When Stars Go Racing: the WILD History of Toyota’s Celebrity Race

Thanks to Ozlo for partnering with us! Get $10 off Ozlo Sleepbuds using our link https://ozlo.yt.link/0UoCDTs or use our code TDRVE to get the best sleep of your life! Forget Dancing With the Stars. For over 40 years, Toyota put some of the world’s biggest celebrities on a tight street circuit and let them race the most talented drivers in motorsport. It was a dangerous, glorious mess—and the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is exactly what racing is missing today. From 1975 to 2016, Toyota was the title sponsor for IndyCar’s annual Long Beach Grand Prix in California. In a stroke of genius, the company decided to stage a race between celebs and real race drivers featuring built-up versions of whatever its entry-level sports car was at the time. This was no dog and pony show. Stars who wanted in had to undergo an intensive driver training program, be able to drive a manual transmission, and probably sign a thousand waivers. Past participants included Clint Eastwood, Matt LeBlanc, Adrien Brody, Michelle Rodriquez, Keanu Reeves, John Elway, Aisha Tyler, William Shanter, George Lucas, Josh Brolin, Frankie Muniz, Buzz Aldrin, and many, many, many more. And the drivers? We’re talking icons like Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Al Unser, Sam Posey, and on and on. Despite the training, you know, ultimately this was still a bunch of novices going wheel-to-wheel on the famously unforgiving LBGP street circuit. Crashes… were constant. Some wrecks were pretty severe. But the stars kept coming, because ultimately, who DOESN’T want to go racing like this? Toyota ended the series when it stopped sponsoring the Long Beach race after 2016, but we think it’s prime time for a comeback. And really, with the recent surge of interest in F1 and IMSA in the US, a high-profile contest like this could be a tipping point in motorsport’s big comeback. Also: bet you can’t guess who the winningest celebrity was? No, really, you won’t. Produced and hosted by → https://www.instagram.com/joeyrassool/ Previous episode → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM1tQmOLgkE The Drive is the chronicle of car culture. We write stories you actually want to read. → https://www.thedrive.com/ FOLLOW US! Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thedrive/ Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thedrive TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@thedrive_official WORK WITH US → [email protected]