Toyota Is New Kid on NASCAR Block
Move over Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Toyota has joined the party.
Just like the other guys, Toyota builds “American-made full-sized pickup trucks,” so they are the newest player in NASCAR’s master motor racing scheme. The first Toyotas in a major racing series made their first appearance this week on Daytona International Speedway’s fabled track when seven Tundra trucks began practice.
As perhaps expected, their arrival was met with a variety of opinions.
“As long as it’s good for the economy, I guess it’s OK,” driver Jimmy Spencer said. “But I hope that Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge kick their butts.”
Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motor Sports, finds that mildly amusing.
“Jimmy’s comments surprised me because he had applied to join our team,” said Aust.
Several crewmen wearing Toyota logos said they’d received arched eyebrows or curious stares but not much more than that.
“Ten years ago, maybe this wouldn’t have worked out, but today I think fans understand the smallness of the universe,” said Mike Helton, NASCAR president. “I think nearly everyone knows that the Toyota trucks that run in the series are built here in America. That fact should make it acceptable.”
Ten years ago, for instance, Confederate flags were flying from most of the thousands of trucks in the infield. Some Southerners were still fighting the Civil War. Today, things have changed.
The attitude of older folks still fighting World War II probably will dissipate eventually. As that happens, Toyota will be as accepted as the other more familiar makes.
Technically, the Tundras are not the first Toyotas in NASCAR. The Japanese manufacturer has entered Celicas in the Goody’s Dash series for the last four years, winning 11 races. Robert Huffman won the Eastern regional series last year in a Celica.
Toyota also is not the first foreign manufacturer in what is now the Nextel Cup.
A Jaguar, driven by Al Keller and owned by orchestra leader Paul Whiteman, won what was then a Grand National race June 13, 1954, at Linden, N.J.
This year’s Tundra is as American as Mom’s apple pie.
The chassis and body are built in High Point, N.C. The 358-cubic inch V-8 racing engines are built at Toyota Racing Development plants in Costa Mesa and North Carolina. All Tundras driven on city streets and highways are built in Princeton, Ind.
“Part of why we are here is to inform people that we are an American corporation,” said Aust. “We have a $13-billion investment in the United States. Of course, our main objective is to sell Tundras. We expect [NASCAR racing to help] double the sales of our trucks.”
The bigger question for NASCAR fans is, when will Toyota move into Nextel Cup?
“Our focus is to concentrate on trucks at the moment,” Aust said. “We have a lot to learn, a lot of catching up to do. The Nextel series has been going for 50 years so there’s a lot we have to learn.
“Honestly, the Cup decision has not been made yet. That’s not to say that it might not happen, but we will have to take a long, hard look to see if we have the resources and technology necessary. We have a four-year truck program, and we need to show NASCAR we know what we’re doing.”
The truck program is also being watched closely by Toyota headquarters in Japan. On hand for tonight’s Florida Dodge Dealers 250, opening race of the Craftsman truck series, will be Yuki Fono, president of Toyota motor sales, USA, and Yoshi Inaba, the former president instrumental in getting the manufacturer accepted by NASCAR.
Toyotas fared well in qualifying for tonight’s race. Series champion Travis Kvapil, who drove a Chevrolet last year, will start third.
“We look at Toyota the way we looked at Dodge a few years ago, when it returned to NASCAR, starting with the truck series,” Helton said.
John Wehrly, Dodge engineering manager, has a word of warning for his Toyota compatriots.
“One of the big challenges Toyota will face is the toughest competition they’ve been involved in,” Wehrly said from Auburn Hills, Mich. “It will probably be more difficult than they imagine.
“Their experience in the Dash series may be somewhat helpful, but the IRL and CART are so different that there is little transfer of technology or knowledge to the truck series.”
Toyota moved into the IRL in 2003 and its cars finished one-two in the Indianapolis 500. In CART, it won the championship in 2002 with Cristiano da Matta using a TRD-built engine.
The entry of Toyota into NASCAR began with a friendly conversation at the Brickyard 400 a couple of years ago. After both sides thought about it, the move was agreed upon in January 2002 at a meeting in NASCAR offices in Century City.
“When we adjourned, Bill France said, ‘Well, you boys are welcome to come in and run in our series,’ ” Aust said. “So here we are.”
When the Tundra program was announced, there were more than 80 applications from drivers and teams. Four teams were selected with seven drivers, plus former Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip, who will drive in selected races for his own team.
California Speedway fans will get to see the Toyotas and other Craftsman Trucks on Oct. 2. It will be the Fontana facility’s first race at night on the two-mile oval.
Motorcycles
Thirty-two road racing motorcycle classes, ranging from novice to professional, will compete Sunday at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond. Featured will be the second round of the Toyota Cup Formula One series. Defending champion Jeremy Toye won the opening round.
AMA has rescinded Kevin Windham’s 10-point penalty for alleged rough riding in colliding with David Vuillemin at the Phoenix round of the supercross season. A 2-1 vote ruled that his actions were not covered by the rule book. This leaves Windham trailing Chad Reed in the series, 144-122.
Last Laps
CART champ car veterans Adrian Fernandez, Michel Jourdain and Patrick Carpentier will showcase their talents in a Ford Focus midget race March 27 as part of the Mopar Twin 25s night at Irwindale Speedway.
The No. 5 Lotus 79 that Mario Andretti drove to the world Formula One championship will be one of the vintage cars running in the Historic Grand Prix during the Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend, April 16-18.
An invitational late-model stock car race will be added to Perris Auto Speedway’s program Feb. 28 when Steve Kinser and the World of Outlaws make their only Southland appearance this year.
Kinser, who has never won at Perris, will be opening his bid for a 19th series championship. In 2002, he lost by inches to Darryn Pittman on the Riverside county oval. Danny Lasoski won last year’s race.
California Dragway, on the California Speedway grounds in Fontana, held its first race under permanent lighting last Saturday night. The 4-11 p.m. program will be repeated Feb. 28, March 20 and April 10.
Darrell Gwynn, one of the most popular team owners in drag racing, will be missing when the NHRA opens its season Feb. 19-22 at the Pomona Raceway.
During a visit to Daytona Beach for NASCAR practice, the former top-fuel champion said that he was parking his team for lack of sponsorship. He hoped to be back later in the season or perhaps in 2005, he said.
Passings
Sandy Reed, the voice of Ascot Park for all the years J.C. Agajanian ran the Gardena facility, died last Saturday of a massive stroke in an Arcadia hospital while watching the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout on television.
Reed, 83, also was a public-address announcer for NASCAR, USAC and other races at Riverside International Raceway.
He also appeared in a number of racing movies as an announcer.
Services will be private but a memorial service will be held March 6, at 10 a.m., at Michillinda Presbyterian church, 700 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena.
Survivors include wife Suzy, sons Michael and Timothy, his first wife, Janice, and two grandchildren.
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Other Races at Daytona Speedway
BUSCH SERIES
Hershey’s Kisses 300
* When: Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 7:15 a.m.); Saturday, race (Channel 4, 9 a.m.).
* Race distance: 300 miles, 120 laps.
* 2003 winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
* Next race: Rockingham 200, Feb. 21, Rockingham, N.C.
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CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Florida Dodge Dealers 250
* When: Today, race (Speed Channel, 5 p.m.).
* Race distance: 250 miles, 100 laps.
* 2003 winner: Rick Crawford.
* Next race: Rockingham 200, Feb. 21, Rockingham, N.C.
