Toyota will race in Nextel Cup events beginning in 2007, becoming the first foreign competitor in NASCAR's top stock car series since the 1950s.
The Japanese auto maker will also run the Busch Series races after the 2006 season, joining Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge. The announcement was expected at a Monday news conference from NASCAR's research and development facility in Concord, a person close to Toyota told The Associated Press.
Short and sweet little article. I'm a little curious as to what vehicle will be used as the basis of the stock car, and then, of course, who drives it.
t2BDetermined
01-23-2006, 03:45 PM
:clap:
It'll be the Camry. Here's what is going to happen.
Camry enters NASCAR.
Die-hards boo it every race.
Except Camry and Toyota begin to dominate, just like the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
Other drivers question legality of Camrys being raced.
After a few years nobody cares anymore and it's not a big deal to see a Camry TOTALLY DOMINATE AT DAYTONA!!!!!!!!
I can't wait. I have PSLs to Bristol in the Spring and Summer, and I tell you what. I'm going to wear a shirt with a HUGE Toyota emblem on the front!!!!!!!!
jct
01-23-2006, 04:00 PM
:clap:
wonder why honda isn't joining up meh oh well
dexter_5000
01-23-2006, 04:21 PM
honda has already inacted plans to join.
Big_Bird
01-23-2006, 04:49 PM
was waiting for toyota to finally do this, they have been in the little series for a short while now an dhave been looking towards the cup and bucsh series, so now i will have a reason to watch again
Id expect a lot of Dodge teams to switch over, for sure Bill Davis racing (michael waltrip and dave blaney). If you go to www.toyota.com/pitpass and watch the drivers commercial, it kinda sounds like d.w. is saying kyle petty (but they block it out with background noise to keep everyone guessing).
Keitaro
01-23-2006, 10:53 PM
:bow: Not a fan of the Winston/Nextel cup except Crafsman Truck Series. But will soon be a fan (minus the rather tacky t-shirts). BTW, I'm asian. The closest Nextel race for me is Richmond.
tunerbox
01-23-2006, 11:39 PM
I think it is great that Toyota has join Nascar. My wife loves Dale Jr and i told her that he will be running the Camry and she about beat me saying he's not driving a toyota. I hope Toyota has a good run next season.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Much Props to Toyota for entering into the domain of the "domestics". Be prepared however... For those "fans" love to drink their "hateraid", and it'll be a while until they accept us (imports).
Personally, I've never been a fan of "NASCAR", because I can't give props to just going around an oval (99% of the time).
My love is and forever will be with Formula1/Indy, where True Racing lives~ (Wsup?<Toyota) :ponder:
azepolyn
01-24-2006, 12:19 AM
ESPN went on to write their own little ditty on it. here ya go
In one of those unavoidable twists of fate, the announcement of the Japanese automaker's agreement to run in the Nextel Cup and Busch Series beginning in 2007 coincided with auto news of a more far-reaching sort. In Detroit on Monday, Ford officials said they'll eliminate as many as 30,000 jobs over the next six years, idling 14 plants by 2012 as a reaction to sustained financial losses in the North American market.
I recommend that all race fans who think going in circles at 180 is easy to try one of the schools offered. I did 20 laps at Texas motor speedway and I have to say it was very hot and loud and it required so much concentration that after only 20 laps I was whipped!!. Anyone else out there done this? Then you know. After that I have the very utmost respect for the guy who do it for 3 hours straight in traffic. road course guys race 1 maybe 2 cars at a time. Evident by IROC they just cant hang in the traffic. Really not fair to compare NASCAR to INDY.
gnar-de-gwar
01-24-2006, 10:00 AM
nascar hmm.....not a big fan of oval racing, not to say that its not hard. but if you think going 180 in circles 20 times is intense...then road racing is one hell of an amount more intense. This is me speaking from experience too
dgHotLava
01-24-2006, 11:54 AM
NASCAR is where the machines are dumb and it is the driver who wins the race.
F1 is where they add sooooooo much technology (luanch controlers, auto shifting, paddle shifters....yada yada yada. have you seen a steering wheel of one???) it is hard to judge the drivers ability.
don't get me wrong, i like all auto racing (road, 1/4, stock, indy, f1, demolition, monster trucks.................)
Big_Bird
01-24-2006, 12:45 PM
i personally like the touring cars, because they are back to basics cars, real everyday cars, not some thin sheetmetal body, they are real cars making real power
ShaolinSuckerPunch
01-24-2006, 03:23 PM
Ok, so I understand why die-hard Nascar fans may act like, "What? Toyota!?"... but I don't understand the question of 'legality'. This is where we're going to see a true competition of technology and engineering. If Toyota offers that much competitiveness, it will only force the domestics to improve. No Nascar fan should be 'upset'... they can talk smack if they like, that's what sports is about, but they shouldn't be angry.
