LOUDON, N.H. — Furniture Row Racing announced Sunday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that it will begin fielding Toyota Camrys beginning with the 2016 season.
The team also said it has picked up the option year on driver Martin Truex Jr.’s contract, ensuring he will be with the team through next season. And Furniture Row executives say they hope to eventually work out a longer-term deal with the driver, who won a race this season and is ranked 11th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings entering Sunday’s Sylvania 300. It marks a return to Toyota for Truex, who drove the make for Michael Waltrip Racing during the 2010-13 seasons.
As part of the relationship with Toyota, Furniture Row will have a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. Furniture Row will get its engines from Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and its chassis from JGR and share in a technical support alliance with the two organizations, although the exact details of that agreement are still being finalized.
“It’s been 10 years that we’ve been racing and trying to make our way in Sprint Cup and part of the progression trying to expand our team is to find a platform that would continue our growth, and Toyota gives us this platform,” said Joe Garone, president and general manager of Furniture Row Racing.
“There is a proven record of performance that fits perfectly, really, with where we want to go.”
The Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry was unveiled this morning in New Hampshire. #NASCAR … http://t.co/cUXs1tRfse pic.twitter.com/yfDEguoLIy
— Furniture Row Racing (@FR78Racing) September 27, 2015
And, Garone said, he hopes the new relationship with Toyota will be the bridge to the team expanding to two cars in 2017.
In the meantime, Toyota gains a team for next year as it is losing its original entry with Michael Waltrip Racing announcing it would cease operations at the end of 2015.
David Wilson, President of Toyota Racing Development said the deal with Furniture Row was completely independent of the MWR situation, however.
“We’ve been talking to Joe [Garone] and [team owner] Barney [Visser] for a couple years now,” Wilson said. “We got to know each other very naturally through our mutual participation. Looking at our camp and with the contraction that’s going to happen next year, certainly it was more important, but we would be here today anyway, even if Michael Waltrip Racing was still going to be here.”
The Denver-based single-car Furniture Row team has been competing in the Cup ranks since 2005, and this is the second season it has qualified for the Chase — also including 2013 with driver Kurt Busch. It is currently using Chevrolet engines and partnered in a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing.
Garone was careful to show his appreciation for the tenure, “The support from Chevrolet and RCR has helped our growth pattern,” he said.
While Chevrolet has nine cars in the 16-car Chase field, the top four ranked drivers all steer Camrys.
“For them [Furniture Row] to have the courage to make the change is something,” Wilson acknowledged. “This is now the second time they have made the Chase. It puts a lot of pressure on us to perform. It’s a real leap of faith because you could say, ‘Why make the change?’
“It’s the belief we collectively share in how we can be even better yet.”
Garone agreed with the impetus to switch manufacturers even as the team is currently enjoying success.
“Because we think we can do greater,” Garone said with a smile. “And we think these partners will be able to help.”