Toyota Racing x Sports Illustrated: “Welcome to the Joyride”

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Through a strategic partnership with Sports Illustrated, Toyota Racing' "Welcome to the Joyride" campaign introduced the Toyota Racing Team to a broader audience by unexpectedly pairing NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger with WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles for an exhilarating cross-sport cinematic experience. By combining this high-energy video with human-centric editorial storytelling, the multi-platform campaign successfully amplified the brand's "Joyriders" message, seamlessly bridged the gap between die-hard racing fans and casual viewers, and drove profound, measurable business impact.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

This campaign sets a new benchmark for "Excellence in Engagement" by demonstrating how to successfully bring a niche sport into the mainstream spotlight. By pairing WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles with NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger, Toyota and Sports Illustrated transcended the traditional motorsports echo chamber - creating a welcoming guide for casual sports fans and introducing a broader demographic to the racetrack. 

The approach was a resounding success, with 80% of viewers seeing the talent as an excellent brand fit (according to a Nielsen Study) & over 90% of fan comments reflecting positive sentiment. Additionally, the campaign inspired organic advocacy with Fowles sharing the content above her contractual commitments. 

Beyond talent, the campaign excelled by leveraging multiple dimensions of content to bring motorsports to life in its entirety. While the premium video captured the visceral speed, precision & pure joy of the on-track experience, the complementary editorial series provided the essential human element. By diving into the personal, off-track stories of drivers, pit reporters & crew chiefs, the campaign grew its fan base through deeply authentic storytelling.

Ultimately, this campaign sets an industry standard for how to use diverse influencer pairings & rich, multi-dimensional narratives to make historically insular sports accessible, engaging & community-driven.

Objective

In 2025, Toyota Racing was looking to introduce the Toyota Racing Team to a new, broader audience and bridge the gap between die-hard racing enthusiasts and casual sports fans. Specifically, they wanted to amplify Toyota Racing’s "Joyriders" brand messaging, highlighting the brand's performance DNA centered on speed, precision and pure joy. 

To achieve this objective, Toyota Racing partnered with Minute Media and Sports Illustrated (SI). Thus “Welcome to the Joyride” was born. Leveraging SI’s premium, human-centric sports storytelling, Toyota’s “Welcome to the Joyride” featured highly shareable content that acted as a welcoming entry point into the world of motorsports. This combined with Minute Media’s high-impact media channels and recognizable talent from outside the racing world, “Welcome to the Joyride” not only drove massive content views but also significantly lifted brand awareness, familiarity and recommendation intent for Toyota Motorsports among the modern sports audience.

Strategy & Execution

With decades of experience, Toyota Racing has an uncanny understanding of racing fans - both old & new. As a result, “Welcome to the Joyride” was perfectly designed with the modern sports fan in mind - balancing premium visual content, human-centric storytelling and cross-platform distribution to not only capture their attention, but keep it.

The cornerstone of the multi-faceted campaign was a premium cinematic video that brought Toyota's performance DNA to life through a high-energy experience centered on speed, precision, and pure joy. The video paired NASCAR's Toni Breidinger with WNBA Hall of Famer Sylvia Fowles at the iconic Charlotte Motor Speedway for a dynamic conversation that culminated in an exhilarating on-track joyride in the Toyota Camry XSE. Complementing this video content was a long-form editorial series, featuring exclusive interviews with prominent motorsports figures.

To maximize reach, the full video was distributed natively across Sports Illustrated's site, Facebook and YouTube as well as across Instagram and TikTok in short-form cutdowns specifically tailored for social engagement. Both the video and editorial content was cross-promoted across Minute Media’s diverse ecosystem, utilizing its robust distribution network, a sponsored landing page, targeted display & custom halo units.

Organizations

• Toyota Racing

  Sports Illustrated

  Minute Media

  Saatchi

Links

•   Website

Featured

• Sylvia Fowles

  Toni Breidinger

Credits

Sylvia Fowles
Professional Basketball Player
WNBA

Toni Breidinger
Motorsports racing driver
Toyota Racing

Mark Beech
Staff Writer
Sports Illustrated

Deborah Levy
VP, West Coast Sales
Minute Media

Allison Lach
Senior Director, Integrated Marketing (Pre-Sale)
Minute Media

Giselle Rosario
Director, Brand Partner Strategy & Management
Minute Media

Betsy Connors
Senior Marketing Director, Integrated Marketing
Minute Media

Jennifer Cinquino
VP, Account Management
Minute Media

Jamie Lisanti
Managing Editor, Features & Special Projects
Sports Illustrated

Katherine O'Malley Randall
SVP, Creative Strategy and Production Operations
Minute Media

Billy Haire
SVP, US Sales
Minute Media

Suzanne Bursiek
SVP, Integrated Marketing
Minute Media

Kara Criscione
Senior Director, Creative Strategy & Production Operations
Minute Media

Brent Marrero
Partnerships Manager
Toyota

Scott Bennett
Brand Media Senior Analyst
Toyota

Jessica Wilson
Brand/Social Media Analyst
Toyota

Nicole Cappellino
Group Media Director
Saatchi & Saatchi

Mikaela Sterling
Senior Media Director
Saatchi & Saatchi

Arielle Bevan
Associate Media Director
Saatchi & Saatchi

Payton Carmichael
Media Supervisor
Saatchi & Saatchi

Franklyn Churchill
Media Planner
Saatchi & Saatchi

Ellissa Avila
Assistant Media Planner
Saatchi & Saatchi