BRISTOL, Tenn., Oct. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota
announced today that Torrence Racing will join Team Toyota
beginning with the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
season. The addition of Torrence Racing's two-team effort expands
Toyota's team partnerships to include five Top Fuel dragsters and
two Funny Cars.
"Torrence Racing is a leader in NHRA competition, and we look
forward to bringing Steve and Billy into the Toyota family in
2022," said Paul Doleshal, group
manager, Motorsports and Assets, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA).
"We have incredible drivers and team partners in the NHRA
landscape. The addition of Steve and Billy
Torrence will only enhance that outstanding lineup."
Torrence Racing has been a dominant force in NHRA in recent
years. Steve has driven to 49 victories in 263 career events and
three Top Fuel championships. This season, Steve has won nine times
and is the current points leader. His father, Billy, has won twice
this year and eight times in his career. Despite running a
part-time schedule, Billy is currently fifth in the overall point
standings.
Toyota provides its NHRA teams with tow vehicles, along with
engineering, technology and trackside support through TRD (Toyota
Racing Development). In addition to Torrence Racing, Toyota will
continue to support Antron Brown's
newly established team – AB Motorsports, DC Motorsports and
Kalitta Motorsports' three-team
effort in 2022.
"I've been blessed to have a lot of success in my NHRA career,
but I feel like this new partnership with Toyota and TRD will only
improve what Torrence Racing can do on the track," said
Steve Torrence. "I've seen firsthand
that the drivers and teams associated with Toyota aren't just part
of their roster, but part of a family. They are a special
manufacturer that puts people first, and that's the type of
partnership our team is excited to be a part of starting next
season."
Steve and Billy Torrence join a
Toyota driver lineup that includes three-time NHRA Top Fuel
champion Brown, U.S. Nationals winner Alexis DeJoria, 49-time race winner Doug Kalitta, 2013 Top Fuel champion
Shawn Langdon and 2018 Funny Car
champion J.R. Todd.
Toyota is celebrating its 20th season in NHRA this year. Toyota
drivers have won 137 Top Fuel and 43 Funny Car races along with six
Top Fuel and three Funny Car championships during its tenure in the
series.
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.
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