[hotroadking]

There is a big difference in the way Toyota tackles a racing venture compared to the US Manufacturing compainies. They typically dump millions until they win.

Toyota won't need or have secondary sponsors on the cars, they will fund millions into the project to win, GM Goodwrench and DC have sponsored cars but I think there are some limits on the amount contributed.

NASCAR will have to put limits on development money and investment capital or risk ruining the sport

Have to Agree with CD the cars look like High Perf Late Model Modifieds in most cases.


They have to be sure that Toyota has the same limits so a team doesn't end up with 5 cars unlimited engine budget, unlimited tech budget, big corporate team, it would kill off the smaller albeit wealthy owner teams that depend on Home Depot Lowes, Cat, US ARmy etc.

It hasn't been the same since Big "E" left the track....

Still I like to turn on Martinsville, Dover, Bristol, and you have to watch Daytona

[Killer-B]

Here is something that Tony supposedly said, I found it interesting…

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51087

[CD]

Toyota won nine races in the second year of truck racing.
Toyota actually had to develop and introduce an iron block V8 and then put it into the new Tundra. The engine is considered to be far superior to any other current cup engine. Chevy has submitted at least three new engine designs to NASCAR recently. Honda is looking into a foray into NASCAR also.

For those that think that all this pressure on car manufacturers is a good thing because it will spur engine enhancements on their cars......BZZZZZTTTTT....wrong answer. Cup car engines are no longer based on engines common to most models. Computer developed heads, blocks, cooling, valve train etc, etc, etc has long ago replaced 99% of the old trial and error gains.

GM is in financial trouble, Ford and Dodge have limited racing budgets and Toyota? For all intents and purposes, unlimited R&D and support budgets. None of the big three have the pockets to keep up with Toyota.

Ten years from now, will NASCAR have learned from it's errors or will we be viewing Toyota Racing Development Racing formerly known as NASCAR?

JMHO, but Toyota and Honda entering CUP level racing will not improve it but may well do what it did to the IRL.

[SK]

Sorry Marc, wasn't pointing fingers. Guess I just thought..free country..and got carried away. There should be some sort of budget type of restriction. That's why IRL split from CART racing, and eventually CART went under. IRL limits have made it profitable, and competitive.

I don't think Toyota should be barred from NASCAR, but they'll have to set some sort of rules to keep it under control. No doubt that Toyota's millions spent is mainly geared towards advertising/marketing to become the largest automaker in the world (are they there yet?).

[scooter]

They're there.

[Killer-B]

Where is there?

[scooter]

at least, I THINK Toyota is number for volume by now. Don't really know for sure, but I sure see alot of bombed out, burned up Toyota trucks and vans on the news lately. Maybe it's that sort of advertising that has me thinking that way??

[AFBombBldr]

Originally Posted by SK

...Is it because of the good ole boy spirit, or dare I say..redneck mentality?...

I think you mean..."SPIRITS"

My attempt at humor.


Big 3 are already in financial straits. Wonder how Toyota can benefit them?

I think it's a matter of time til NASCAR comes crashing down. I've never been much of a fan but I have watched it some. Don't care for the favoritism of Gordon (crybaby) or Little E (what has he won?). Anymore I'm kinda one who watches the last 20 laps just to see who won.

Joe

MOPAR nut

[SK]

According to the national news tonight..Toyota passed Ford to be the #2 car seller in the US. GM's next!

[FLHTbiker]

The American public has there self to blame for supporting a foreign auto maker so well so that they are #2 now. If you say if we built cars as well as they do my answer is crap. We do build them as well but the US automakers have given themselves a bad name with the cars they were building years before. We drove our Ford Taurus over 100,000 miles with no problems traded it in on a new 02 Chevy Impala which still gets 32 MPG on the highway, seats 5, is a big car, has plenty of power, handles very well, has 80,000 miles on it now and it to has not had any problems. My last 2 American pickups also had no problems. Not saying that Toy. does not build a decent product but its to bad that the profits for those cars goes to a foreign country.