I never cared much for Nascar for the strict sense of I don't understand how anyone can claim these are 'stock' cars. What, just becuase it says 'Taurus' on the back, I'm suppose to believe this is a modified stock? Yeah right. Pull some REAL Chargers and Carmry's off a dealer's lot and race them and I'll be more interested.
RedneckwithanxB
01-24-2006, 05:30 PM
and people couldnt understand the redneck drivers when in victory lane, just imagine what a little asian guy would sound like.....
just a thought....
DevilTC
01-24-2006, 05:35 PM
It's cool that Toyota is throwing their hat into NASCAR which will provide them with even more exposure to potential consumers. However, I'm not a fan of "Redneck Racing" and even though the Camry has entered the series I don't think I'll be tuning in.
Now if only Toyota would have the good sense to return to the WRC then I would find some cause to celebrate. :clap:
emiller
01-25-2006, 12:01 AM
Ok, so I understand why die-hard Nascar fans may act like, "What? Toyota!?"... but I don't understand the question of 'legality'. This is where we're going to see a true competition of technology and engineering. If Toyota offers that much competitiveness, it will only force the domestics to improve. No Nascar fan should be 'upset'... they can talk smack if they like, that's what sports is about, but they shouldn't be angry.
I never cared much for Nascar for the strict sense of I don't understand how anyone can claim these are 'stock' cars. What, just becuase it says 'Taurus' on the back, I'm suppose to believe this is a modified stock? Yeah right. Pull some REAL Chargers and Carmry's off a dealer's lot and race them and I'll be more interested.
I dont think anyone is dumb enough to believe that they are really stock even with the name on the back. I guess they could change the name of the series and further confuse people. Id love to see some real stock cars out there racing preferable not front drive family cars but the fact is they wouldnt be safe at race speeds. They did used to be stock cars but you had problems with drivers dying and being seriously hurt. You crash your car into something at 90 you are going to be hurt bad. So now they are custom built race cars with many rules to pervent drivers from dying in the races like they did in the very early ones. Touring cars are probably much closer to stock cars but they also dont go nearly as fast and therefore dont need so much extra strength to still be safe.
Basstrack17
01-25-2006, 01:48 AM
All i can suggest to anyone not a cup car fan is to go to a race. I'm from the old school muscle car era, running 1320 ft at a time; couldn't care less about driving in circles ( hell, most our cars scared you at 55 hitting a corner ). But thru my biz, which works with nascar merchandise, I got pit passes to the michigan race a couple years ago. Stand by turn 1 with cars ripping by in practice at incredible speeds-- & when the concrete shakes and the exhaust notes pummel you--that will put a grin on your face whether you like v8's, tuner cars, trucks, or whatever. And for a real blast: go to Bristol, which seems like a 120 mph demo derby ran inside a football stadium. Most drivers ( compared to sport athletes ) are still fan friendly. And who doesn't want to booo loudly when Gordon is announced?
As for the Camry running: it's just a nameplate to match up to a production ride. Give them some time, they should be successful ( as in with the truck series ).
And imagine the fuel range the Camry will have over those big arse v8's running in the domestics....
emiller
01-25-2006, 03:58 AM
All i can suggest to anyone not a cup car fan is to go to a race. I'm from the old school muscle car era, running 1320 ft at a time; couldn't care less about driving in circles ( hell, most our cars scared you at 55 hitting a corner ). But thru my biz, which works with nascar merchandise, I got pit passes to the michigan race a couple years ago. Stand by turn 1 with cars ripping by in practice at incredible speeds-- & when the concrete shakes and the exhaust notes pummel you--that will put a grin on your face whether you like v8's, tuner cars, trucks, or whatever. And for a real blast: go to Bristol, which seems like a 120 mph demo derby ran inside a football stadium. Most drivers ( compared to sport athletes ) are still fan friendly. And who doesn't want to booo loudly when Gordon is announced?
As for the Camry running: it's just a nameplate to match up to a production ride. Give them some time, they should be successful ( as in with the truck series ).
And imagine the fuel range the Camry will have over those big arse v8's running in the domestics....
Couldnt agree more. Its so much fun to be at a race. TV just isnt even close to the same as being there. Michigan is a great place to see a race. There is nothing like seeing and feeling the cars go by at 200 mph. Id love to see a race at Bristol some day.
