Earlier this week, Toyota Motor North America announced Wilson will retire as president on Dec. 16 and after 35 years with the organization and Tyler Gibbs, currently general manager of TRD, was named as Wilson’s successor.
The duo participated in a news conference Saturday at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, which proved an emotional affair that included numerous Toyota NASCAR drivers and team executives in attendance.
Wilson’s tenure as TRD president has been a successful one and includes championships in CART, CORR, Grand-Am, IMSA, Indy Racing League, MTEG, NASCAR, NHRA, SCORE and USAC.
“To see so many people here that I care about, so many friends – means the world to me,” Wilson, 63, said. “The past couple of days have been completely overwhelming. The kindness and the generosity that I’ve seen come my way has truly been special and remarkable.
“It has been wildly uncomfortable because we come from a place – I come from a place – where we celebrate the team, and not the individual. At my very best day, I’m simply a reflection of this team – TRD and Toyota.
“The accomplishments – they are not my accomplishments; they are our accomplishments.”
Why now?
Wilson, however, said “it’s time to hand the keys over” and said Gibbs was “well deserving” if taking the reins of the organization.
“There is so many parallels (to Tyler) coming up through the company for years. I enjoyed kind of toiling in the background,” he said.
“I enjoyed being that guy behind the scenes, and then somehow 10, 11 years I was thrust into this spotlight – if you will – and it really does seem like just the other day. Tyler will be great for our company, will continue to be great for our company.”
Asked to reflect on his legacy in racing with Toyota, Wilson said a summation of his tenure “is pretty simple.”
“I would like to believe that TRD is better than what it was when I got here. I would like to believe that our sport and Toyota’s position in our sport has left NASCAR in a better place,” he said.
“Coming back to when we entered 20 years ago, we didn’t have a relationship with the sanctioning body and we didn’t have a relationship with our competitors the way we do now, and so much has changed.
“I’m proud of the way the competitive model that Toyota brought to the sport. We’ve changed the way the sport goes racing. I love that. I love that. There is a lot that I’m really happy about and proud of.”
The most enduring legacy, Wilson said, will be in the countless relationships he has forced over the years, whether with colleagues, media, participants or competitors.
“I’m at peace. My heart is full. While we are here, we are all wired to be competitive and we are still here because of what we do on track, many of my close friends have heard me, more recently, talk about what fuels my soul,” he said.
“What I will be most grateful for, and you are not going to find it in a box score, you are going to find it in the hearts of these people, and the trust and the relationship and the love that I’ve developed for so many people in this garage.
“I would like to think that Toyota’s entry in the sport has left a mark and that our sport is stronger for it, not me, but Toyota and the relationship, and the professional relationships we have with our competitors.
“It might seem strange, but I’m as proud of anything, because we share the same goals, and we can work together to help make our sport better and that is how it should be.”
