The Daytona 500 doesn’t hand out free passes. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seven-time champion like Jimmie Johnson or a past Cup Series king like Martin Truex Jr.—if your car isn’t fast enough, you’re watching from the sidelines. But Wednesday night, these two veterans proved they still have the speed to hang with NASCAR’s best, locking themselves into the field on raw pace alone.
And in doing so, they sent a statement about Toyota’s newfound muscle at the “Great American Race.”
Chase Briscoe Puts Toyota on the Pole
The biggest shocker of the night? Chase Briscoe, in his Joe Gibbs Racing debut, captured the Daytona 500 pole—marking the first time in history that a Toyota driver has claimed the top spot for NASCAR’s biggest race. Briscoe’s lap at 182.745 mph edged out Austin Cindric by 0.076 seconds, sending a clear message: Toyota has found another gear.
“This is unbelievable,” Briscoe said. “A special way to start the year.”
But Briscoe wasn’t the only Toyota making noise. Truex Jr. and Johnson both clocked fast enough speeds to secure their places in the race, avoiding the drama of Thursday’s Duels.
That’s when the real question arose: where did all this Toyota speed come from?
Truex Jr. and Johnson Weigh In—But They’re Not Seeing Eye to Eye
For Jimmie Johnson, the speed was encouraging—but not entirely surprising.
“It’s hard to tell,” Johnson admitted. “I’m not in the cars as often, but we’re really encouraged by our pace in practice. The whole field picked up speed, so hats off to Toyota and JGR for what they’ve brought.”
On the other hand, Truex Jr. was more skeptical, hinting that these Next Gen cars are so draggy that it’s impossible to really gauge performance until you see the lap time.
“These cars feel slow no matter what,” Truex Jr. said bluntly. “You just wait to see what pops up on your dash when you take the checkered flag.”
Regardless of their differing perspectives, the Toyota camp left Wednesday night with its chest puffed out. With Briscoe on pole, Truex Jr. securing a strong spot for Tricon Garage, and Johnson proving that Legacy Motor Club’s manufacturer switch might already be paying dividends, the Japanese manufacturer suddenly looks like a serious contender for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
The Toyota Takeover: What’s Behind This Speed Surge?
Toyota’s Next Gen struggles have been well-documented over the last two seasons. While Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell carried the flag for JGR, the manufacturer lagged behind Chevrolet and Ford on superspeedways.
So what changed?
One theory is aerodynamic refinements and power adjustments over the offseason, something teams have been notoriously tight-lipped about. Another factor? Toyota’s growing Cup Series footprint—with Legacy Motor Club switching from Chevrolet and Tricon Garage stepping up to dabble in Cup racing, Toyota is going all-in on their superspeedway program.
And, of course, there’s the manufacturer’s deep-pocketed technical support, which Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointed to as a potential game-changer for teams like Legacy.
“If a new OEM comes in and says, ‘We want to make you our top dog,’ that could be a game-changer,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
Legacy’s Gamble: Will Johnson’s Toyota Move Pay Off?
For Jimmie Johnson, Toyota’s speed is validation for a massive gamble.
Legacy Motor Club struggled mightily in 2024, and the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota was a bold, strategic play. Johnson made it clear that last year’s results left the team with no choice but to shake things up.
“We couldn’t have tried any harder last year,” Johnson admitted. “It’s part of the journey. We won’t see the full impact of the change until next year.”
So far, however, that gamble is showing early returns. Not only did Johnson qualify on speed, but his rookie teammate John Hunter Nemechek showed top-10 pace in practice, signaling that Legacy’s new Toyota alliance is already bearing fruit.
The Road to Sunday: Will Toyota’s Speed Hold Up in the Pack?
The real test, of course, is how these Toyotas perform in race conditions. One-lap speed is one thing, but handling, drafting ability, and fuel strategy will determine whether this speed translates to race-day dominance.
Truex Jr. might be more cautious in his assessment, but Johnson is bullish on what’s ahead.
“Watch our pathway,” Johnson teased. “This should be a good one this year.”
With Briscoe on the pole, Truex Jr. and Johnson locked in, and Toyota looking stronger than ever, the question heading into Sunday isn’t if Toyota can contend for the Daytona 500 win—it’s who will be leading the charge when the checkered flag waves?
