Official: 2012 Toyota Camry chosen as Daytona 500 pace car
 

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Toyota, Specialty, Racing

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While Toyota competes with Ford, Chevy and Dodge on this country's NASCAR tracks, the pace cars leading them around have remained defiantly American - at least at Daytona, anyway. In the 50 years they've been running the Daytona 500, only once has the pace car been an import: the Porsche 914 that paced the race in 1971.

Apart from that one exception, it's been all Detroit - Pontiacs mostly, but also Buicks, Chevrolets, Dodges, Plymouths and Fords. But just as Toyota has rubbed and bumped its way up the field over the past decade plus of competition, it's now got one of its own up at the front as the official pace car for next year's race.

That's right. When the 2012 Daytona 500 kicks off the Sprint Cup season come February, it'll be the new 2012 Toyota Camry setting the pace. And while some may bemoan the use of an "import" for the task, Toyota would argue that nothing could be more American. After all, the Camry has been built in America (first in Georgetown, Kentucky, and now in Lafayette, Indiana) for 25 years now. And for 13 of the past 14 years, it's been the top selling car in America. So maybe, just maybe, the Toyota Camry has earned the honor.Continue reading 2012 Toyota Camry chosen as Daytona 500 pace car

2012 Toyota Camry chosen as Daytona 500 pace car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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