J. David Wilson
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Group Vice President, President
TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development)
David Wilson is group vice president and president of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development), a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc.
Wilson is responsible for all TRD operations and activities in North America. These include engine engineering, chassis engineering, manufacturing, administration and operations. He oversees all TRD facilities — the organization’s headquarters and engine operations in Costa Mesa, Calif., the chassis/team support operation in Salisbury, N.C., and the GR Cup and Toyota Performance Center in Mooresville, N.C.
In his 34 years at TRD, Wilson has held the roles of design engineer; track support engineer; assistant vice president of operations; vice president, operations and engineering; vice president, production and strategic planning; group vice president, sales, operations and planning; group vice president, finance, operations and planning; and, most recently, senior vice president. In addition, Wilson served as the interim president and general manager from June – December 2013.
Highlights from his career at TRD include helping Toyota, Lexus, and Gazoo Racing North America (GRNA) teams and drivers to victories in a variety of events, including the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Baja 500 and 1000, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Daytona 500, the Motul Petit Le Mans, the Chili Bowl, the NHRA U.S. Nationals, the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. During his tenure, Toyota, Lexus and GRNA teams and drivers have earned championships in the CART, CORR, Grand-Am, IMSA, Indy Racing League, MTEG, NASCAR, NHRA, SCORE and USAC. In addition, Wilson was part of the Toyota leadership task force that helped launch the company into the most popular automotive sport in the United States — NASCAR.
Prior to joining TRD, Wilson was employed by Johnson & Johnson and was an officer in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Parachutist’s Badge and the Air Assault Badge.
Wilson earned a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. He and his family reside in Newport Beach, Calif. In his spare time, Wilson enjoys collecting wrist watches, working on cars and fitness training.