The Super Taikyu season finale in November had a distinctly American feel, with NASCAR machines taking the track. We went to see this cultural exchange through motorsports firsthand.
A surprise visit by Chairman Akio Toyoda and Ambassador Glass
The NASCAR Showrun preceded the main Super Taikyu race. As the six cars took their place on the starting grid, a Ford F-150 pickup truck wove through the lineup.
Behind the wheel was Chairman Akio Toyoda, attending the event in his capacity as head of the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan. Beside him in the passenger seat sat U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass.
After two laps with the F-150 pacing in the lead, the six NASCAR vehicles set off on a demo run. Fuji Speedway reverberated with a sound rarely heard at racetracks in Japan: the roar of 5.8-liter V8s producing 800 horsepower.
Seeing NASCAR machines hurtling at full throttle was a dream come true for racing fans, and a sight not seen in Japan for many years. Chairman Toyoda explained how this demo run had come together.
Chairman Toyoda
Next year (2026) marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. During a recent visit to the U.S. Embassy, we discussed not only the industrial ties between Japan and the U.S., but also exchanges in various other areas, such as culture and sports.
I suggested motorsports as another avenue.
“There’s NASCAR,” I pointed out, and the ambassador and his team got very excited about the prospect of running a NASCAR class in next year’s 24-hour race.
But since jumping straight into a 24-hour race would be difficult, with two months of preparation we were able to set up this NASCAR Showrun as a trial.
In the process, we learned a lot. As it turns out, this Fuji Speedway was built for NASCAR. That’s why it had a 30-degree bank, originally intended as part of an oval track.
Now for the first time ever, NASCAR race cars lined up on that corner. On the other side, Japanese motorsport-lovers might also be able to field racing teams in NASCAR’s entry-level class.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (MLB) and many other athletes have found success in America. I hope this can serve as a sign, showing people that the same thing could happen in motorsports.
The event space and the NASCAR garages in the pits have proved more popular than I imagined. I’m sure hearing that sound today will make people feel something.