Report: Gibbs Racing to announce switch to Toyota next week-UPDATED
Quote selected text Published August 31st, 2007 in NASCAR News
UPDATE:
Kyle Busch confirmed that he has been told that Joe Gibbs Racing will race Toyotas next season. Busch said he is comfortable with the switch, which is expected to be announced next week by the team. Mark Cronquist, the team’s head engine builder, is expected to spearhead the work on the engine.
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Joe Gibbs Racing is expected to announce next week it will join Toyota Motorsports beginning next season, sources told ESPN.com. A news conference has been scheduled for Wednesday morning at JGR headquarters. Expected to be in attendance are team drivers Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.
JGR, which boasts a three-car lineup that will include Stewart, Hamlin and Kyle Busch next season, is leaving General Motors after 16 years. The team earned three series championships, including two with Stewart, under the GM banner.
A GM official reached Thursday in Detroit said the manufacturer would not comment. “We don’t have anything to say when we’re in negotiations with a team,” the official said.
Toyota Motorsports officials were equally mum.
“There’s nothing I can report to you,” said Jim Aust, vice president of motorsports for Toyota and CEO of Toyota Racing Development. “Anything reported now is premature.”
- Gibbs not decided on either Chevy or Toyota-UPDATED
- Gibbs leaning towards Toyota?
- Gibbs first choice: Stay with Chevy
- Hall of Fame Racing could move to Toyota
- Is Ganassi’s next to move to Toyota?
AutoRacingSport.com has also heard this is a done deal…the major holdup was apparently Tony Stewart’s ties with Chevy.
Wow…just like anonymous predicted.
Toyota will do well next year from the very first race of the season.
So Tony’s ties with Chevy are over? No contracts with GM and such..
Andy,
Don’t know that yet. Tony may still have some ties with his Sprint car team with Chevy…don’t know for sure yet.
Tony should leave. Why spend his last few years in racing before retiring in building for the future mode? I don’t think losing will go over well for any of those 3.
this sucks now i will have to change all my inventory to deka batteries now
This totally sucks!!!!!! I can’t believe they are going to Toyota!! Toyota’s have been sucking all season, what is Joe Gibbs thinking!! I am a major Tony fan and a chevy girl. I can’t believe my driver is going to be driving a freakin Toyota next year!! Personally I don’t think they should of ever let them into Nascar!!!
If this is true, I hope Tony leaves. Joe Gibbs can win the next FIVE Super Bowls and the only thing people will remember is that he switched to Toyota. WHAT A DISGRACE!
I wonder who these “sources” are???
I totally agree with you Tonya!! I have been hoping since the rumors started that surely they won’t go to Toyota!! I just hope Tony doesn’t say “screw it” and quit nascar all together!!
I think everyone just needs to see next week on what happens before anything else is said…..
Hey Tammy, I hope he doesn’t quit! I don’t think he would, but anything is possible. According to the “sources” Tony and Denny will be at the press conference. I can’t imagine Tony being supportive of the decision. I’m like you, I am a Chevy Girl 100%. You won’t catch me EVER wearing a Toyota Racing shirt. If this change does take place, I’ll buy my shirts from the SMOKE VIP site!
I really hope, that Tony leaves JGR…I’m a Chevy girl 100%, i can’t stand seeing my driver race for anyone but Chevy…There was talk of maybe Tony driving a 4th RCR car next season if Gibbs did decide to go to Toyota…but that was only talk.
I’m not sure of that though…
Go TONY!!!!
I’ll always support you, just not Toyota!!!!!!
If this is true then toyota just took a GIANT step forward. Real drivers and a real owner.
Toyota doesn’t “suck”. They just started and still don’t have big enough
teams under their belt. Gibbs is going to help step their program up as a whole.
What sucks is they are going to get Chevy’s information from them as well.
And thanks for the info Editor.
I mean Kenneth
I guess Tony will have to start driving his Orange Lambo more often or put some cool rims/tires on his new celica… Gm will take his vette back over this. Oh wait he has that cool hearse with the big 510cu in. He could put the Celica in the back.
Sorry to break it to you Andy, but the stats from this season prove that Toyota does in fact SUCK.
Hmmmm..I wonder if Toyota would have done better if they were locked into all the races?
