All-Purpose NASCAR thread II

One-sided, how so?

One-sided, in that Toyota is throwing tons of cash at them?

 

Caught the last hour .... AWESOME!
I'm not even a Dale Earnhardt fan and I loved it.

The movie showed Earnhardt's in-car camera during the fatal crash. I was speechless.
Really enjoyed the interviews with Darrell Waltrip (Course, I love DW). He got very emotional several times.
I was blown away by the fans' recation to Earnhardt and his death.

It was very well done.

 

Toyota's history in every racing series they have been in (save F1) is enough assurance for me. They're now the top team in the truck series, for example.

I'm going to put my tinfoil hat on for a moment ... Given NASCAR's constant tinkering with the rules and massaging its product to please its fans and make sure certain drivers/teams remain in the hunt as long as possible, I've wondered if Toyota teams were hamstrung initially this year with the engine package to get the angry jingoistic mob of NASCAR fans used to the fact that those foreign devil "rice burners" were in their 'murican-only world. To the Frances & the people in Daytona, it might be OK if Toyota gets its arse kicked for a year or two while the Stars & Bars wavers get used to the idea of Toyota being in the series while they're getting beat by the Big Three (and all is well with the world). Had Toyota come in and started winning right away, a near-revolt might have happened.

Not only that, but why spend a lot of time on this year's program when the CoT is going to be running from 2008-on? Why not, instead, spend the R&D $$ on working with the aero provided by the CoT.

JGR won't be going to Toyota if Toyota isn't competitive. Toyota will be more than competitive. I strongly believe they'll be the top manufacturer (in terms of HP/speed/wins) in the near future. It happened in the IRL, happened in CART, happened in the truck series ... and Toyota already has a Busch win this year.

 

Toyota has performed well in the COT races. Didn't Vickers get a second or third?

 

The WWL just announced that Joe Gibbs Racing will no longer be running Pontiacs.

I guess not. :

... And Vickers' best finish was fifth and it was in the old car, not the COT.

 

wicked: One-sided in that can you really put a price on your competitiveness? JGR jumps from the 'B' team at the 'A' manufacturer to being the 'A' team at, currently, the 'D' manufacturer.

Tying into what crimson was saying, I don't think any of us doubts that Toyota, in the long run, will be a force. But I guess I just don't get why JGR would make this move now (monetary concerns aside for the moment).

Yes, Toyota is doing well in trucks and yes, it's easy to see them getting better in Cup in a hurry. But if you're JD or Joe, don't you want some evidence of that first? Don't you want to start to see progress?

Granted, there has been some made. Vickers/Allmendinger in the top 20 last week, top 25 at Bristol for Waltrip, 2 top 10s (Blaney/Vickers) at Michigan - a far cry from wondering how many fingers you'd need to count how many Toyotas qualified.

But JGR isn't running for top-25s and top-20s and top-10s. They're running for wins and championships, unlike other teams that just say they are.

I guess I would have just expected this sort of move when Toyota's Cup program became a little more mature. I don't know exactly how you define maturity, but it's hard to say that when all these discussions started, they sure weren't.

Again, purely from a competitive standpoint.

 

I like the way your tinfoil hat thinks.

 

Agree completely. NASCAR totally reigned in the hp on the Toyota engines this year. But with JGR coming over to the ol' hook and horns (for like $10mm), the hp will miraculously be found.

 

Hus, I'd say they need each other.

Toyota can use help with engines -- Mark Cronquist should be of assistance there -- and with aero -- last I checked, Gibbs still was using Duncan, of the old RAD alliance, for their superspeedway aero work.

That right there can help the Toyota teams a bunch, and if Gibbs opens the doors to those two guys, I suspect the team is getting a healthy amount of cash right there for that know-how.

I predict Toyota wins its first race by July. I know a full year, whoop, what a bold prediction. Given where Toyota has been this year, I think it's a pretty decent accomplishment if they pull it off.

 

Saw Dale last night. NASCAR hasn't been the same since.

 

Lots of news today:

* Mark Martin and Aric Almirola to split time in the No. 8 for DEI news becomes official today.

* According to jayski: On SPEED's NASCAR Live Friday, Bob Dilner reported and it was shown at Richmond International Raceway, the AT&T decals are back on the #31 Chevy that Jeff Burton driver for Richard Childress Racing, no word on details...yet.

* Dale Jr. decides to open up his own "Club E" version Whiskey River in downtown Charlotte.

 

And, Robert Yates pulls out of his deal with Newman/Haas/Lanigan, the fourth time he's pulled out of a deal at the last minute in nine months.

Mr. Ashley Judd to replace Stremme at Ganassi.

Hendrick re-ups with Chevy.

AT&T & NASCAR settle.

Just another slow news day ...