Toyota Enters Short Track Racing With ACT

By admin March 11, 2008

Leading auto maker Toyota will begin its entry into grassroots short track stock car racing through its Courtesy Toyota dealership in Berlin, VT with the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model Championship series and at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl in Barre, VT in 2008.  Toyota is now the Official Vehicle of ACT and Thunder Road.

The new ACT Toyota Tundra and Toyota Tacoma Official Safety Trucks and the new ACT Toyota Camry Official Pace Car will be unveiled at the season’s first event at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire on Sun., April 20.  The Tundra, Tacoma, and Camry vehicles will also be on display at Courtesy Toyota’s home opener on Merchants Bank 150 weekend in downtown Barre City, VT and at Thunder Road.  The new vehicles will be on display in the annual Merchants Bank Car Show in Barre City on Sat., May 3, and in action at the Merchants Bank 150 on Sun., May 4.  Toyota and Pepsi will also sponsor the Thunder Road scoreboard throughout the 2008 season.

“Toyota is excited about teaming with one of the great American short track organizations in ACT, and one of the crown jewels of the industry in Thunder Road,” said John Henning of Courtesy Toyota.  “Toyota has made great efforts in targeting American race fans as its prime customers, and realizes that racing at the local and regional levels is just as important as NASCAR’s top three series.  It’s a great partnership for everyone.”

“Toyota joining our organization as the Official Vehicle of Thunder Road and ACT is in perfect timing with its recent success at the highest levels of NASCAR competition,” said ACT President and Thunder Road promoter Tom Curley.  “We are very pleased that Thunder Road has yet again been selected to be a pioneering leader in short track racing, and we applaud Toyota’s strong efforts in reaching out to the grassroots racing community across America.”

In addition to the Official Vehicle and Thunder Road scoreboard announcements, Curley also said that the 2008 Toyota Camry body, through Five Star RaceCar Bodies, has been approved for competition in weekly Thunder Road Late Model division events, on the traveling ACT Late Model Tour, and in the Canadian Série ACT Castrol.

For more information on Courtesy Toyota, call (802) 229-9117 or visit www.vtcars.com.   For more information on the American-Canadian Tour and Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com and www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.

Sources: Justin St. Louis/ACT PR

Tagged on: