David Wilson, the president of Toyota Racing Development (TRD), announced his retirement set for December 16, during an emotional news conference at Richmond Raceway. The event, attended by numerous Toyota NASCAR drivers and team executives, was a formal but heartfelt farewell to a man who has significantly shaped the landscape of motorsports under Toyota’s banner. Tyler Gibbs, currently the general manager at TRD, is slated to succeed Wilson.
Throughout his tenure, Wilson steered TRD through a multitude of racing disciplines, including CART, CORR, Grand-Am, IMSA, Indy Racing League, MTEG, NASCAR, NHRA, SCORE, and USAC, achieving remarkable success across the board.
At the conference, Wilson shared his deep emotional response to the outpouring of support and recognition from his peers, commenting, as quoted by Motorsport:
“To see so many people here that I care about, so many friends – means the world to me,” Wilson, 63, said. “The past couple of days have been completely overwhelming. The kindness and the generosity that I’ve seen come my way has truly been special and remarkable.
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“It has been wildly uncomfortable because we come from a place – I come from a place – where we celebrate the team, and not the individual. At my very best day, I’m simply a reflection of this team – TRD and Toyota.
“The accomplishments – they are not my accomplishments; they are our accomplishments.”
Expressing his reasons for stepping down, Wilson stated, “it’s time to hand the keys over,” endorsing Gibbs as a worthy successor who shares a similar trajectory and foundational values with him. Reflecting on his role shift from behind-the-scenes efforts to a more public-facing position over the last decade, he shared:
“There is so many parallels [to Tyler] coming up through the company for years. I enjoyed kind of toiling in the background.
“I enjoyed being that guy behind the scenes, and then somehow 10, 11 years I was thrust into this spotlight – if you will – and it really does seem like just the other day. Tyler will be great for our company, will continue to be great for our company.”
Wilson also reflected on the legacy of Toyota in NASCAR, suggesting that his and the team’s efforts over the past two decades have strengthened the sport through closer relationships with sanctioning bodies and competitors.
“I would like to believe that TRD is better than what it was when I got here. I would like to believe that our sport and Toyota’s position in our sport has left NASCAR in a better place.
“Coming back to when we entered 20 years ago, we didn’t have a relationship with the sanctioning body and we didn’t have a relationship with our competitors the way we do now, and so much has changed.
“I’m proud of the way the competitive model that Toyota brought to the sport. We’ve changed the way the sport goes racing. I love that. I love that. There is a lot that I’m really happy about and proud of.”
Wilson concluded:
“I’m at peace. My heart is full. While we are here, we are all wired to be competitive and we are still here because of what we do on track, many of my close friends have heard me, more recently, talk about what fuels my soul,” he said.
“What I will be most grateful for, and you are not going to find it in a box score, you are going to find it in the hearts of these people, and the trust and the relationship and the love that I’ve developed for so many people in this garage.
“I would like to think that Toyota’s entry in the sport has left a mark and that our sport is stronger for it, not me, but Toyota and the relationship, and the professional relationships we have with our competitors.
“It might seem strange, but I’m as proud of anything, because we share the same goals, and we can work together to help make our sport better and that is how it should be.”
