DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.,
Feb. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As
NASCAR kicked off one of the biggest days of the season with
the running of the 63rd Daytona 500, Toyota took a moment to
encourage the youth of America to find their dream and pursue
it.
Yesterday, Toyota Racing unveiled a short film entitled, 'The
Dream.' It tells a story of a young, African-American girl looking
to achieve her dream of becoming a race car driver. She battles
back from adversity and overcomes challenges along the way. With
inspiration from the historic victory by 19-year old Gracie Trotter, who became the first female
driver to win an ARCA-sanctioned race in September, and the return
of Bubba Wallace to the Toyota
family, our star realizes that her dream is within reach.
"To be back with Toyota this season and be a part of the Toyota
Racing family means a lot to me," said Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 DoorDash
Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing. "What they do on the track is top
notch, but it goes beyond the track too. It's really cool to be a
part of things like 'The Dream' and their initiatives off the track
that align with my own beliefs and how I want to influence the next
generation. 'The Dream' show others, no matter the
circumstances or who you are, to keep fighting and follow your
dreams. It may not always be easy, but it will be worth it. It's a
pretty special piece. It's inspiring, emotional and something that
I'm proud to be a part of."
Toyota has a long history of diversity in motorsports and
continues to support several drivers of various ethnicities across
all of our motorsports platforms. J.R. Todd, Antron Brown and Alexis
DeJoria have established many firsts in motorsports as they
all compete for Toyota in the NHRA Drag Racing Series. Jhonnattan
Castro and Ken Gushi compete in
Formula DRIFT while Trotter and Kaylee
Bryson are working their way through the TRD (Toyota Racing
Development) driver development ranks in ARCA, late models and USAC
racing events.
"Toyota's commitment to diversity in motorsports aligns with our
overall corporate commitment of respect for people," said
Paul Doleshal, group manager of
motorsports and assets for Toyota Motor North America. "This film
is something we're all extremely proud of and is a small reminder
for everyone to find their dream and pursue it regardless of the
challenges that might be in their path. We will continue to look
for ways to bring this film to life and help to encourage young
people to pursue their passions, especially if that leads them to
this great world of motorsports."
The complete short film was produced in collaboration with
whatnot Films out of Charlotte,
N.C. and will reside on the Toyota Racing social channels of
Twitter and Facebook along with YouTube. A special 60-second
condensed version was featured on Fox during the Daytona 500
broadcast.
A link to the full film can be found here:
https://youtu.be/wI_QIPRkBBs
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of
the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is
committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility
through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500
dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly
employs more than 36,000 in the U.S. The company has contributed
world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 30
million cars and trucks at our 9 manufacturing plants, 10 including
our joint venture in Alabama that
begins production in 2021.
To help inspire the next generation for a career in
STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual
education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive
experience and chance to visit many of our U.S. manufacturing
facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based
lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips
and more. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts:
Sam
Mahoney
980-900-8573
samuel.mahoney@toyota.com
Lisa Hughes Kennedy, Golin for
Toyota Racing
704-902-6476
lhugheskennedy@golin.com
Cody Poor, Golin for Toyota
Racing
323-578-7159
cpoor@golin.com
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SOURCE Toyota Racing