Despite Toyota’s struggles, Roush still warns what may come
Quote selected text Published April 8th, 2007 in NASCAR News
After all the buildup from Detroit rivals about the Toyota monster crushing NASCAR competition, the season so far has seen quite the opposite, with most Toyota teams struggling just to make the fields. But [Jack] Roush isn’t backing away from his quite vocal worries.
“I’m not going to gloat over what’s happened, or take any glee in it,” Roush said, “because it’s hard to start a new program, around new people and new drivers and a new manufacturer. And this year’s hardware issues (like the car of tomorrow) make it triple tough.
I didn’t expect Toyota to be a factor early on. But the comments I’ve made were not based on what I looked for in the first half of 2007, or even all of 2007, but rather 2008, 2009 and beyond will be a very good time for Toyota, if they continue to have the money they now have available to get the people and technologies. Toyota will get it right … and they will put the rest of us in the back, unless NASCAR is vigilant in its effort to protect against unlimited amounts of money coming into this sport and buying everything of value from the existing teams.
If Toyota can do that, there will be an upset the likes of which we have never seen. Right now the good news for the established teams is that the good drivers have all been under contract, and the good crew chiefs and the best crewmen have not been willing to take a chance on an upstart team or a new program. But as time goes on, as the Toyota teams get their legs under them and start to consistently qualify, the more those people who have the talents to make a difference in the programs will be inclined to consider the generous offers they’ve made- offers that will escalate as time goes on.”
- NASCAR to clip Toyota’s wings?
- Roush applauds NASCAR’s decision on Toyota’s Nationwide engines
- Chevy pushing NASCAR to approve their Nationwide engine
- NASCAR limits Roush’s No. 06 to one more race
- Will Waltrip Run Three Cars?
The current controversy over Toyota vs Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge is a joke.
There cars are NOT Toyotas, Fords, Chevys and Dodges… They’re Roushs and hendricks’ and Ganassis..
These are one-off, purpose-built race cars bearing no resemblence or common parts with manufacturers’ cars.
You could just as well slap an Audi or BMW decal on these cars and they’d be just the same.
NASCAR hasn’t run “Stock Cars” since the seventies… They’re just fast-moving billboards.
All NASCAR does now is stiffle development and creativity in the holy name of “equality”. Toyotas run fast in Busch and Truck series, and NASCAR cuts their manifold. Why bother? NASCAR should just have one engine company build ALL the engines to a specific dyno spec and hand them out like they do the tires.. Then we can all go back to watching Go-Karts.
A while back, Dale Jr. & DEI were fined for having “an illegal 3rd gear ratio” in his transmission!!! WHO CARES what THIRD GEAR he runs??? I grew up watching Ralph Earnhardt and Lee Petty and Curtis Turner… Fred Lorenzen and and “Fireball” Roberts… These REAL drivers, driving REAL Stock cars, must be crying in their graves.
i dont agree, they do have differences, small ones. Plus theres also financial differences, each company pays teams different amounts, meaning manufacturers, that is why when Bill Davis had the problem with dodge, because he talked about toyotas coming in, the first time ever back in 2003, when his program went to shit, he lost all the financial backing from dodge, and after a while toyota backed him up with there money, but Davis was still running a dodge, which brings up another thing. They cant all be the same, because NASCAR makes the manufacturer thats coming into the sport send in there car designs for there opening season, by a certain date in like june or something. NASCAR then has to approve the designs, and change what needs to be changed, to make the car legal. They are different, but there not obvious differences. I like the equal cars, i drive racecars myself, there legends cars, go check me out at Polenzmotorsports.com, meaning i know alot about racecars, not a ton on cup cars, but i do know some, i like the equal cars, it puts it in the drivers hands, after Brian France is out because hes creating a scandal with ISC which is owned by a relative or friend, not completely sure, but hes screwing the tracks owned by people like Bruton Smith, and smith is losing dates because it isnt related to France, and France isnt making all the money he can off of him. Which is why theres now more then 3 companys sueing NASCAR, including track owner companys. Anyway the equal cars are great its great racing, i wish Big E still was here itd be even greater, i liked the old cars alot, the 90s were great to, but the racings always been awesome in this sport. i love the new cars, the COT is great, considering its brand new to the sport, and theyve had two decent races. And bud please tell me, what racing series still run stock cars, other then street stock car races at local tracks, that suck and are the boringest races out there, NASCAR has the most stock racecars out there. You can buy a small block, and put some money into it and you can have a decent cup or busch motor. I dont support everything NASCAR does, ecspeccially brian france being a real gold digger. But things will always change, no body will like it at first, and then theyll love it, thats racin.
David Polenz #3
check me out at http://www.polenzmotorsports.com or DavidPolenz.bravehost.com
NASCAR is becoming IROC Car of tomorrow might as well call it everyones car with different decals because that is all it is…..
David:
I, too am an old-time racer moving from Karts to midgets to modifieds, before moving to motorcycles in ‘73 with Kawasaki’s regional AMA road race team in NY, and then on to drag racers. I owned a Superbird in ‘70 and got to take a lap around Daytona in it courtesy of Maurice & Lee Petty when they were there for winter tests. then on to Sports Cars, where I had an SCCA license as well.
I know of the manufacturers’ involvement and was not commenting on sponsorship, only the cars themselves. If NASCAR continues on its current path, Cup and BUSCH cars will be just like your Legends cars - with “sealed” engines and everything to Spec. That was my point.
It’s just like NHRA Funny Cars.. They have bodies that say Ford or Dodge or Chevy, but all the engines are Arias, or Keith Black, updated versions of the ’70’s MOPAR Hemi, and there’s nothing on those cars that could be pointed to and identified as a US automaker’s part.
That’s where NASCAR is headed.
And that is NOT “Stock car” racing! At least NHRA still has Stock, and Pure Stock categories, as well as the Pro-Stockers which, while not nearly a “stock” car, is at least based on and shares common parts with, manufactured cars.