Unfazed by Chevrolet Stealing Jesse Love, Toyota Official Teases Major Announcement Around Lost Driver

Almost a month back, Toyota suffered a massive blow involving one of their young superstars. Jesse Love, one of their development program drivers, confirmed his switch to Chevrolet by joining Richard Childress Racing. While he will be seen competing for RCR in 2024, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) president David Wilson isn’t losing any sweat on it.

Over the years, the TRD program has provided plenty of amazing drivers to NASCAR. While many have left them, Wilson recently left a cryptic message for his fans involving one of their former drivers.

Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson wishes Jesse Love well despite him joining Chevrolet

Unarguably, Jesse Love is one of the most promising drivers in the NASCAR world right now. At the young age of 18, he earned a stellar reputation for making his opportunities count. To date, he remains the youngest winner in any NASCAR-sanctioned event.

With two ARCA Menards Series West championships to his name already, he also went on to win the ARCA Menards Series in the 2023 season. Love not only won the title, he cruised to victory in spectacular fashion. With 10 wins, 17 top-five, and 18 top-ten finishes in 20 starts, it was more than difficult to contain him.

While Love performed amazingly well, Toyota was expected to keep him at any cost. Surprisingly that didn’t happen as they allowed him to join Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series. It was astonishing given the California-born driver’s incredible potential.

Recently, TRD President David Wilson had his say on the events involving Love. While speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said, “You know, he [Love] is part of our program and he had an opportunity to do something that we couldn’t match. And all we have done is wish him well.”

He further explained how Love’s departure wouldn’t hamper his relationship with Toyota. Wilson said, “I also say in the next breath that for many of these young kids, they are going to be driving for years and years to come. And the experience they have had with Toyota TRD stays with them and in that relationship, that friendship stays whether they are driving for Ford or Chevrolet.”

However, what he said next has left everyone with a lot of curiosity. Speaking more on drivers departing TRD, Wilson said, “No, we don’t hate them [drivers leaving], of course, we don’t. And yet there’s always the possibility that they could boomerang back. Pay attention to some news coming up in the next few weeks. I’ll leave it to that.”

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It certainly remains to be seen what Wilson was trying to indicate here. Surely, there’s a possibility of a former TRD driver returning. Let’s look at some of the likely drivers.

David Wilson’s riddle opens the door for an unprecedented return

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It is no secret that over the years, Toyota’s program has lost some special drivers. While William Byron and Kyle Busch are two of the most notable names, Jesse Love’s departure could turn out to be a new addition to that list. However, with TRD President David Wilson hinting at the possible return of a departed driver, it has opened the door for plenty of imagination.

One of the obvious names that could be a realistic possibility is Noah Gragson. Not many are aware but Gragson started as a TRD driver when he competed in the Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. With him seeking a new team after his suspension in August this year, he could be seen driving a Toyota in 2024.

Other than Gragson, Brandon Jones seems another viable option. While TRD scalped him up from Chevrolet in 2018, Jones was a consistent performer for Joe Gibbs Racing from 2018 to 2022 before he joined JR Motorsports. In comparison to his previous years, Jones hasn’t enjoyed as good a spell as he did with JGR. While that would be tempting, it remains to be seen if he moves back to Toyota.

While there are plenty of other possibilities, these two remain two of the most realistic ones. Who do you think was David Wilson hinting at? Let us know in the comments below.

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