David Wilson: Toyota's eight Cup wins in 2020 "unacceptable"
Even with Denny Hamlin’s stellar season and changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Toyota’s NASCAR boss offered a harsh assessment of the manufacturer’s 2020 season in the Cup Series.
“I’m more focused on the losses than the wins and I hate to say it but we’re sitting on eight wins in 31 starts this year and that’s unacceptable; that’s ridiculous,” said David Wilson, President of Toyota Racing Development USA.
“We’re better than that. We should be sitting on somewhere between 13 and 15 right now. But it’s a tough sport and we’ve got some incredible teams that we’re competing with and we can never think that we’re that much better than anybody else out there, because we’re not.
“That’s what so fun about it.”
Setting a high bar
Wilson's grim assessment may seem surprising considering Toyota provides support to only six fulltime teams each week in the Cup series with races that feature anywhere between 36 and 40 entries.
But Wilson said the manufacturer sets a high bar for itself every year.
While Hamlin has had his second straight impressive season – he picked up win No. 7 last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway – only one other driver Toyota driver has won in the Cup series this season. Martin Truex Jr. scored a victory at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in June.
Reigning series champion and Toyota driver Kyle Busch remains winless this season and in danger of being eliminated from this season’s playoffs in Sunday’s cutoff race at the Charlotte Roval.
Toyota drivers Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez all failed to advance to the playoffs this season and have not won a race.
Asked to further explain why he considers this season’s performance “unacceptable” and “ridiculous,” Wilson said: “I think we’ve by and large not executed like we are capable of executing. I can count easily five losses on one hand that should have been wins, just this year and I’m sure there are more than that.
“Some of them are like Las Vegas – where it’s the last stage, all the cars up front typically pick one strategy and there’s always a couple that aren’t capable of winning that just hang on to see what happens. So, we’ve lost a couple that way.
“We’ve lost too many because of a loose wheel on the last pit stop of the third stage, missteps or mistakes on our part. This isn’t directed at any single team or driver. Those are the things that are unacceptable because we hold ourselves to the highest of standard – and it’s every part of the organization, every part on that car.”
Wilson said every team this season has had to face the same change in operating conditions with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a manufacturer, we haven’t done as good a job as the Ford guys in particular, and that’s on me,” he said. “This (weekend format changes) isn’t going away anytime soon.
“We are on it and we’re going to the next five races expecting to win out. And that’s not arrogance. We should win every one of these next five races. The next round – Kansas, Texas, Martinsville – I think we were two out of three in the earlier races this year.
“That’s just me speaking plainly.”
Related video
Previous article
Daniel Suarez lands 2021 ride with new NASCAR Cup Series team
Next article
DiBenedetto gets extension at Wood Bros, Cindric to join in 2022
About this article
| Series | NASCAR Cup |
| Drivers | Denny Hamlin |
| Teams | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Author | Jim Utter |
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…
Why Kyle Larson can't blow his big shot at redemption
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a chance of redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Effectively replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith...
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future…
Why Kyle Larson deserves his second chance in a cancel culture
“You can’t hear me? Hey n*****” Those fateful words uttered by Kyle Larson, spoken into his esports headset on April 12, were directed at his sim racing spotter – but instead they quickly became amplified around the world via social media, including his own Twitch stream.
