David Wilson, the longtime head of Toyota’s motorsports division, was honored Friday night with the Bill France Award of Excellence, NASCAR’s most prestigious award.
The award, presented during the annual NASCAR Awards banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center, recognizes outstanding contributions to the sport. Wilson’s 35-year career with Toyota, marked by significant growth and innovation, made him a worthy recipient.
Wilson, who announced his retirement in August, has been a driving force behind Toyota’s success in NASCAR and other forms of motorsports. He oversaw the automaker’s entry into the Craftsman Truck Series in 2004 and the premier Cup Series three years later, elevating Toyota to a major player in the sport.
“I’d like to again believe that TRD is better than when it was when I got here, and I’d like to believe that our sport, and Toyota’s position in our sport, has left NASCAR in a better place,” Wilson said in August. “Coming back to when we entered 20 years ago, we didn’t have a relationship with the sanctioning body and we didn’t have certainly a relationship with our competitors the way we do now, and so much has changed.”
Wilson’s impact extended beyond NASCAR, influencing series such as CART, CORR, Grand-Am, IMSA, Indy Racing League, MTEG, NHRA, SCORE, and USAC. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping the competitive landscape of American motorsports.
The Bill France Award of Excellence is not presented annually. Last year, retiring Goodyear CEO Rich Kramer received the honor, while seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was the 2020 recipient.
Tyler Gibbs, TRD’s current general manager, will succeed Wilson as the head of the motorsports division.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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