Charade_Detomasso
01-26-2006, 02:16 AM
From Autoblog.com:
Toyota Motorsports have unveiled the first three teams that will run its Camry in Nextel Cup and Busch Series races in 2007: Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and newly-formed Team Red Bull.
BDR brings long-time sponsor Caterpillar, while NAPA remains the primary sponsor for Waltrip. Bill Davis Racing was an early Toyota partner in the Craftsman Truck Series, while former Cup champion Darrell Waltrip is Toyota Motorsports most visible NASCAR spokesman.
Most interesting of the three is Team Red Bull. The entry of the youth-oriented beverage company and all-round adrenalin junkie into NASCAR Nextel Cup racing should shake things up quite a bit, if their impact on the Formula 1 paddock is anything to go by.
No official word on drivers, although Robby Gordon is rumored to be part of the Red Bull equation, and Michael Waltrip is certain to drive the NAPA Camry.
but really think about it, what if more REDNECK culture rubs off on asians......
i can see it now "TOnight in Tokyo, Jeff Foxworthy"!!!
can you imagine them running around screaming "Git-R-Done"???
and do you think they would buy double wides????
just food for thought
CRAIG55
01-26-2006, 05:16 AM
It has come together for me as well. Mikey,NAPA, AND TOYOTA!!. I am a SCION manager and a devout Mikey fan HELL YEA! Just want to say and back all the NASCAR neysayers BUY A FRICKIN TICKET and SEE what we are talkin about. Out of 250,000 fans at Texas motor speedway last year about 50,000 were rednecks. The rest had a blast. If you are having an opinion on this thread then buy a ticket.
CRAIG55
01-26-2006, 05:21 AM
In the back of my 06 Tacoma lays a napa jacket right now
RedneckwithanxB
01-26-2006, 07:00 AM
i just installed my mikey wind sock on my pass rear door for the races in daytona......
yes i am goin, yes this will be fun
Drektek
01-27-2006, 02:28 PM
Now if only the Japanese will let American cars into the JGTC... :lalala:
I never have and still won't watch NASCAR. I respect it, but it just doesn't do it for me.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but aren't Camry's built in the U.S. of A? My understanding is that they are assembled here in the US with Japanese parts. I have always been an American car kind of guy until I bought my xB, so please help me clarify this.
And please don't bash, I am only trying to get the facts.
Thanks!!
Charade_Detomasso
01-28-2006, 12:53 AM
Ummm there will be a ford GT competeing in the GT300 class this year.
And for that matter, there is a team that has run the Corvette in GT300 for a couple years, 2005 being a C6
911_xB
01-30-2006, 07:25 AM
I think it will be funny when all the domestics are pitting for gas and the toyotas are still on half a tank... :rofl:
x_rayted711
01-30-2006, 07:59 AM
Those pics look 'rice' and should be moved to the 'spot the rice' thread...LOL. J/K... I can't wait to see the coffee can exhaust and double wings, cannards, splitters etc. on one of these! J/K, They look great!
I don't see Micheal Waltrip winning very much though...He is more for promoting...HEHEHE. (he runs his mouth a lot LOL)
I think Kevin Harvick may join Toyota in 2007...at least he has been contacted by Toyota and things sound promising! It may be just what they both need.
coloradoscionpimp
01-30-2006, 08:04 PM
hey, do you think the american engineers will be ____ed when there big block engines get there teeth kicked in by a japaneese hybrid race car. "oh, you like 1150 torque our electric engine put out, plus you no get high on fumes, which is why you like redneck racing in the first place". Sorry FORD,CHEVY and DODGE, you just got your ___ kicked by small japaneese engineers and a race car that doensn't break down on lap 28. Just goes to show you why american car makers are firing people and TOYOTA is making new car lines.
x_rayted711
01-30-2006, 08:12 PM
^^^ There are VERY strict rules in NASCAR and they Toyota engines will be the same V-8 configuration as the 'american' cars. There is nothing Toyota on these cars except the emblems and names...just like the american cars...LOL
gnar-de-gwar
01-30-2006, 08:59 PM
Now if only the Japanese will let American cars into the JGTC... :lalala:
I never have and still won't watch NASCAR. I respect it, but it just doesn't do it for me.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but aren't Camry's built in the U.S. of A? My understanding is that they are assembled here in the US with Japanese parts. I have always been an American car kind of guy until I bought my xB, so please help me clarify this.
And please don't bash, I am only trying to get the facts.
Thanks!!
GT300 class - Fields C6 corvette, and Ford GT
SpdLmtNA
01-31-2006, 04:39 AM
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