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Toyota's American motorsport chief has dropped a strong hint that two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso wants to contest a NASCAR Cup Series road course race.

Alonso drove Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Bahrain's Sakhir circuit last year as part of their winter ride swap, and is currently racing for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship - a programme that has already brought him a Le Mans 24 Hours victory.

Before that Cup car test, Alonso said that he "sees NASCAR as a top of motorsports in the US and that means a lot."

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David Wilson, the president and general manager of Toyota's US performance arm Toyota Racing Department, met Alonso at the launch of the new Supra road car in Detroit in January.

"He was there because of his association with our WEC team," said Wilson.

The other big races Alonso should try to win



"We had dinner with him there one night. He's looking at the entire horizon - I don't think there's anything that's not a possibility for Fernando. Who knows?

"Putting him behind the wheel of a road course race, at Sonoma or Watkins Glen, that would be fun.

"I don't know if it's possible, but he'd be very interested - absolutely.

"It would be great for business."

Having been unable to add to his 2005/06 titles in F1, Alonso has extended his original 'triple crown' goal into trying to achieve success in a diverse array of motorsport categories.

He will return to IndyCar to attempt the Indianapolis 500 for a second time this year, and also recently won the IMSA SportsCar Championship's Daytona 24 Hours as part of the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac team.

"What he did was awesome," said Wilson of Alonso's Daytona performance. "As a fan, I watched and I was compelled."