Three teams to field Toyota Camry in 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series

Three teams to field Toyota Camry in 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 24, 2006) - One veteran race team with close to 20 years of stock car experience, another with an owner who has been driving race cars for more than 20 years, and a third totally new team will all be running the Toyota Camry in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull will all utilize the "Most Popular Car in America" when the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season kicks-off next February with the Daytona 500, Toyota and teams announced today.
Bill Davis Racing has been a regular competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series since 1993, while Michael Waltrip Racing has primarily been involved in the Busch Series. Team Red Bull is new to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, although the company has been heavily involved in worldwide motorsports.

In addition to Red Bull, other primary sponsors that will be associated with the Toyota teams are Caterpillar (Bill Davis Racing) and NAPA (Michael Waltrip Racing). Caterpillar has been associated with Bill Davis Racing for nine years and NAPA has had a relationship with Michael Waltrip for five years.

"Based on our motorsports experience, we know the importance of working with experienced teams and partners," said Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports and president and CEO of TRD, U.S.A. "We have developed excellent relationships with Bill Davis and the Waltrip family --- and look forward to developing a similar relationship with the Red Bull team as Toyota joins one of the world's most competitive racing series."

Toyota began competing in NASCAR in the 2000 Goody's Dash Series and for the past two years has been a participant in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In addition to the NEXTEL Cup Series, Toyota will enter the Busch Series next season and continue to compete in the Craftsman Truck Series.

"Next year -- 2007 -- marks Toyota's 50th anniversary in America and seeing a Toyota Camry -- America's best-selling car -- in the NEXTEL Cup Series will be a great way to celebrate this milestone," said Kim McCullough, TMS corporate manager, marketing communications. "The response to Toyota's involvement in the Craftsman Truck Series has been very positive, and we look forward to building on that acceptance at the next levels -- in both NEXTEL Cup and Busch racing."

The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America for four straight years and eight of the past nine years. Assembled at Toyota's Georgetown, Ky. plant, more than six million Camry models have been sold in the United States since its debut 23 years ago. The all-new 2007 Camry, a complete redesign from previous models, was recently introduced at the North American Auto Show in Detroit.

Bill Davis has been involved in NASCAR competition for 18 years. During his tenure as a NASCAR team owner, the Arkansas-native has worked with some of the sport's top drivers and claimed numerous honors, including the 1991 Busch Series Rookie-of-the-Year award with driver Jeff Gordon, and a 2002 Daytona 500 win with driver Ward Burton. Bill Davis Racing has 18 victories, 38 poles, 104 top-five finishes and 257 top-10 finishes as a NASCAR team owner.

In 2004, Bill Davis Racing partnered with Toyota to field three Tundras in the Craftsman Truck Series. In two seasons participating in the NCTS, the Bill Davis Racing drivers have combined for two wins, 11 poles, 22 top-five finishes and 41 top-10 finishes. The team will again field three Tundras in the series in 2006.

Michael Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, formed his own race team nearly a decade ago in Sherrills Ford, N.C. Established primarily as a Busch Series team -- where Waltrip would collect four wins and six poles -- the organization began fielding cars in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series on a limited basis over the past few years. In order to better prepare for the expansion of his team, Waltrip announced plans last August to develop, design and create 'Waltrip Racing World' -- an interactive, high-tech race shop that will feature more than 125,000 square-feet of shop space, buildings and housing when completed.

Team Red Bull will be based in Mooresville, N.C., and stock car veteran Marty Gaunt will serve as the team's general manager. Although Red Bull is new to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competition, the world's leading energy drink company has been increasingly involved in global motorsports over the last decade. Red Bull owns and operates two Formula One teams -- Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso -- plus is an active supporter of action and adventure sports, music and culture, along with motorsports.

In 2004, Toyota became a regular competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) -the first new manufacturer in elite NASCAR competition in more than 50 years. In its inaugural NCTS season, a Toyota Tundra recorded four wins, five pole positions and 25 top-five finishes.

During last year's Craftsman Truck Series campaign, four Toyota drivers -- Todd Bodine (five), Mike Skinner (two), David Reutimann (two) and Brandon Whitt (one) -- combined for nine Tundra wins and Toyota drivers recorded 13 poles. This season, Toyota will again field five teams and nine drivers in the NCTS, including defending series champion Ted Musgrave.

Toyota made its initial move into the NASCAR ranks in 2000 with the introduction of a V6-powered Celica in the Goody's Dash Series. In three years in the Dash Series, Robert Huffman won 10 races and earned Toyota it's first-ever NASCAR championship when he claimed the 2003 driver's title.

Powering all of Toyota's American racing programs is TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, Calif., and High Point, N.C. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyota's factory racing engines. In addition, TRD is also the source of high-performance aftermarket products for both street performance and grassroots racing Toyotas. From the race track to the aftermarket product segment, TRD plays a key role in providing Toyota with an enhanced performance image.

Toyota has eight manufacturing facilities in the United States -- a total of 14 plants in North America. With a strong manufacturing presence in the country, it's no surprise that more than half the Toyota vehicles sold in the United States are built here -- using many American-sourced parts. Toyota's overall commitment translates into manufacturing plants, sales and marketing operations, and research and design facilities throughout the United States, where Toyota directly employs more than 32,000. Since 1986, the company has built more than 12 million cars and trucks in the U.S. As one of the world's leading automakers, Toyota offers a full range of models from mini-vehicles to sedans to large trucks. For more information on Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., please visit www.toyota.com.