AdminDavid Wilson received the Bill France Award for Excellence during the NASCAR Awards celebration Friday evening in Charlotte.
Wilson is the outgoing president of Toyota Racing Development. He announced his retirement earlier this year, scheduled for December 16. The award was presented by NASCAR Chairman Jim France and brought Wilson to tears as he sat in the crowd when he realized he was the recipient.
“I always come from a place of humility and I was really stunned,” Wilson said. “ rocked my world when I was called on stage by my dear friend Jim France and recognized. I have said what I believe and what is in my heart: On my very best day, I am simply a reflection of an amazing team that supported me, trusted me and gave me the strength to serve. I’m still working on it.”
Wilson admitted that he came to the ceremony reluctantly. A private party was held for him in Charlotte on Thursday night by friends and colleagues and he thought that was all the “heavy lifting” he would have to do this weekend.
“We are all competitive and when you have to watch others receive their awards, it is difficult,” Wilson said. “But I’m still on the clock, I still have to represent and I still have to congratulate our champions. That’s part of what we do.
“I had no idea. I thought there was a mention, maybe at the end of the . But again, beyond humbled and incredibly grateful.”
The award is one of the most prestigious in sports and is not presented annually. It honors those who have had a significant impact on the sport.
Wilson is the 29th recipient.
“Just hearing that out loud puts me back in this position where I’m really at a loss for words,” Wilson said of winning an award called France. “It was Bill France Jr., who welcomed us to their sport in Century City, California, many, many years ago, and it was Jim France with whom I developed a personal bond, friendship and trust. I love Jim France – I told him that – because besides everything on the track, he has just been a good friend and trusted our company. I was able to help, I think, and our team was able to help his team get better, and that, again, is important.
“When Jim started reading… Kerri looked back at me and said, ‘This is…’ I said, ‘No, there’s no… This isn’t for guys like me. I’m just floored. I’m really humbled and feel undeserved to be honest. But I am proud because in my eyes this is not my award; this is TRD’s award, this is Toyota’s award and I have the absolute honor to accept it on their behalf.”
Wilson was a member of the Toyota organization for 35 years and served as chairman of the TRD for the past 11 years. He helmed the Cup Series driver championships with Kyle Busch (2015 and 2019) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017), three constructors’ championships and three Daytona 500 wins with Denny Hamlin.
He also oversaw major successes in the two other national series. Toyota claimed seven manufacturers’ championships in the Craftsman Truck Series, along with four drivers’ championships. In the Xfinity Series, the company captured one manufacturer championship and three driver championships.
Toyota entered the NASCAR Cup Series races in 2007. It was a major moment in the sport when Toyota became the first foreign manufacturer since the 1950s to compete at the Cup Series level.
Wilson mentioned the milestone during his onstage remarks, acknowledging that the company was not always accepted. But as his term ends, he says he is proud of the changes in the sport for everyone involved.
“When I look back at what our team has accomplished, and what I’ve been a small part of, it’s really something that I hold dear, because most of you were here over twenty years ago and you saw the polarizing reception that Toyota got at that time. days,” Wilson said. “We knew what we were up against. We had enormous respect for the sport and we put together a strategy to earn our way, and to do it the right way and to make sure that we respected the sport and the opportunities we had to compete.
“To look back at where we’ve come since then, and the acceptance that largely exists for us, and the belief that I have that our sport is better when we’re a part of it, that’s special to me and I’ll always be there extremely proud of it.
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