Toyota to NASCAR - The BIG Show!
Think back to 2000, for just a second. Remember something strange at Daytona, on February 12th, site of the opening round of
the 2000 Goody's Dash Series? Come on, think back...
Here's a clue, the same thing happened in the Craftsman Truck series in 2004. If you guessed the debut of a Toyota - a Celica in 2000 and the Tundra in 2004 - in NASCAR competition, you'd be right.
Leading the charge for the Japanese manufacturer back in 2000 was experienced American road racer Eric Van Cleef. Van Cleef, a South Florida driver, has been going to battle for Toyota for a long time now, so he was the logical choice for Toyota's first NASCAR foray. When the Toyota Tundra made its debut in the Craftsman Truck Series, there - in the hallowed ground of the Southern United States - was uproar. A Toyota in NASCAR!! Never!
Well,
two years have passed and now Toyotas in the truck series are commonplace, and the outrage of a Japanese company in NASCAR has all but died down. At that time there was lots of speculation around Toyota's vision of the future, and many predicted an assault on the Cup and Busch series - ladies and gentlemen, that time has come. Toyota, has announced that it will step up in 2007.
"If you want to compete against the best, in America that means NASCAR," Dave Illingworth, Toyota senior vice president, said in a statement. "We look forward to February 2007, when the green flag waves to start the Daytona 500 and the starting lineup features the Toyota Camry."
I'll give
you a minute to let that sink in. Kind of like that Sesame Street gag, 'one of these things is not like the other...' Monte Carlo, Fusion, Charger, um Camry? For some reason I just can't envision driving down the highway, like I do now, and seeing every other Camry with a little 'Nascar number' in the window.
Be that as it may, Toyota joining the top ranks is big news. For some, even welcome news. You see, when Toyota does something, it normally does it in a big way - just ask the Truck series competitors, or take a gander (that's redneck talk for 'look') at their relatively young Formula 1 team.
For NASCAR, it probably means a huge influx of Toyota advertising money, and
a similar influx of money to NASCAR'S 'second tier' teams. It is unlikely, DEI, Hendrick or some of those caliber teams will jump to Toyota, and that will leave all that Toyota development money to some teams that really need it.
My question is what does it mean to the fans of NASCAR? Well, for sure it means more competition. It likely will also mean that more teams will be in the hunt for race wins, and more teams vying for a spot in the chase. It's not like there isn't enough NASCAR on television now, but for sure, a NASCAR channel (as if Fox-owned Speed isn't almost entirely dedicated to NASCAR as it is... Ed.) isn't too far off.
Think back to 2000, for just a second. Remember something strange at Daytona, on February 12th, site of the opening round of
 |
| A Camry in NASCAR is BIG news, and having Red Bull as a signed sponsor doesn't hurt either. (Photo: Toyota - Red Bull) |
Here's a clue, the same thing happened in the Craftsman Truck series in 2004. If you guessed the debut of a Toyota - a Celica in 2000 and the Tundra in 2004 - in NASCAR competition, you'd be right.
Leading the charge for the Japanese manufacturer back in 2000 was experienced American road racer Eric Van Cleef. Van Cleef, a South Florida driver, has been going to battle for Toyota for a long time now, so he was the logical choice for Toyota's first NASCAR foray. When the Toyota Tundra made its debut in the Craftsman Truck Series, there - in the hallowed ground of the Southern United States - was uproar. A Toyota in NASCAR!! Never!
Well,
 |
| "If you want to compete against the best, in America that means NASCAR," commented Dave Illingworth, Toyota senior VP. (Photo: Toyota - Caterpillar) |
"If you want to compete against the best, in America that means NASCAR," Dave Illingworth, Toyota senior vice president, said in a statement. "We look forward to February 2007, when the green flag waves to start the Daytona 500 and the starting lineup features the Toyota Camry."
I'll give
 |
| For some reason I just can't envision driving down the highway, like I do now, and seeing every other Camry with a little 'Nascar number' in the window. (Photo: Toyota - NAPA) |
Be that as it may, Toyota joining the top ranks is big news. For some, even welcome news. You see, when Toyota does something, it normally does it in a big way - just ask the Truck series competitors, or take a gander (that's redneck talk for 'look') at their relatively young Formula 1 team.
For NASCAR, it probably means a huge influx of Toyota advertising money, and
 |
| For NASCAR, it probably means a huge influx of Toyota advertising money, and a similar influx of money to NASCAR'S 'second tier' teams. (Photo: Toyota - Red Bull) |
My question is what does it mean to the fans of NASCAR? Well, for sure it means more competition. It likely will also mean that more teams will be in the hunt for race wins, and more teams vying for a spot in the chase. It's not like there isn't enough NASCAR on television now, but for sure, a NASCAR channel (as if Fox-owned Speed isn't almost entirely dedicated to NASCAR as it is... Ed.) isn't too far off.