MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Rusty Wallace Racing announced Thursday that beginning with the 2010 season the team will field Toyotas in its quest for a Nationwide Series championship.

Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan will remain the team's drivers.

“

Toyota is the manufacturer to beat in the Nationwide Series right now.

”

-- RUSTY WALLACE

Additionally, a separate agreement with Rusty Wallace, the 1989 Cup Series champion, will enable him to represent the Toyota brand on a national basis.

"I'm very proud to have the opportunity for the team and I to represent the Toyota brand," Wallace said. "Our team's decision on manufacturers involved input from a lot of people within the organization.

"We decided that at the end of the day, our goal as a race team is simple: to win races and championships. Thus, we all had to take a long look at which manufacturer partner could best help us reach that goal."

Toyota will enter the 2010 season looking for its new RWR partnership to aid in securing the brand's third consecutive Nationwide Series manufacturer championship.

RWR's move to Toyota follows a two-year campaign in which the team enjoyed manufacturer support from Chevrolet.

"Chevrolet has been a great partner for our team and on behalf of RWR, I'd like to thank Pat Suhy, Shane Martin and everyone at GM Racing for their dedication and support," Wallace said. "They were a key in our team's growth the past two seasons."

Wallace said he toured Toyota's racing facility in North Carolina and became convinced that the manufacturer has the best products for the Nationwide Series.

The three American manufacturers in NASCAR -- Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford -- have reduced their support for NASCAR teams during their financial restructuring.