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A Brief History of TRD

Author: JasonLancaster
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Legend has it that after claiming victory over the Pharnaces in 47 BC, Julius Caesar addressed the Roman Senate, claiming, "Veni, vidi, vici", or, "I came, I saw, I conquered." Millennia later, the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) could very well say the same thing of every racing venue it has entered.

TRD first started in 1979 as a Toyota Motor Sales USA subsidiary in Costa Mesa, California. It was in charge of after market performance parts design and distribution for TRD Japan. It developed over the next 30 years to become a complete engine development through assembly operation. Their cutting-edge racing technology was in every high speed arena in every genre, stacking up wins and cementing the company's reputation. It was at first a slow climb to the top, but TRD's growth gained momentum in the early 2000s, and TRD engineers now design and build the V-8 Tundra and V-8 Camry engine for their respective Nascar series. In addition, they also do engines for factory-backed vehicles in Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR), National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), the U.S. Auto Club Sprint Car and National Midget Car Racing Series, and the grand American Rolex Sports Car Series.

TRD brought out a Celica in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) road racing competition of 1983, a product of collaboration with All American Racers (AAR). TRD-powered cars moved up within six years into the GTP class, the crme de la crme of American road racing. TRD also joined forces with Precision Preparation, Inc. in 1983 to build trucks for real-world and stadium off-road. Toyota trucks took to the dirt, winning multiple premier Baja 500 and 1000 events, and a manufacturer's championship in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group SCORE and CORR events.

In 1996, TRD began its climb up the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) ladder, recording its first win in Indy-car competition at the Milwaukee Mile in June 2000 with Juan Montoya behind the wheel. In 2003, a TRD-powered Indy car driven by Gil DeFerran won the mother of all American races-the Indianapolis 500.

With that much accomplished, TRD's next step was to enter in NASCAR with the V-6 Celica Goody's Dash Program. 2007 was a landmark year for TRD, with the V-8 Camry making its debut at the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch series; Jason Leffler making TRD's first NASCAR win by ending the Busch series at O'Reilly Raceway Park in third place for points; David Reutimann winning at the Sam's Town 250 in Memphis to finish the series with a second place in points; and Dave Blaney winning the Nextel Cup season best with a third place finish at Talladega.

TRD's success in the NASCAR series wasn't limited to stock cars. With a 2004 debut in the Craftsman Truck Series, TRD took the manufacturer's championship two years in a row (2006-07) and Todd Bodine took the driver's championship in '06.

TRD USA's repertoire of victories include the NHRA's Funny Car seriers with Jerry Toliver at the Pomona Winternationals; wins in 11 out of 16 races at the 2003 Indy car series; four Daytona Prototype Driver's Championships since 2004, when the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series debuted; USAC Sprint Car and Midget Car Racing Series wins; and a clean sweep of the 67th Annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale Speeday, where Dave Darland won the Midget event, and Bobby Santos took the Sprint Car title.

Officially, TRD means Toyota Racing Development. But it stands for "Top Results and Design.