Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gayle has now revealed to racing enthusiasts what is causing Toyota to develop an edge over Chevrolet and Ford in NASCAR. Why these comments carry weight is because JGR’s status as Toyota’s flagship team has yielded excellent results.

The organization entered its 35th season in 2026 and has amassed a total of 232 Cup Series victories and five Cup Series championships.

To narrow down the reasoning behind Toyota’s differentiation, Gayle came on the Dale Jr Download podcast, where he pointed to the one collective approach that the team pushes forward with.

“It’s always been about the rising tide helps all boats float higher,” he said. “If you get everybody on board and we’re pulling this direction, even if it’s not 100% right, you get so many people on board that eventually you get there faster.”

This exact approach has helped Toyota stay competitive even though it has the least number of Cup teams than both Chevrolet and Ford. Toyota’s lineup consists of just three horsemen: Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing, and Legacy Motor Club. Chevy fields eight, while Ford has four.

On the same lines, Gayle continued, “If we put aside some of our individual preferences and say, what’s better for the collective group? How do we communicate amongst all of us so that we’re not wasting time?” 

This is exactly where a team that knows what to do, together, prospers, and Gayle realizes that. “We’re not splitting in different directions doing totally different things with one group versus another, and there’s more of a unified approach,” he explained.

Toyota, however, has been through quite a rough patch to reap the gains it is now receiving due to its endeavors. Let’s take a look at a short history of the organization and its NASCAR struggles.

Toyota's long road from NASCAR outcast to champion

Toyota’s rise to where it is today was far from immediate. Their first Cup season produced only a handful of breakthrough results for them.

The season remained largely dismal with only two notable results, which included Brian Vickers' fifth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 and Dave Blaney's third-place finish at Talladega.

Yet the groundwork it had laid began showing results in the Truck Series, where it earned its first national-series victory with Travis Kvapil in 2004 and its first championship with Todd Bodine in 2006.

The breakthrough moment for the organization came, however, through Joe Gibbs Racing, which helped Toyota secure Cup titles with Kyle Busch (2015, 2019) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017).

Not only that, but they also helped the Japanese carmaker capture manufacturers’ championships in 2016, 2017, and 2019. 

Thus, what began as a meager and forgettable journey for Toyota has now ended up being one of its most successful investments, showcasing how belief in internal values can guide any organization through turbulent times.

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Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason