Since 2019, Toyota has been locked out of the NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championship, but with nine full-time drivers and one part-time spread among three multi-car teams, the manufacturer has unseated Chevrolet this year for the coveted title.
For the last five consecutive years, Chevrolet has walked off with the manufacturer title in NASCAR’s Cup Series. Ford’s lone manufacturer title during that time span came in 2020.
Toyota has spent the last six years building its teams and developing its drivers. Of the drivers who drove for Toyota in 2019, only two—Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones—are with the manufacturer this season, and only one team remains from 2019—Joe Gibbs Racing.
23XI Racing joined the Toyota camp in 2021, and Legacy Motor Club followed in 2024. Jones moved from JGR to Legacy when that team was known as Richard Petty Motorsports, while Hamlin remained with JGR as the organization’s senior driver.
“We have the same drivers, we have the same car, we have a lot of carryover from 2025, which really allows us to focus on those small differences that add up,” TRD President Tyler Gibbs said.
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Tyler Reddick’s win at Phoenix clinched the title for Toyota.
Tyler Reddick’s Phoenix victory secured the manufacturer championship for Toyota which has 18 Cup wins this year, its most in a season since 2019. Four of the seven competitors in contention for this year’s driver title are in the Toyota camp as are six of the 16 in the Chase. The only three full-time Toyota drivers not in the Chase are Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, and Riley Herbst. Corey Heim won two races this year, but he’s not racing full-time.
Gibbs, who is no relation to team owner Joe Gibbs, cites the drivers and Toyota’s engine performance as the key factors in this year’s success. He said engine changes that have been profitable this year were made 18 months to two years ago.
“It takes a very long time for those kinds of developments to really play in,” Gibbs noted.
“While we haven’t won manufacturers championships, we’ve won quite a fair number of races (since 2019). I think the drivers that we’ve brought in and are bringing along now are really beginning to contribute. So, it’s kind of a natural progression to get ourselves to where we are this year.”
Gibbs cited Heim’s and Ty Gibbs’ progression as well as Chase Briscoe’s selection to replace Martin Truex Jr. when he retired.
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Ty Gibbs at Phoenix Raceway.
“We know how this is with young drivers,” Gibbs said. “It takes time for them to develop and to contribute. All four Gibbs cars won, 23XI cars won races, and that just demonstrates kind of where we’re at. I think the driver side has really helped us this year.
“You can see those things adding up. There’s an expectation for us to compete for race championships, and that’s kind of where we’ve been living.”
Gibbs notes there is more collaboration among the Toyota Cup teams than ever before, and that has been a factor as well.
Winning the manufacturer title means several things to Toyota, Gibbs said.
“It means that we’ve been consistent all year,” Gibbs continued. “It means that we’ve won races with multiple drivers and multiple teams. It means that we’ve competed very, very well in those races we didn’t win. It really validates the work that we’ve put in all year across all of the cars and all of the drivers.”
Toyota is in its third season with its current body style. Chevrolet introduced a new one this year. Ford will introduce a new body next year for its Cup car.
In addition to this year and 2019, Toyota’s other Cup Series manufacturer titles came in 2016 and 2017. With three races remaining in the season, Toyota is still in contention to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series manufacturer title and driver championship.
Entering Talladega this weekend, Toyota possesses 698 NASCAR victories.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.