Will Toyota sprint car engines be finally available to the masses? Quite possibly, and soon.
This past fall sprint car driver Chase Johnson displayed his car, complete with window sticker, for Price Family Dealerships in California, which sell Toyotas. He hopes to have the opportunity to run a Toyota engine in his 410 sprint car in 2024.
“The engine has been in development for the past three seasons, and word has been that they will be available in the 2024 season,” Johnson, of Penngrove, California, said. “At this point there hasn’t been [any] information [from] Toyota as to when the engines will be available and how many will be developed.”
Roth Motorsports has run Toyota engines in its 410 sprint car program with James McFadden and Buddy Kofoid.
“We have been told that the engines will be available outside of the test teams in 2024,” said Todd Ventura, Roth Motorsports manager. “The third season [2023] was very successful. We have a total of 11 wins, [with] eight in World of Outlaws between the two teams.”
The success of Toyota sprint car engines has created a buzz among those in the 410 sprint car community.
“The Toyota engine is competitive with any Chevy or Ford engine out there,” Ventura said.
Johnson is excited to run one.
“With 950-980 horsepower, it promises to be good for us,” said Johnson. “It produces more power, and in our form of racing we need every bit of power we can get, especially in qualifying time trials. This engine should be the key to qualifying up front. The more power, the better chances are to start up front in the feature and win.”
Toyota could not be reached for comment on the availability of Toyota power plants for 410 sprint cars.
Nevertheless, as far as the fictious window sticker for the Toyota-powered sprint car, it offers a bit more truth than it seems.
“People were very interested when they saw the window sticker,” Johnson said. “[It] has a factual purchase price. We were waiting to see if anyone would ask us if there is a lease program.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
