The redesign of the Toyota Camry means changes are in store for the NASCAR Cup Series car. How will this new racing Camry look as it rockets around the track?

The Camry isn’t the only NASCAR car to receive upgrades to the production model; the Ford Mustang also has a new face. That means two of the three cars racing around the track will have improved styling elements and showcase features that give them sportier looks and sharper features. While the Ford offers an aggressive approach, the Toyota model brings a little more balance to the features seen in this new racing build.

A shark appears at the front of the Camry

Have you looked at the new production version of this venerable Toyota sedan? This new front end brings elements and shapes that make it look like a hammerhead shark. This appearance is more pronounced in the NASCAR racing machine, especially when the outline of this shape is highlighted by black and red Toyota striping. Although the headlights are just stickers on the Cup Series car, you can see the shape and admire the impressive and aggressive look that resembles one of the most interesting creatures in the ocean.

Will this new appearance improve the Cup car’s performance?

When compared to the outgoing model, this new Toyota Camry Cup Series car appears to be more subdued. While that is the first impression, a closer look provides a variety of details that point to improved aerodynamics, making it easy to see how this car could be much better for tracks where drafting is common, like Daytona and Talladega.

Some of the appearance and shape changes you’ll see include an expanded hood to bring a flatter rectangular show with new narrow hood ducts that have been moved inward to bring more air where it’s needed. This new look to the front hood ducts is the third version of how Toyota has designed these ducts to allow air to be expelled from the radiator.

The front area below the hood is flat, which seems like it would create a challenge for the aerodynamic system. This flat face area allows the car to draft better on these superspeedways where the cars are back to back during many of the high-speed maneuvers. Improved drafting elements could allow the new Camry Cup car to be much more competitive when the new NASCAR season begins.

Does this new model do more than draft well?

The lower grille area of the bumper proves that Toyota had a little more in mind with this new car than just drafting. The bumper has been optimized for the car with the corner C-shaped vents sending air where it’s required. The shape of the lower bumper is stepped, sending air over the side of the Camry Cup Series car. The front bumper edge looks angled but actually has a K-shape to it, which also optimizes airflow. As expected with any racing car, the way air flows around and through the car has been prioritized.

Added elements to control front downforce

The bottom corners of the bumper have a step look that resembles a ramp. These items look like a dive plane that’s more commonly found on GT race cars. These side steps appear to be designed to control the front downforce on this area of the car. These items also give the various racing teams a few options when setting up the car and adjusting the various aerodynamic components, including the flat underbody area of this NASCAR racing machine.

The front isn’t all that’s changed about this Toyota racer

As you look down the sides of this new Toyota Camry NASCAR racer, you’ll see the small bump that was present on the rocker panels is gone. The TRD badging is also gone because the TRD trim is no longer part of the production version of the Camry.

The rear area of this Toyota racer isn’t changed nearly as much as the front. This rear space has a more sculpted appearance with a new look to the quarter panels and thinner faux taillights, which resemble the rear lights of the production car.

This new Toyota NASCAR racer was designed by the same team that designed the new production car. The team at Calty Design and Research pushed the details of the production car to the racing machine while adding several aerodynamic elements that give this new NASCAR racer an impressive look that doesn’t go over the top. If this new NASCAR Cup Series car is as good as advertised, it will be more competitive than before, which might bring more NASCAR teams into the Toyota fold.