I wanna go fast: Toyota Supra to join NASCAR in 2019

The yet-to-be-unveiled Toyota Supra already has a date with the track.

Toyota has confirmed that its next-generation Supra sports car will be available with a 725 horsepower V8. Unfortunately, that engine option will only be available to drivers in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Toyota has yet to revealed the production version of its hotly anticipated Supra revival, but on Friday the company announced that it's taking its iconic sports car racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, also known as NXS, for the 2019 season. The Supra will replace the Camry that Toyota has campaigned in the series since 2007.

"When you talk Toyota and cool cars, Supra is the first thing that comes to mind for many auto enthusiasts,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president of Toyota Division Marketing. "Supra's return in production form is huge news, but now we're also going to see this iconic sports car return to American motorsport. From a marketing perspective, it's important to have a race car that evokes the dynamism and character of its showroom counterpart. We're confident we've accomplished that with Supra, and we hope racing fans the world over will proudly cheer its success on track.”

The NASCAR Supra was co-developed by Toyota Racing Development and Calty Design Research. One of the biggest challenges faced was scaling up the Supra's compact body to comply with NASCAR specification.

Although the Supra is taking over for the Camry in NXS, Toyota will still run a version of the family sedan in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Toyota also campaigns a Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

The Supra will make its NASCAR racing debut on February 16, 2019. Toyota has not announced when it will reveal the road-going version of its new Supra.