Drivers Announced For "Revved Up to Race" 2013 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

   Drivers Announced For "Revved Up to Race" 2013 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

Jesse Metcalfe, Wanda Sykes and Medal of Honor Recipient Dakota Meyer to
Compete on the Track for Charity

PR Newswire

TORRANCE, Calif., March 14, 2013

TORRANCE, Calif., March 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The red carpet and race cars
are ready as Toyota announced today the participants from film, television,
music, sports and the military who will compete for checkered flag glory in
the 2013 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.  The 37^th annual charity race will take
place April 20 on the 1.97-mile street course in downtown Long Beach, Calif.,
as part of the 39^th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The field of racers will navigate the new 210-horsepower Scion FR-S race
vehicles through high speed turns to benefit "Racing for Kids," a national
fundraising program supporting children's hospitals throughout the United
States.  This year's field of popular celebrity racers includes:

  o Cristian Castro (@CristianCastro): Grammy Award-nominated and best-selling
    Mexican pop singer. Famous from a young age, one of his best known albums
    is "Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor," with four singles in the top ten of Billboard's
    Hot Latin tracks. In April, he will release a new album "Primera Fila,"
    celebrating 20 years as a singer.
  o Kate del Castillo (@katedelcastillo):  Mexico's most acclaimed actress,
    best known for her starring role in long-running mini-series "La Reina del
    Sur." Other credits include "Under the Same Moon," "Trade" and a guest
    appearance on the Showtime series "Weeds."
  o Brett Davern (@BDavv): Actor who stars as Jake Rosati in MTV's hit series
    "Awkward." Other credits include the film, "Beautiful Ohio" and
    appearances in "Cold Case," "CSI: Miami," "In Plain Sight," and "Medium."
  o Jenna Elfman (@JennaElfman): Actress known for her quirky role on the TV
    series "Dharma & Greg," which earned her a Golden Globe Award.  She now
    stars as the first lady in the family comedy "1600 Penn."  Film credits
    include "Friends with Benefits" and "Keeping the Faith."
  o Jessica Hardy (@swimhardy): A multiple world record-holder in swimming and
    a 2012 Olympic medalist. A Long Beach, Calif. native, she also does
    motivational speaking and served as an ambassador for the United States
    Olympic Committee Team For Tomorrow.
  o Jesse Metcalfe (@JesseMetcalfe): Actor best known for his role as a teen
    gardener on "Desperate Housewives" and who currently stars in the TNT
    continuation of "Dallas," based on the 1978 series of the same name. Film
    credits include "John Tucker Must Die" and "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt."
  o Dakota Meyer (@Dakota_Meyer): Former U.S. Marine who received the Medal of
    Honor for his 2009 actions in Afghanistan. He wrote, Into the Fire: A
    Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War,
    fundraises with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, and has partnered
    with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the Hiring Our Heroes program.
  o Jackson Rathbone (@JacksonRathbone): Actor best known for playing Jasper
    Hale in the hit "Twilight" movie series. Other film credits include "The
    Last Airbender."
  o Michelle Rodriguez (@MRodOfficial): Film actress best known for her tough
    girl physical roles, including starring in the record-breaking sci-fi film
    "Avatar," the successful "Fast & Furious" franchise,  the 2012 hit
    "Resident Evil: Retribution" and as a tough LAPD cop in TV's "Lost."
  o Jeremy Sisto (@JeremySisto): Actor best known for playing Billy Chenowith
    on the series "Six Feet Under." He also played Detective Cyrus Lupo on
    "Law & Order" and currently stars in the series "Suburgatory."
  o Mark Steines (@MarkSteines): Emmy award-winning journalist and host of the
    Hallmark Channel's new how-to show, "Home & Family." He spent more than 17
    years on "Entertainment Tonight," establishing himself as a trusted and
    charismatic figure in entertainment news. 
  o Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes): Emmy award-winning comedian, writer and
    actress who ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in
    America. She has hosted her own late night talk show, "The Wanda Sykes
    Show" and has appeared on TV shows including, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and
    films such as "Evan Almighty."
  o Michael Trucco (@MichaelTrucco): Actor best known for playing Samuel
    Anders on SyFy's acclaimed series "Battlestar Galactica" and Justin
    Patrick on the USA Network series "Fairly Legal."  Other credits include
    appearances on "Revenge," "How I Met Your Mother" and "One Tree Hill."
  o Rutledge Wood (@RutledgeWood): Auto racing analyst on Fox Sports/SPEED and
    co-host of "Top Gear USA."

Pro drivers competing against the stars for the title include motocross
champion and MTV's "Nitro Circus" star Andy Bell (@AndyBell), 2012 Toyota
Pro/Celebrity Race winner and comedian Adam Carolla (@AdamCarolla), Olympic
gold medalist swimmer Tyler Clary (@TylerClary)  and National Hot Rod
Association (NHRA) driver Melanie Troxel (@MelanieTroxel).

"This talented and inspiring celebrity group will not only help Toyota share
the story of this long-running charity event, but they also will feel the rush
behind the wheel on the famous Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach track," said
Les Unger, Toyota national motorsports manager. "The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race
thrills both the participants and the crowds while giving back to kids in our
communities through donations to Children's Hospital of Orange County and
Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach."

Rounding out the field is Glenn Faber, partner and general manager of Los
Angeles area Keyes Toyota, as well as two charity auction winners: Dave
Pasant, a retired insurance executive, and Carter Lay (@CarterLay),
philanthropist and LAY'S® chips heir.

The Toyota Pro/Celebrity race is one of the longest-running, corporate
sponsored events of its kind. Since 1991, Toyota has donated more than $2
million to the Racing for Kids organization, on behalf of this race and its
participants. In addition to Toyota's contributions, a $15,000 donation will
be made in conjunction with the 16^th annual "People Pole Award." Sponsored by
People magazine, the award honors the pole-position winner of the Toyota
Pro/Celebrity Race qualifying session on April 19.

To learn more about the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, visit
www.toyotaracing.com/series/toyota-pro-celebrity.html.  

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and
currently operates 10 manufacturing plants.  Toyota directly employs over
31,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than
$23 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and
development, financial services and design.

Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where
it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term
sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the
country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota
has contributed nearly 700 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S. 

For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities
nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.

CONTACT:

Les Unger                                                             
Toyota Racing                  
310-468-4709                                                       
les_unger@toyota.com                                           

Erika Romero
Toyota Racing
310-468-3948
erika_romero@toyota.com

Rebecca Lee
GolinHarris for Toyota
213-438-8827
rlee@golinharris.com

Sharon Noot
Noot Incorporated
714-527-7735
sharon@nootinc.com   

SOURCE Toyota Racing

Website: http://www.toyotaracing.com