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With the unveiling of two new NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen cars ahead of the 2024 season of racing, Toyota seem to be one hopeful manufacturer on how their newest competitor will do out on track. The renamed 2024 Toyota Camry XSE comes as a significant departure from the previous Camry TRD, tying in Toyota's top-of-the-range Camry road car model into its NASCAR presence.
The new car does not only come in the form of a reshaped body for aesthetic purposes but aims to improve the its overall performance on the various tracks throughout the season. The new Camry XSE leans towards better aerodynamic efficiency and drafting capabilities on superspeedway-style tracks such as Daytona International Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.
With limited on-track testing conducted by NASCAR in December 2023, Toyota seem cautiously optimistic of their new rounded front end on the car. David Wilson, president at Toyota Racing Development (TRD) elaborated on the car's performance in the hands of Christopher Bell last year in Phoenix and told motorsport.com:
"We had two cars on track with our new body. I think we were fastest every session. We did a couple little mock racing runs, and Christopher (Bell) went from the back to the front. When he was in front, he gapped the field. It’s the only data point we have, and everyone felt good. I think this is the best body that we’ve ever taken to the race track. Obviously, experience will prove that out.”
It remains to be seen how Toyota's new competitor in the form of the Camry XSE stacks up against Ford's new entrant, the Mustang Dark Horse.
Chevrolet, meanwhile, will be seen sticking to last year's Camaro ZL1 bodystyle this season as well.
Toyota official's thoughts on the new NASCAR short track package
To improve the racing on short tracks such as Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR's new short-track package has been implemented on the Next Gen Cup cars this year. In an evolutionary phase, the package consists of several bits aimed at improving the Next Gen car's Achilles heel, racing on short tracks, in dirty air.
TRD President David Wilson anticipates similar situations for all three NASCAR manufacturers in terms of expected performance. He elaborated to motorpsort.com:
"With the rear diffuser, they’ve taken some downforce off the car. We think we’re going to be OK. I think we’re the same as everybody else holding our breath a little bit at the same time to see what we see once we get to Phoenix.”
The 2024 Cup Series season kicks off with the famed Daytona 500 next month.
