Toyota is no stranger to the racing world—whether it’s the Toyota Racing Series, Super Formula, Formula Three, Formula Drift, NHRA, USAC, Super GT, NASCAR, WRC, or WEC, they’re involved in just about everything. Recently, they made a splash by rejoining Formula One with a technical partnership with the Haas F1 Team—marking their return to the sport for the first time since 2009.

But here’s where things get interesting: Toyota’s history with IndyCar. They were part of the series for over a decade but pulled out after the 2006 season, citing that they’d “run its course.” Since then, the Japanese automaker has kept its focus elsewhere, primarily on NASCAR. However, with Toyota’s recent move to NHRA, some are wondering if they might be considering a return to IndyCar. And it turns out one prominent driver is definitely open to the idea.

Could Toyota Return to IndyCar?

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell recently confessed his interest in racing the Indianapolis 500. But there’s a catch: he’d only do it with Toyota. In a recent interview ahead of the NASCAR Awards, Bell said, “They haven’t been (just) a huge part of my career; they have been my career. They have literally taken me from childhood semi-professional or amateur racing all the way to the Cup Series, so I would love that. I would love if they would do it, and I’d be the first one to raise my hand to do it.” With Toyota’s recent moves, Bell’s dream could be closer to reality.

It’s important to note that Toyota was part of IndyCar for twelve years and their success in the series was limited, with the highlight being Gil de Ferran’s 2003 Indy 500 win. But they decided to step out and one major reason was attributed to them focusing more on NASCAR. At the time, they were only present in the Craftsman Truck Series but wished to enter the NEXTEL Cup Series and the Busch Series. And the very next year after their IndyCar exit, in 2007, they expanded into NASCAR. Bringing their Camry model and becoming the fourth regular manufacturer in the sport, joining Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge (who exited after the 2012 season).

But IndyCar has long been hoping for a third manufacturer to join Chevrolet and Honda, and Toyota could fit the bill. In 2022, Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson said, “As a fan, as an engineer, and as an enthusiast, I’d love to see Toyota back in IndyCar. But right now, we have no plans to… I don’t see anything changing in the next couple of years.” But Toyota’s recent decision to pull out of the NHRA could change that. Recently Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass shared the news on X, “Toyota announces it will leave NHRA following the 2025 season.”

Even Paul Doleshal, group manager, motorsports, Toyota Motor North America, in their parting words, said, “Our NHRA drivers and teams have truly become part of our Toyota family. We look forward to competing for more wins and championships with our supported teams in the upcoming season, and we will work diligently along the way to make sure each team and driver have the tools necessary to compete at the highest level for the years to come.”

Toyota is part of the Top Fuel and Funny Car. They entered the NHRA in 2002 and in more than two decades, had 200 race wins, 12 world championships, and earned its first manufacturers’ cup this season. The company has also been the official car of the NHRA since 2014. While this is a disappointment for NHRA, it might mean that there is a possibility of them coming back to IndyCar in 2026. This would open doors for many other NASCAR drivers to try their hand at open-wheel racing.

Over the years, many NASCAR drivers have tried their hand at IndyCar be it Kurt Busch, racing in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 while still racing full-time in NASCAR. Or most recent example would be Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson who ran the Indianapolis 500 this year. Larson’s attempt had its fair share of strife, however.

With rain delaying the Indy500, Larson’s attempt at the double (Indy500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day), he stood a chance at missing out on the Charlotte race. However, he finished 18th place after a speeding penalty and made his way to Charlotte only for the NASCAR race to also be delayed by rain and he didn’t end up running a single lap. NASCAR granted him a waiver to compete in the playoffs despite missing the race. Rick Hendrick said after the attempt, “It was unfinished business,” with full hopes to attempt it again in 2025.

Well, open wheeling is miles apart from stock racing. If all works out, we might see Bell in IndyCar. That would be good news for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver as well as the series whose been long in search of their third manufacturer. And speaking of manufacturers, even NASCAR has been on a long hunt for a 4th one!

Will NASCAR get its fourth?

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Speaking of manufacturers, NASCAR has been long on the hunt for a fourth one. There’s been speculation about a possible return of Dodge, and more recently, rumors have swirled about Honda. NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick even mentioned, “Yeah, we’ve heard a lot of rumors about Honda coming into the sport. Whether it’s them or not, I don’t know that to be true.” But it seems like Honda could be a serious contender, especially after their rivalry with Toyota in IndyCar. Plus, Toyota’s success in NASCAR could motivate Honda to reenter the sport.

OEMs want to be part of NASCAR because it helps promote their cars and can boost sales. If Honda sees an opportunity, it might just be the fourth manufacturer NASCAR is looking for!

At the 2024 NASCAR season finale, NASCAR President Steve Phelps hinted that they’re in talks with several OEMs about joining the sport. He mentioned, “Right now we’re in discussion with several OEs about coming in. I won’t get into exactly where those are and who they are, but we have an OE that is close. That OE has buy-out from those that are in the racing portion of that. So it really just comes down to the business portion and can we strike a deal that is advantageous for them and for us? Are we the right fit for their brand? Are we not?” 

But that’s not all. NASCAR is aiming for five manufacturers in total. Phelps added, “We need to accelerate the other discussions we’ve had. I think, in our opinion, you know, five is probably the right number of OEMs. Obviously, we’re at three right now. Would the front runner, if you will — we are a couple years away. It takes a while, obviously, to get up and running…But we’re excited about it, because we would like to have another OEM or two. So do our existing three OEMs. They want to have additional competition from additional OEMs, for a number of reasons,” 

So, we could be seeing a fourth—and possibly a fifth—manufacturer in NASCAR in the next few years. But who will it be? Only time will tell. What do you think? Who should join NASCAR next? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!