First launched to customers in 1983, the Toyota Camry sported a modest 2.0L four-cylinder engine. It was a quaint commuter car sporting exhausting strains and the boxy aesthetic frequent all through the Nineteen Eighties. At no level throughout its preliminary manufacturing might somebody take a look at the Camry and assume, 24 years later, it could be geared up with a V-8, going toe-to-toe with two of essentially the most notable American automotive manufacturers.

Why Toyota joined NASCAR’s 2007 season could be a matter of debate, although the advertising and marketing alternative cannot be ignored. The choice clearly wasn’t one made on a lark. Despite ending the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with zero wins throughout its eight drivers, the Japanese producer revisited the concept of racing in 2008 and took half within the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. By the season’s shut, Toyota had scored 10 driver wins, the majority of which had been attributed to Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch.

Unsurprisingly, Toyota’s preliminary success riled followers, however no backlash was sufficient to drive the NASCAR newcomer away from the potential for fulfillment. Before lengthy, its identify was all around the NASCAR monitor.