The COT program will totally help them, they will be a powerhouse just like the in truck series and now the Busch series!!!!
Tonya. HAVE YOU SEEN TOYOTA’S DRIVERS???
All either no experience or all washed up. The ONLY reasonable driver
is Brian Vickers and he has been starting to figure it out.
You can’t say they suck because of that. I give them a one or two more
years and they will be competing on a regular basis.
Especially with the help of Gibbs.
Tony Better hope he wins the Cup this year cause it will be his last shot for several years if ever again!
Wow! Even though “the horse has been beaten to death”, it is still HUGE news. I think Gibbs switching from Chevy to Toyota will be beneficial to both parties. JGR will be Toyota’s top player and be #1 in line for manufacturers’ support and shit, while Toyota will no longer be a joke in the sport, b/c they’ll have one of the top teams in NASCAR. It’s just what Toyota needs.
However, I also think this is a mistake in its own regard. We know Tony Stewart has an out in his contract that says he can leave. He is loyal to the old washed up football coach (Go Cowboys!), but after this season, there will probably be several teams looking for new drivers, and even if he signs w/ a startup team, he has the Top 35 in points for the first 5 races in 2008, and he can use Championship Provisionals if he is still outside the Top 35 after Race #5 (like that would happen).
I think the best option for him is Richard Childress Racing. Only problem of course, like Jr., he might need a new sposor and number. Like Jr., fans are used to seeing that orange #20 Home Depot car. Me personally, I wipe my ass w/ anything of his, but it would be weird not seeing that famed ride. But then again, Gibbs isn’t Teresa.
My personal opinion, Tony signs w/ RCR.
the only thing happenin to gibbs next year is that they might be a lil bit underhorsepowered. thats all. remember fulltime COT program next year. all the noses are the same. the aero numbers are too close to amount to anything. and theyll have the motors figured out by the end of the year. people jus dont get it. most people hold too many grudges an jump to conclusions too fast. END OF STORY!! i kno the editor can verify that one.
Andy,
Just ignore these ignorant illiterate folk who say Toyota sucks. What amazes me is the amount of people who say Toyota sucks or has no place in NASCAR but for the life of them cannot give a well-thought out reason to back up the check their mouth wrote.
Fact is this:
1) BDR is mediocre.
2) I was wrong about MWR. Being Toyota’s flagship team, I figured they would make a showing. But, Michael has been a barely mediocre driver. Jarrett is past his prime. David who?
3) Team Red Bull is a team with some cash but no experience. Vickers does okay and almost contends in some of the races he actually qualifies for.
Toyota currently does not have stellar teams in their stable. I am still predicting JGR may have a rough go at first but they have a very strong shop and 2 very strong drivers and 1 who has potential but needs to be roped in. First year of Toyota at JGR: 75% chance of landing 1 car in the Chase, 50% chance of getting 2 cars in the Chase, 0% chance of a championship.
If anyone remembers… Dodge bought into a bunch of existing teams with experience (Bill Davis Racing - Chevy to Dodge, Penske - Ford to Dodge, Ganassi/Sabates - Chevy to Dodge, Petty Enterprises - Pontiac to Dodge), built a team relying on a Cup champion crew chief (i.e. Evernham) that was built around the team he bought from Bill Elliott (#94, was a Ford), and drivers who were fast out of the gate and still struggled to win, place, or show at many venues.
Toyota’s Cup teams consist of one experienced team that hadn’t had any Cup data from a previous mfg. in like 4-5 seasons (Bill Davis; had struggled with the Dodge’s they ran and were receiving no data from Daimler-Chrysler and were locked out of Dodge’s development loop after BDR helped develop Toyota’s CTS program), and 2 start-up Cup teams… one that bit off more than they could chew with 1 rookie and 2 elder drivers who struggled to qualify at most venues (Michael Waltrip Racing) over the last few seasons (at BDR and RYR respectively), and 1 completely new team with 1 young gun that finally got his first win in 2006 (and almost added one in 2007 in a Toyota, with Vickers), and 1 Champcar driver that was just starting to get that division figured out before taking a blind leap to a completely different animal. If you were expecting them to turn water into wine… you were setting them up for failure before they ever had a hope or prayer. Considering all of that… they’ve had what I would grade as a “C” season considering the first 5-10 races are mission critical to securing a lock-in into the later 20-25+ events and the uphill climb they had out of the gate. I mean new cars, new engines, new teams, new data, and new drivers… that’s a lot of variables to overcome.
