“My God That’s Awful”- Toyota’s Response to Ford Dark Horse Backfires as NASCAR Community Exposes the Visible Flaw

As the 2023 season draws to a close and the on-track shenanigans enter the pit lane for the winter, the reveal of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Mustang Dark Horse earlier this month sent the community into a frenzy with its aggressive design. However, Ford is not the only one to show off their 2024 challenger!

Toyota Racing Development delivered a bold statement with the launch of their 2024 NASCAR Cup Series weapon, the Camry XSE Next Gen, based on its predecessor, which has led the Japanese outfit to eighteen wins and twenty-five pole positions since 2021. Whilst the livery maintained the classic color scheme, there was a lot more that met the eye!

Toyota unveils the newly designed Camry XSE for the 2024 Cup Series season

Toyota’s 2024 car was designed in collaboration with Calty Design, with the motive of creating a chassis similar to the 2025 road-going Camry XSE. The new model comes packed to the brim with aero-changes, such as new hood duct exits and the overall wide-body line blending in perfectly with the rear panel. The 2024 Challenger has a much sleeker appearance than its predecessor, with smaller side vents and a bigger front grille, making the car’s lines sharper than ever!

Reflecting on their new challenger, Paul Doleshal, group manager of motorsports, at Toyota Motor North America was quoted by PRNewswire, saying, “The 2024 Camry XSE race car will properly highlight Toyota’s attention to detail as has been showcased in the new street version Toyota Camry. We are excited to bring this car to the race track and continue to achieve success with it for years to come.” 

The President of TRD, David Wilson, also highlighted the importance of collaborating with Toyota’s racing partners to deliver a spectacular machine to drivers such as Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace. “As we prepare for the 2024 season, we look forward to working closely with our race team partners to optimize the performance of the newly-designed Camry race car so we can continue our legacy of leading laps, winning races and competing for championships with the Camry nameplate.”

The announcement is Toyota’s response to Ford Performance’s 2024 Cup Series Mustang, which won both the fans’ and drivers’ hearts with its menacing front end and with a wider & curvier body line. Alongside the Tundra TRD Pro in the Truck Series and the GR Supra in the Xfinity Series, their 2024 Cup Series challenger raises the bar, especially after securing 180 Series Cup victories prior to the XSE’s debut. However, not all’s gone according to plan for Toyota, with fans favoring the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, which makes its debut at the L. A Coliseum exhibition on the 4th of February.

WATCH THIS STORY:  Hamlin’s revelation: A twist in the 2024 championship tale

The NASCAR community brutally dissected the Camry XSE, favoring the Mustang Dark Horse

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Although Toyota’s president was confident in their creation, the design changes to the 2024 challenger have not gone too well with the fans! Referencing Ford’s 1992-2007 machine, which featured a similarly high-profile front-end, a user commented “Looks a lot like the Gen 4 Ford car in the nose.” The newer model didn’t please this fan either, who outright bashed Toyota to favor Ford – “My God, that’s awful. Especially after seeing the Mustang.”

Before the revelation of the new Camry, its predecessor had put on quite a few dominant seasons, which prompted this fan to wonder, if it’s not broken, why fix it? “Thing looks terrible. 2017-2023 will be peak for a while, unfortunately” As another added, “The new generation Camry may be the biggest downgrade in appearance that I’ve ever seen.”

Whilst others gave Toyota the benefit of the doubt, saying, “It’s not terrible on its own, but the current generation’s design was perfect. Hate that they went away from that look.” A user, however, shifted focus from its appearance to expected performance by suggesting, “They don’t care as long as it leads to more wins.”

READ MORE: Will the 2024 Ford Mustang Live Up to its “Dark Horse” Name Against Chevy and Toyota in NASCAR?

It’s safe to say the battle between Toyota, Chevy and Ford is already heating up, with the American powerhouses pulling the lead when it comes to being fan favorites. Only time will tell if TRD has hit it out of the park, making the Camry XSE’s cosmetic sacrifice a reasonable price to pay for success.