PLANO, Texas, Sept. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The all-new 2022
GR 86 will arrive at Toyota dealerships soon, but race fans don't
need to wait. They can see it in action this weekend as it paces
the National Auto Sport Association National Championships. The
pace car role kicks off this Thursday,
September 16, as Toyota's latest Gazoo Racing sports coupe
leads racers at Daytona International Speedway. Winner-take-all
championship races take place on Sunday,
September 19.
"We are thrilled to have the new GR 86 selected as the official
pace car of NASA's National Championships," said Michael Tripp, vice president of Toyota Vehicle
Marketing and Communications. "This car is perfectly at home on a
road course, and it will be great to see it lead all the classes
out onto the track."
Sporting custom red, white and black graphics, the new GR 86
will proudly lead each of the 25+ classes and nearly 400
competitors from all around the country at the prestigious National
Championship event. The championship races will take place on the
3.81-mile road racing circuit made famous by the 24 Hours of
Daytona.
The NASA Championships will start with two qualifying races,
where competitors earn points based on their finishing position of
both races. Those points then set the grid (and the stage) for the
final on Sunday. Spec classes require competitors to drive nearly
identical cars with a spec tire, while more modified classes will
see different vehicle makes battling it out head-to-head on
whatever tire they choose.
Toyota and NASA first partnered in 2019 to give all GR Supra
owners a complimentary one-year NASA membership as well as a free
day of instruction on a track. The program expanded earlier this
year to include all GR sports cars, like the GR 86, so owners can
learn precision driving skills from expert instructors in a track
environment.
"It's really an honor to have Toyota step up with the GR 86 as
the pace car of our marquee championship event," said Jeremey Croiset, vice president of NASA. "I
can't think of a more perfect car for this, and I know a ton of our
competitors will be eyeing it for their next street or track
car!"
The 2021 NASA Championships welcomes fans in person on
September 16-19 and will also be live
streamed. The broadcast and more information can be found at
www.NASAChampionships.com.
The all-new 2022 Toyota GR 86 features a naturally aspirated
2.4-liter, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine with 228-hp
and 184 lb.-ft. of torque. It will come in two grades, GR 86 and GR
86 Premium, and a choice of manual or automatic transmission. More
information on the all-new 2022 Toyota GR 86 can be found at
https://www.toyota.com/upcoming-vehicles/gr86.
For customer inquiries, please call: 800-331-4331.
Note to Editors: Photos b-roll and additional specifications can
be found on ToyotaNewsroom.com.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the
cultural fabric in North America
for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable,
next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus
our 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs
more than 47,000 in North America.
The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and
assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14
manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in
Alabama that begins production in
2021.
Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
About NASA
The National Auto Sport Association (NASA)
was formed in 1991 to deliver high quality motorsports events to
enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has
created programs that allow owners of both racecars and
high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full
performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled
environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow
you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including
our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time
Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs. For more
information about NASA, visit drivenasa.com.
Media Contacts:
Paul
Hogard
469-292-6791
paul.hogard@toyota.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2022-toyota-gr-86-named-official-pace-car-for-national-auto-sport-association-championship-races-in-daytona-301376315.html
SOURCE Toyota