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Toyota Racing Development’s commitment to motorsports continues with the return of their driver development program (TD2) for the 2025 racing season.
Similar to previous seasons, TD2 spans several racing disciplines, including grassroots dirt racing, NASCAR stock cars and sports car racing. Last year’s TD2 program saw Corey Heim finish runner-up in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. It was his second consecutive Championship 4 appearance.
Cannon McIntosh claimed two national midget championships in both POWERi and XTREME Midget competition. He became the second driver in midget racing history to claim two titles in the same season. McIntosh narrowly missed winning three championships in the same season, coming up short in USAC competition last year.
“Everyone at Toyota and TRD continues to see the value in investing in young drivers and helping them have incredible opportunities to showcase their talent with our partner teams across many different racing disciplines,” said Trent Rodriguez, Manager, Driver Development, TRD. “We are exceptionally proud of the current group of drivers we are supporting through the TD2 program and are very confident they will continue to deliver on track this season.”
Heim returns to the program, driving for TRICON Garage in the Truck Series alongside fellow TD2 drivers Brent Crews, Gio Ruggiero and William Sawalich. Sawalich will compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Joe Gibbs Racing alongside another TD2 driver, Taylor Gray.
Isabella Robusto, meanwhile, will compete in her first full-time ARCA Menards Series season with Venturini Motorsports. Robusto tied the best finish by a female driver in ARCA National competition at the Illinois State Fairgrounds last year.
She followed up with her first career pole position at Kansas Speedway before contact on the opening lap ended her race. Robusto appeared on her way to victory at Irwindale Speedway until her car cut a tire with about 20 laps to go.
TD2’s stock car racing line-up is completed by Jade Avedisian, who became the first female national dirt midget champion. Avedisian has been transitioning from dirt competition to pavement racing in recent years. She earned her first Late Model win at Hickory Motor Speedway in her second career start last year.
Toyota has announced its driver development lineup: Jade Avedisian, Brent Crews, Jacob Denney, Tyler Gonzalez, Taylor Gray, Corey Heim, Buddy Kofoid, Cannon McIntosh, Kiko Porto, Isabella Robusto, Gio Ruggiero, William Sawalich, Gresham Wagner and Westin Workman.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 10, 2025
McIntosh also returns to the program in 2025 alongside his Keith Kunz Motorsports teammate, another TD2 driver, Jacob Denny. Denny is a new driver for the Toyota program. Buddy Kofoid completes the TD2 grassroots dirt racing lineup.
In sports car racing Tyler Gonzalez, the inaugural winner of the Toyota GR Cup Series two years ago, returns to GT4 competition. After winning his class at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year, Gonzalez will compete for RAFA Racing Club (RAFA) in SRO competition. Gresham Wagner, yet another TD2 driver, will serve as his co-driver. Wagner earned 10 wins and the Toyota GR Cup championship last year.
Brazilian driver Kiko Porto will also drive for RAFA in IMSA GT4 competition. Porto’s previous racing experience came in open racing including Indy NXT.
The final driver of the 2025 TD2 program is Westin Workman. He returns to Toyota’s development program in GR Cup with BSI Racing.
More must-reads:
- Connor Zilisch wins wild NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis
- Aric Almirola accuses another driver of intentionally wrecking him at Indianapolis
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Justin Allgaier 'disappointed' after late-race incident with Kyle Larson at Indy
Late-race contact with Kyle Larson led to a heartbreaking loss in Saturday's Pennzoil 250 for defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier. With 14 laps to go, Larson and Allgaier were battling for the race lead. On the exit of Turn 2, Larson got loose, making contact with Allgaier and sending the No. 7 hard into the outside wall. The heavy impact incurred significant damage on Allgaier's Chevrolet and knocked him out of the race, relegating the series points leader to a 36th-place finish. Meanwhile, Larson hung on to score a fourth-place finish. Allgaier's lead in the regular season standings over race winner Connor Zilisch has been trimmed to 21 points with five races remaining in the regular season. "I wish I would've gotten clear there off of (turn) 1," Larson told CW Sports. "He (Allgaier) didn't really pack air on my door there. He just got enough where I got a little bit loose. My angle was bad because I was trying to short cut my entry." "Unfortunately, we got the worse end of the deal," Allgaier told reporters. "I'm disappointed. I'll have to go back and look at it. I don't really have a lot to say on it right now." It's the second time in six weeks that Allgaier has been involved in a late-race scuffle with a Cup Series driver in the No. 17 Xfinity Series car. At Pocono Raceway on June 21, contact between Allgaier and Chase Elliott resulted in Connor Zilisch, who also won Saturday's race at Indianapolis, winning after Allgaier and Elliott fell out of contention.
Aaron Rodgers responds to criticism from Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw
The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.
Royals acquire outfield help in perplexing trade with Diamondbacks
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
Warriors still positioning themselves for Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster
Things have largely gone cold on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, but that does not mean teams are not thinking of the possibility of that changing. Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard noted that the Warriors are being cautious in negotiations with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, as he could be possible trade bait if Antetokounmpo is traded by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Warriors are adamant about not giving away Kuminga for less than his full trade value, which is why his situation remains unresolved with August looming. Kuminga and the Warriors have yet to agree on a contract, and it remains unclear when the situation will be resolved. He has a $7.9 million qualifying offer on the table, and signing it would allow him to approve any trade he is involved in. If he signs a multiyear extension, he would not be eligible to be traded until January, which could complicate things if Antetokounmpo decides late in the offseason that he wants a move. Presumably, Kuminga would be a key part of any trade the Warriors make involving Antetokounmpo. However, with no market materializing, there seems to be a growing chance he could remain with the team next season. The former No. 7 overall pick averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game last season. He appeared in 47 games, making 10 starts and averaging 24.3 minutes per game. However, he has been unable to consistently lock down a major spot in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, which reportedly led to some tension between the two last season. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, still seems unlikely to be traded, but teams are still going to prepare for the possibility.
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