The NASCAR of tomorrow will be unveiled Monday in a news conference at the sanctioning body's Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C.
Toyota's long-expected entry into Nextel Cup in 2007 will be the showcase of the kickoff to the Lowe's Motor Speedway media tour.
NASCAR also will reveal the 2006 class of the Drive for Diversity program, which was created to groom prospective minority drivers at the grass-roots level. President Mike Helton and vice president of research and development Gary Nelson will outline plans for the "Car of Tomorrow," a boxier model designed to enhance safety and improve competition that will be phased into Cup racing in the next three years.
But Toyota will be the focal point for more than 200 media during a week-long parade of team shops in the Charlotte area.
Tuesday, the Japanese automaker is expected to be named the official vehicle of Lowe's Motor Speedway and to announce its team and sponsor lineup for the Busch and Cup series under the Camry banner.
Bill Davis Racing is the only Cup team fielding Toyota Tundras in the Craftsman Truck Series. BDR will provide Cup cars this season to the newly formed Waltrip-Jasper Racing. The partnership between Michael Waltrip and Doug Bawel transfers the 34th-place owner points from the defunct No. 77 Dodge, which was co-owned by Bawel, to Waltrip's car and ensures him a spot in the first five races of 2006 as a top-35 driver.
Waltrip also has a Toyota connection through his older brother, Darrell, who has two Tundras in the truck series.
