Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

The new Toyota Supra will go racing … but not where anyone expected

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
1 of 10
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Toyota Supra NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The revived Toyota Supra is one of the most hyped car launches of the decade, but no one could have predicted this. The new Supra will race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning with the season-opening race in Daytona, Florida, on February 16, 2019.

Recommended Videos

The Toyota Supra has quite a racing pedigree, but this icon of Japanese performance has always been more Fast and the Furious than Ricky Bobby. It has never had any previous association with NASCAR; Toyota has only been racing since 2007, long after the Supra went out of production. Co-developed with BMW, the new Supra is expected to be a sports car more suited to road courses than NASCAR ovals.

At the same time, the Supra has more performance credibility than the Camry it will replace in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, where Ford and Chevrolet field NASCAR versions of the Mustang and Camaro, respectively. NASCAR racers are also purpose built, with only badging and a thin veneer of exterior styling to tie them to the production models they’re supposed to represent. It doesn’t matter what badge is on the car, really.

Toyota didn’t relate any technical details, but racing rules mean the Supra will feature a NASCAR-specific V8 engine and chassis design. A press release said Toyota Racing Development and the automaker’s U.S. Calty design studio “scaled the Supra to fit within NASCAR’s specifications for race vehicle entries” in the Xfinity Series. Thanks to the NASCAR racer and the recent GR Supra concept car, we have a decent idea of what the new Supra will look like, but other details are scarce.

The Xfinity Series is NASCAR’s second-tier series, sitting below the Monster Energy Cup Series in prestige. Toyota will continue running the Camry in the Cup Series. Since Cup Series cars are generally a bit faster than their Xfinity Series counterparts, the Camry might actually outperform the Supra — likely the only time that will ever be the case. Toyota will also keep running the Tundra pickup truck in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series. Yup, NASCAR has a race series for pickup trucks.

Meanwhile, Toyota announced via Twitter that the road-going version of the new Supra will appear at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. The festival runs July 12-15, but Toyota hasn’t specified a date for the appearance. It’s also unclear whether the car will be fully revealed, or whether Toyota will bring a camouflaged prototype.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Former Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Topics
Order an Uber and a self-driving Mustang might show up
Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Ordering an Uber in London could come with a surprise today. Instead of a conventional car and driver pulling up, you might find a Ford Mustang Mach-E that can drive itself. Uber has launched London's first public robotaxi service in partnership with British autonomous driving company Wayve. The service is available through the Uber app, meaning you don't need to download anything new or book a special type of ride to try it.

There is one important caveat. Although the cars will handle the driving themselves, a trained safety operator will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to intervene if necessary. Fully driverless rides are planned for a later stage. The launch fleet consists of electric Mustang Mach-Es equipped with cameras, radar, and Wayve's AI Driver technology. These systems give the vehicle a 360-degree view of what's happening around it. And if anywhere can put that technology through its paces, London seems like a pretty good candidate.

Read more
Range Rover Electric arrives with 543hp, 600km range, and a starting price of the moon
The electric Range Rover is here, and your wallet may need CPR
Range Rover EV

The Range Rover has never been shy about luxury, size or price, and its first fully electric version is carrying that tradition into the EV era. Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) first battery-electric Range Rover is now open for orders, starting at £154,070, or about $208,420. That makes it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the market.

The electric model costs almost £50,000 more than the standard combustion-engine Range Rover. It is priced in the same territory as the electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 and not far from ultra-luxury gasoline SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga.

Read more
A solar ambulance has successfully tackled 500 miles of difficult terrain
Stella Juva

For years, solar-powered vehicles have largely lived in the world of prototypes, university projects and ambitious demonstrations. Now, one has completed the kind of test that matters far more than a flashy concept reveal: it drove hundreds of miles through difficult terrain while carrying medical equipment and generating enough electricity to operate independently.

Called Stella Juva, the vehicle was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of 23 students from Eindhoven University of Technology and two other educational institutions. According to a CNN report, the team describes it as the world's first solar ambulance. Unlike a conventional ambulance, however, Stella Juva is designed less to rush patients to hospitals and more to bring medical care to people who cannot easily reach it.

Read more