RICHMOND, Va. -- David Wilson held multiple roles during his decades with Toyota Motors North America. One of the biggest was as a supporter of NASCAR's drivers and team owners, something that Denny Hamlin highlighted after news of Wilson's upcoming retirement broke.
"He was the one that believed in me from the very get-go when I started 23XI (Racing)," Hamlin said about Wilson Saturday at Richmond Raceway. "I will never forget the grocery store parking lot that I was sitting in when I called him and asked him if he would help support this race team that we started.
"Early on in my career, we made the switch over to Toyota and TRD at Joe Gibbs Racing. He was an instrumental part of that being their flagship team and the team that could carry the brand on for decades and it has."
Hamlin may have started his NASCAR career behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, but he has been tied to Toyota -- and Wilson by extension -- since 2008. This is the season that Joe Gibbs Racing switched manufacturers and kicked off a stretch of success.
Hamlin, in particular, has won 51 races in a Toyota. He has celebrated some of the biggest wins in the sport, including three Daytona 500s, one Coca-Cola 600, and three Southern 500s.
Wilson was along for the ride, especially after taking over as TRD USA President in 2014. He celebrated the wins with Hamlin and the other Toyota drivers, and he helped the teams as they transitioned to new Toyota Camry race cars.
"I would like to believe that TRD is better than what it was when I got here," Wilson said Saturday afternoon. "I would like to believe that our sport and Toyota's position in our sport has left NASCAR in a better place.
"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."
Now, Wilson will pass the keys over to TRD USA General Manager Tyler Gibbs, who will take over as TRD USA President. But drivers will not forget the impact that he and Toyota made on NASCAR's top series.
"You will not find another manufacturer -- that, I believe, there just isn't -- that spends as much money as Toyota Motor North America in not only the racing that you see on Sunday, but the grassroots racing," Hamlin said.
"Top to bottom, Toyota is heavily invested in motorsports in the United States and it is because of people like David Wilson that helped push that program to where it is at. A lot of drivers, crew members all owe a huge debt of gratitude to David and what he has done."