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.
Morizo on the allure of NASCAR
Two days before the NASCAR Showrun, Chairman Toyoda jumped behind the wheel of a NASCAR car as Morizo, taking a spin around Fuji Speedway. It was his first time driving a NASCAR machine in 15 years. Here’s how he described the experience:
Morizo
I drove a NASCAR race car. Normally in NASCAR, the cars don’t have doors that open, so you climb into the seat through the window. But since this car is for the demonstration run, they made it so that I could open the door (laughs). The speed and sound are really something else.
I’m just an ordinary guy who loves cars, but I really love cars that are loud and have a wild side.
That said, with my driving skills, these cars are a bit tricky to steer. And the rear end slides out easily. They’re also heavy, so it felt like trying to break in a rather difficult horse.
Jimmie Johnson has won multiple championships. He drives at incredible speeds like it’s nothing, but that takes tremendous skill.
It’s very easy to understand why this is one of America’s favorite sports, with races held week after week.
A star-studded show by Japanese & American drivers
The NASCAR Showrun featured a lineup of six drivers: the “king of NASCAR” Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion; John Hunter Nemechek, a rising star of the next generation; Takuma Koga, competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series; and Kamui Kobayashi, who has taken on the NASCAR Cup Series in the past two years, as well as Toshiki Oyu and Kazuto Kotaka, both racing in Japan’s top category.
After the Showrun, Jimmie Johnson, John Hunter Nemechek, Kamui Kobayashi, and Takuma Koga shared their impressions with the media.
Johnson
I see our role as representing America, and the sport of NASCAR itself. This is racing at close quarters, with machines that arguably have more horsepower than is necessary, and cars that aren’t easy to accelerate or slow down—all these elements are packed into NASCAR. Yet it is a highly entertaining sport that's truly fun to watch.
One of the main attractions of our sport is the sound, the intensity, and the way the machines race at unbelievably close distances. I hope that through today’s demonstration, we were able to properly portray our sport and give a taste of that magic.
Nemechek
In terms of representing the NASCAR culture and what we do day-to-day, I think people were able to get a good sense from the laps we ran today, the burnout demonstration, and our well-known victory celebrations.
While I was out there, I was just enjoying every second. I also want to experience Japanese racetrack culture here at Fuji Speedway before heading home.
Kobayashi
I am truly grateful to the Super Taikyu Mirai Organization (STMO), the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan, and everyone involved in giving us this opportunity to drive NASCAR race cars.
With today’s racing cars you rarely get the chance to hear this kind of sound, so being able to experience that roar in Japan, at Fuji Speedway, must have been really exciting for the fans, and we are honored to be able to drive here.
Koga
Despite being Japanese, most of my racing career began in the U.S. Thanks to the support of everyone at STMO and the Automobile Business & Culture Association of Japan, it has been truly moving to share the exciting sound and spectacle of NASCAR, which has become my everyday reality, with race fans and car lovers in my home country of Japan.
When asked whether holding a NASCAR event would boost sales of American cars, Kobayashi gave the following response:
Kobayashi
Cars aren’t bought by Toyota, but by customers. That is, anyone is essentially free to choose what they buy or import to Japan.
For people who love cars, I think this is a great opportunity. Aside from Toyota, manufacturers like Chevrolet and Ford also have incredible cars.
Ultimately, it is the customers who are buying. And now people in Japan will have more opportunities to choose which cars they want to buy. I think that is good news for us.
Personally, I also love cars. The fact that we will have more opportunities for buying cars makes me very happy. I have raced in Europe and the United States, and given that America has so many fantastic cars, I’m delighted that we will be able to get our hands on them.
For example, there are big cars like the Toyota Tundra that aren’t sold in Japan. But in the future, they may be available. That’s wonderful news, and I’m looking forward to that day.