2012 Camry to Pace NASCAR Daytona 500 | Toyota Camry News | Ourisman Chantilly Toyota

Feb. 14, 2012 - PRLog -- The 2012 Camry will be the first Japanese car ever to lead the field for the Daytona 500. The 2012 season's inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be held in Daytona Beach, Fla. later this month.

The Feb. 26 race at Daytona International Speedway is a "uniquely American platform for manufacturers to display their technology, innovation and overall automotive excellence," said speedway president Joie Chitwood, III. The Toyota Camry has been named America's best-selling car for nine years running, which makes it a natural fit for the purely American motorsport.

The pace car is modeled after the 2012 Camry SE and features a 3.5-liter, 6-cylinder engine that delivers 268 horsepower and 248 lb.-ft. of torque, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Maximum performance tires on 18" wheels, Tein adjustable suspension, and safety appointments like an on-board fire extinguisher, roll cage and four-point Simpson racing seat belts.

Though this, the 54th running of the Daytona 500, marks the first time Camry will serve as pace car, it will be the ninth year the popular Toyota model has participated in the stock car race. Since 2007, Camry racecar drivers have taken the sedan all the way to a checkered flag in 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

The only other import vehicle to pace the Daytona 500 was the Porsche 914 in 1971.

The Toyota Camry sedan was redesigned for 2012 and the all-new model has already earned a Kelly Blue Book 2012 Best Resale Value Award, a 5-Star Overall Safety Rating from safercar.gov and is a 2012 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

ABOUT OURISMAN CHANTILLY TOYOTA

Virginia Toyota dealers at Ourisman Chantilly Toyota have clearance sale prices on 2012 Camry through Feb. 20, 2012. Toyota Financial Services offers 2.9% APR and $219/mo. lease specials on the all-new Camry through Mar. 5. Schedule an appointment for a test drive online at http://www.ourismanchantillytoyota.com.