January 31, 2006
Toyota took pole position and won its debut race in the USAC National Midget Car Series season opener at Phoenix International Raceway in the United States on 21-22 January.
2005 midget champion Dave Steele put his Toyota-powered Beast on pole and took the victory in his first outing with Nine Racing.
"It is obviously a big thing for me just to be part of Toyota's debut into midget racing," Steele told USAC's official website.
"To have an engine come out and run really good right out of the box is a tribute to [engine builder] Ed Pink and his shop and to Toyota for all their help with Ed.
"It's a good way to start."
Steele lost the lead on the first lap of the race but regained it on lap 14 and finished two car lengths ahead of Michael Lewis at the chequered flag.
Nine Racing has won 10 USAC National Midget Championships and only last month recruited Steele.
Team owner Steve Lewis also signed two-time midget national champion Dave Darland, who qualified tenth and finished seventh in the season opener.
Toyota Motorsports and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) developed the new 2.7-litre midget car engine in conjunction with eight-time USAC championship winning engine builder Ed Pink Racing.
The four-cylinder engine has the V8 cylinder head used by the Toyota Tundras in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.
Midget racing has been a popular breeding ground for young racers with legends including A J Foyt, Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart racing in the series as juniors.
The national series will take a break before the next round on 21 May at Concord, North Carolina.
Toyota Motorsport