Bubba Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek highlight Toyota trio for IMSA Pilot Challenge at Daytona

Competing in the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge, Bubba Wallace and John Hunter Nemechek highlight a Toyota trio. Corey Heim will also join the two Cup Series talents for the Michelin Pilot Challenge.

A little IMSA experience for these three Toyota talents. They will compete for SMooge Racing in the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVOs at Daytona International Speedway, as reported by John Dagys of SportsCar365.

Smooge Racing is also fielding the No. 68 car with a trio of sports car drivers. Kevin Conway, John Geesbreght, and Corey Lewis will also be in the four-hour race.

Conway, the team principal, was excited about having the three NASCAR drivers join their efforts.

“We are very excited to run two GR Supra GT4 EVOs at Daytona this year,” said Conway. “Having Bubba, John Hunter, and Corey in the 23 car is a major honor and testament to Smooge Racing.”

Bubba Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek, and Corey Heim will all be making their IMSA debuts in this race. It will be interesting to see how they perform together.

Brad Keselowski was just talking about using IMSA as a development program for his NASCAR drivers of the future, is Toyota beating him to it?

Bubba Wallace looking for more in 2024

Despite a career-best finish of 10th in the overall standings last season, Bubba Wallace didn’t seem content with his season in 2023. That might have to do with missing out on wins, feeling he could have gone further in the playoffs, and more.

So, in 2024, Wallace is looking for more. The good thing is, he has shown he can compete in the top-10 of the Cup Series. He was close to a playoff victory at Texas. He almost had the regular season Talladega race, until he made one block too many on the final lap.

There were moments he missed. Then again, there were moments he capitalized on. He raced hard at Watkins Glen to keep his playoff hopes alive. He was strong on the short tracks to end the year. His moves at Charlotte took him from a top-20 finish to a top-5 finish within a few restarts.

I think a win is a must for Wallace, in his mind and in the mind of his team. After finding so much success in 2023, it feels like just the beginning for Bubba Wallace and his group.