WTWGR boss gets front row seat to Toyota's US juggernaut
Walkinshaw TWG Racing CEO travelled to US between events
Bruce Stewart caught up with TRD, Toyota NASCAR teams
WTWGR joined Toyota family in 2026 with new Supra Supercar
Walkinshaw TWG Racing CEO Bruce Stewart has shed light on the “off the charts” scale of Toyota’s United States-based racing program after a flying visit between Supercars events.
Stewart recently returned to Australia after being Stateside for a fortnight, catching up with Toyota racing organisations and race teams.
The WTWGR boss followed driver Chaz Mostert to the US, with the reigning champion contesting the Detroit IMSA round with Lexus squad Vasser Sullivan Racing.
There, Stewart was also trackside with Andretti Global, which operates under the TWG family — which came into the WTWGR family via the Andretti ownership connection.
Key to Stewart’s stint Stateside was time with Toyota Racing Development (TRD), which is Toyota’s in-house tuning and motorsport division. TRD is based in North Carolina, as are Toyota’s three NASCAR Cup Series teams Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing and Legacy Motor Club.
Stewart also caught up with TRD's Principal Engineer Vehicle Support Steve Hallam, who he got to know during the Briton’s time managing the Holden Racing Team.
“How they work through racing is super impressive,” Stewart told Supercars.com of TRD.
“With the power of the Toyota network around the world, just being able to get a glimpse into those worlds really opens your eyes, invigorates you and helps you find other areas to improve and continue to grow our team.
“It was an eye-opener and it gives you ideas, initiatives, programs and strategies to keep pushing. It was very worthwhile."
Stewart also visited the workshops of the three Toyota teams, which combined, have won nine of the 16 races of the current NASCAR Cup Series season.
Backing up Toyota’s two Supercars wins in Tasmania, JGR star Denny Hamlin won back to back races in the Cup Series while Stewart was in the US.
It comes as WTWGR settles into life at its own new headquarters, with the Walkinshaw Group opening a new state-of-the-art facility last year.
“It's pretty cool what they do. Those teams work to a hectic schedule. It’s amazing,” Stewart said of the NASCAR teams.
“The professionalism and the time management to the clock of the teams, when it comes to their manufacturing, construction and car delivery, is very impressive.
“They make sure that they are on time, on schedule, and very competitive at every race. It’s extraordinary, because NASCAR is essentially a Supercars season on steroids.
"They’re just constantly on the move, so they have to have the resources — people, vehicles, equipment, technology — to make sure that they do things quickly and correctly, and ensure that the show goes on.
“They have a population 11 times the size of Australia, but even then, the scale of everything is huge. That blew me away. Their infrastructure is off the charts.
“They want to do things to the best degree for their manufacturer, which is something that resonates with us and Toyota."
Stewart's Supercars team resumes its 2026 campaign in Darwin on June 19-21.
