Who Got it Right? New NASCAR Toyotas, Fords Start Fast at Daytona

• Two of the three NASCAR OEMs—Ford and Toyota—have new cars for 2024.

• The Ford Mustang Dark Horse flexed its horsepower muscle in Wednesday night qualifying for the Daytona 500, claiming three of the top five positions.

• Toyota came back the next night at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway and swept Thursday’s two Bluegreen Vacations Duel 150-mile qualifying races.

New race cars can produce one of two scenarios for the OEMs: One the car performs just as designed or two it becomes a nightmare.

After two Daytona 500 preliminary events, neither Toyota nor Ford have a definitive answer as to which they face.

Ford controlled qualifying, claiming the pole and front row for the first time since 2012. Toyota came back the next night at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway and swept Thursday’s two Bluegreen Vacations Duel 150-mile qualifying races. After talking with drivers and analyzing data, the men overseeing both manufacturers’ motorsports programs know there’s still work to be done.

Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director Mark Rushbrook said the OEM had received “a lot of feedback” from the drivers and “some things that can be worked on with the setup.”

Paul Doleshal, Toyota’s group manager motorsports Toyota Motor North America, doesn’t believe they have “a lot of worries.”

“We know there is a learning curve anytime you change a body or a major component like that, especially from an aerodynamic standpoint,” Doleshal said. “I think it’s just figuring out where the car wants to sit and kind of working on some of the things from a setup perspective, which the teams and TRD will be actively pursuing and already have been.”

The Ford Mustang Dark Horse flexed its horsepower muscle in Wednesday night qualifying, claiming three of the top five positions, while the new Toyota Camry had a dismal showing, failing to crack the top 10. Doleshal admitted they were “surprised” at the new Camry’s lack of qualifying speed.