NASCAR Cup Series haulers have departed the Charlotte area and are headed south for this week’s Daytona 500 festivities at the world center of racing.
The Toyota haulers are loaded with the new Toyota Camry XSE, which follows the Toyota Camry TRD which produced 18 victories and 25 poles during it’s two years as the vehicle that Toyota used in competition.
Changes to the Camry XSE include a “hammerhead styling” on the front facia, as well as an upper grille slot, plus slim and wide headlights. The car also includes a revised quarter panel and back bumper restyling.
The Camry XSE was unveiled last November as the new car to be used in the Cup series beginning in 2024. The new style Camry already has one win under its belt when Denny Hamlin took the No. 11 Camry XSE to victory lane at the Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum on February 3rd.
Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner will look at Speedweeks as a good judge of the new Toyota Camry XSE.
I think there is going to be a lot of anticipation of what do we actually have there because, if you look at the qualifying results on superspeedways since the Next Gen started, it is pretty much in line with downforce and drag numbers. We all kind of understand where all the manufacturers are on that and then qualifying really solidifies that. That’s what I am most looking forward to is seeing where we stack up because we’re all pedal to the metal in qualifying, so you’re seeing what the bodies can do and that’s going to be something to watch out for,” said Hamlin.
Hamlin and the other stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the track on Wednesday night for Daytona 500 Qualifying, where the front row for the Great American race will be set. Hamlin will look for his first career Daytona 500 pole.
–Blake Smith, host of Let’s Talk Racing
