TRD’s David Wilson is ‘at peace’

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 05: NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and Toyota Racing Development USA President and General Manager David Wilson speak at the unveiling of the seventh generation of the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota car during the NASCAR Next Gen Car Announcement on May 05, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson spoke to the media Saturday regarding his announcement this week that he will be retiring from his position at the end of the season and turning over duties to longtime TRD executive Tyler Gibbs (no relation to the Joe Gibbs family).

“I’m at peace, my heart is full,’’ said Wilson, who has been part of the manufacturer’s motorsports presence for 35 years including Toyota’s first Daytona 500 victory and first NASCAR Cup Series championship.

“Many of my close friends have heard me, more recently, talk about what fuels my soul and what I will be most grateful for and you’re not gonna find it in a box score. Your going to find it in the hearts of these people and the relationships and the love and the trust that have developed,’’ Wilson added, looking around Richmond media center at all the Toyota team owners and drivers who attended the press conference out of respect for their longtime leader.

“It’s pretty simple, I’d like to believe that TRD is better than when it was when I got here and that Toyota’s position in this sport has left NASCAR in a better place,’’ Wilson said of what he considers his most important legacy.

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Greg Engle

Editor in Chief at Cup Scene Daily

Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community.

Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour 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, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.