Looking for novel ways to leverage its corporate presence during the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway, the automaker unveiled a specially outfitted version of its 2016 Mirai fuel-cell-powered sedan as the official pace car. Prior to leading the 43-car field to the green flag on Richmond’s 0.75-mile low-banked tri-oval, this one-off Mirai had successfully undergone testing on the slightly longer 1-mile equivalent at Phoenix International Raceway.
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This marked the second time that Toyota has created an alternative-fuel pace car for NASCAR’s top rung series. Back in 2009, a Camry Hybrid was on hand at Charlotte Motor Speedway to lead the pack to the starting line at the Coca Cola 600. The Mirai’s historic pacing activities were delayed by a day when rain washed out the originally scheduled Saturday night start. But Sunday dawned dry and the Mirai managed to roll into the record books without a hitch to establish itself as history’s cleanest and greenest pace car.
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