Supercars have seen a few NASCAR drivers make special appearances over the years. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch was reported to be heading to Australia for a one-off wildcard entry for the Adelaide 500 event. However, as Busch had to pull the plug on his participation, prominent NASCAR OEM, Toyota, is making its way to Down Under

Toyota Australia will enter the Repco Supercars Championship in 2026 and has already plans to become a dominant force competing against Ford and Chevrolet.

Serving the likes of NASCAR greats like Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, Toyota is all set to hone rising road course racers in Australia. Toyota will mark its Supercars start with its iconic GR Supra model, in 2026. The Supra will be equipped with a V-8 engine used in performance production cars and the 2019 Dakar-winning HiLux.

Toyota’s entry into Supercars has already put a dent in its competitor, Ford. Walkinshaw Andretti United had a brief tenure with Ford, but will now be Toyota’s homologation team. This year Walkinshaw Andretti United has won three races all coming from Chaz Mostert, who sits second in points with just three rounds remaining.

On Wednesday, Toyota revealed that it will initially enter with four of the new GR Supra Supercars race cars. While two will be run by partner Walkinshaw Andretti United, with drivers Mostert and Ryan Wood, a second team fielding an additional two cars will be decided by mid-2025. It is believed that the other team could be from Chevrolet.

The Japanese automotive brand already has links to the Oceanic country. Toyota holds a long history in rallying and more recently in circuit racing with the GR Cup using the Toyota 86. However, this will be its first entry into Australia’s premier motorsport event. The 2026 timeline falls in place with Supercars’ ongoing broadcast negotiations, with the existing deal up at the end of next year. This would elevate Toyota’s global presence, which is already graced by NASCAR, the World Rally Championship, and the World Endurance Championship.

While the Supercars would welcome the presence of a third manufacturer, Toyota has itself eyed the prospect of competing in the series for a long time. Speaking about the decision, Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing, and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley said,

“At Toyota, we have been toying with the idea of competing in Supercars for more than 20 years and now with the right car, the right team, and a very strong partnership with the Repco Supercars Championship, the time is definitely right.” But Toyota aren’t going to be there merely to participate, they have big ambitions, and rightly so.

Ford and Chevrolet/Holden as part of General Motors have been the major players in the Australian car racing scene since the early 90s. Nissan entered the foray in 2013 but left after the 2019 season. Since then Ford and Chevrolet have had a duopoly in the Supercars but that is about to change.

Hanley noted, “With our strong and ever-growing partnerships with Walkinshaw Andretti United and Supercars, we are in it, to win it.” Toyota is targeting winning the Bathurst 1000, the highlight of the Australia Supercars calendar once it makes its debut two years from now.

Meanwhile, the Supercars CEO Shane Howard also expressed his delight at Toyota’s landmark decision. He said,

While Toyota has a new partnership to look forward to, Kyle Busch’s Supercars plan was put on hold despite earlier reports that he would compete at the Adelaide 500.

Time constraints meant Busch couldn’t join the likes of Kurt Busch, Marcos Ambrose, Austin Cindric and a few other NASCAR drivers to have competed in the Supercars. But did something else lead to Busch’s participation being postponed?

Did Busch’s disappointing Cup Series season play a role in Supercars debut delay?

Busch’s team boss Richard Childress was in attendance with Erebus Motorsport at last year’s Adelaide 500. This is where the idea of Busch competing as a wildcard is believed to have first emerged. A working relationship between the two teams led to Erebus driver Brodie Kostecki competing in the Brickyard. This year another of their drivers, Will Brown competed in the Cup Series at Sonoma, but there was no update on Busch’s Australian prospects.

But Triple Eight, another Supercars team revived hopes of Busch lining up the gird Down Under. However, it is reported by Speedcafe that off-track commitments in the US, mean Busch will be unavailable for the November race. A statement by Adelaide 500 organiser, the South Australian Motor Sport Board read, “Due to timing and commitments, having an international Supercars Wildcard at the VAILO Adelaide 500 is being explored for 2025.”

Still, it is possible that the lack of fanfare due to Busch’s performances in the Cup Series could have been a contributing factor. After achieving three Cup victories last year, the 63-time Cup winner ran into a blind streak, failing to pick up a single win and as a result missed out on the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

For now, Busch will have to wait in order to revive his fortunes next season and he will hope that he can land a spot in the prestigious Australian racing event. A good Cup season would mean his stock would be higher than ever if he decides to enter the Supercars next year. As for Toyota, the NASCAR OEM is already setting itself up for success in the series.