and there’s no word on if the Supra will eventually be Toyota’s next top-level car for the Monster Energy Series.
You can expect to see the Supra on in the Xfinity Series on February 16th, 2019 during the kickoff of the season at Daytona.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
