Timothy Moore
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Toyota and DAYTONA Rising Project Partner for Speedway Reimagining

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Toyota and DAYTONA Rising

Bob Carter announces the Toyota and DAYTONA Rising partnership.

On Thursday, February 6th, Toyota and Daytona International Speedway made an exciting announcement at the Chicago Auto Show: Toyota and DAYTONA Rising, a $400 million project aimed at redeveloping the world-renowned speedway, will form a partnership, making the Japanese automaker the very first Founding Partner of the DAYTONA Rising. I was actually front and (a little off-) center as the announcement was made:

While the most concrete of details have yet to be released, we do know that DAYTONA Rising will completely reimagine the experience for both fans and sponsors as they visit the speedway. The project centers on Daytona’s front stretch (nearly a mile in length), which is slated for a January 2016 completion date. When finished, this stretch will feature amenities of the highest quality for all speedway patrons.

The official partnership will launch in 2015 and will span 11 years. In these 11 years, Toyota will receive naming rights for one of the five fan injectors, including over 20,000 square feet of Toyota engagement. Toyota will also have a very ostensible presence in the “World Center of Racing” zone, which Daytona is calling the central “neighborhood” that overlooks the start/finish line of the track. This “neighborhood” is actually the size of nearly two football fields and will be a place for fans to socialize throughout the course of each race.

There will be ten more neighborhoods (and each of those will be the size of a football field because why not), and these will be located throughout the front stretch of DAYTONA Rising. These will be complete with bar, dining, and retail areas, plus a bunch of giant screens to watch the races while you’re busy not watching the races. Toyota will also have the branding rights to the neighborhood nearest its own fan injector.

Concept Photos of DAYTONA Rising

“When we started drafting the designs of DAYTONA Rising, we envisioned partnering with equally forward-thinking organizations like Toyota to bring forth the very best experience for our fans and guests,” said ISC Chief Executive Officer, Lesa France Kennedy. “Toyota has been a great partner for many years and we will continue to work together to enhance the fan experience at many of our facilities across the country.”

Toyota and DAYTONA Rising

Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III (left), International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy, and Bob Carter, Toyota senior vice president of automotive operations

But wait, there’s more! The partnership between Toyota and DAYTONA Rising is just the tip of the iceberg. Toyota will also be an official partner of “The Great American Race” (Daytona 500®) and will even have pace car rights starting in 2015.

“DAYTONA Rising represents our commitment to delivering engaging and innovative ways for our partners to showcase their brand,” said Daytona International Speedway President, Joie Chitwood III. “We’re proud to integrate Toyota into this historic project. Our fans and guests will now enjoy more exciting, innovative and engaging experiences from the moment they enter the new facility to the time they reach their seats and beyond.”

Toyota and DAYTONA Rising

Joie Chitwood III and Bob Carter shake hands, symbolizing the start of a prosperous partnership.

But wait, there’s more more! Toyota will also have a race entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Richmond International Raceway®.

And yes, there’s more more more. Toyota also received pace car rights at Richmond International Raceway®, Watkins Glenn International®, Auto Club Speedway®, Kansas Speedway®, Chicagoland Speedway®, and Phoenix International Raceway® for every NASCAR major event weekend. Oh, and Toyota will be the Official Vehicle at Route 66 Raceway®: more times four.

“This is a unique opportunity for Toyota to elevate our brand in the motorsports community, especially through the DAYTONA Rising project,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “ISC and Daytona International Speedway will provide strong platforms to interact with our guests and most importantly, our race fans.”

You should probably stop reading before Toyota does anything else.

But wait…