Compared to what Dodge had (lots of existing teams with experience, knowledge, and drivers who had worked with their crews and crew chiefs prior)… Toyota’s performances have been pretty strong. Are they winning races? They came fairly close with Vickers at Charlotte earlier this year. He finished top 3, was the dominant car ’til his power steering went out, and even with it out he managed a top 5 finish. Remember when Dale Jr. lost power steering… where’d he finish? Not so good. I’m a Jr. fan (not the ate up kind but I respect him 100x’s more than his dad and like his personality) but even I have to admit that Vickers’ performance at Charlotte was nothing short of amazing.
So while it’s not a world beating performance, I don’t think anyone with half a clue would dare gauge it as terrible considering the uphill climb they faced out of the gate. It’s probably more than a bit disappointing to them that they failed to make as many shows as they have… but that’s all due to owner points and not necessarily the performance of the cars. There were many races where they were faster than many of the cars they competed against to make the show, they just lost out due to the competition having more owner points and thereby being locked in whereas the first 5-10 events put them behind the 8-ball, on the outside looking in.
Mark my words… Toyota will win in 2008. They might even still get a win in 2007. They’ve already won in BGN in their inaugural season there (2007) where their teams (talent-wise) are on more of an even keel to the competition in terms of talent, knowledge, existing operations, and drivers with experience in those teams. If JGR isn’t the first to get a win for Toyota (assuming they do sign which I anticipate), I half expect it to be either Team Red Bull (Richert + Vickers = a strong combination IMHO, Roush losing Richert was the biggest mistake they’ve made… bigger than losing Tryson IMHO) or perhaps a Germain Toyota entry if/when they submit a CoT into a race again (take your pick on Benson, Bodine, or Musgrave). BDR has had some improved runs of late despite a hefty helping of bad luck throughout the year. MWR… what can I say? Reutimann has looked pretty decent. I think Mikey and DJ have proven that they’re at the tail of their careers or past their prime. The only Cup events Mikey ran good at generally were Daytona and Talladega and the strong runs at Michigan/California. Other than that… ::shrugs:: DJ hasn’t had any consistency since the first time they booted Parrott out as crew chief at RYR. If you compare his performances this year vs. the late runs at RYR… it’s not much different.
If they get Josh Wise into a car though… MWR will improve pretty quickly IMHO, as he might be the most talented guy they have in their immediate offing (and honestly, Leffler would be an improvement over DJ and Mikey at this stage, at least on qualifying alone, assuming he’d leave the BGN team he’s with). Of course as much as they keep playing the yo-yo with him, they might well do as well as Gibbs did with Armirola and watch Josh jump ship like Aric did (or like Kahne did with Ford and Yates). There’s been a few times where Wise qualified the car for an ARCA or BGN event and had his driving gloves put in someone else’s hands. I wouldn’t blame him if he jumped ship, although if I was Toyota… I’d throw some more $ his way and push one of the teams to build something for him.
Far as those that are complaining about Toyota’s entry… Christ people, get over it. It’s been this negative redneck ignorance that give all Americans this stance of being a bunch of uptight, anal, ignorant bigots who squawk over petty crap rather than look at the positives of the ability for more competition on the track and another pillar to make the NASCAR sport more solid (I bet Champcar and the IRL wished they had as many mfg.’s as NASCAR). Considering where each of us owes our heritage to… the flag waving can stop until we see some Native American (i.e. Indians) reservation putting out a car company of their own. Until that point, the Anglo saxon blood that came to this soil was non-native to the lands that we’ve conquered, regardless of how many generations in that we’ve been a citizen here. That’s coming from a whiteboy before you start trying to shoot arrows.
GM builds more and more of their products overseas. Ford builds their most successful midsize sedan (Fusion) in Mexico at a Mazda plant on the Mazda 6 platform. Dodge, up until recently, was German-owned when Bob Eaton (formerly of GM) sold them down the river. Now they’re Canadian owned, owned by a financing company that specializes in slashing dead weight and busting labor unions. The fact that more and more Chrysler product was being pushed into Canadian production does little for the U.S. workforce who saw their jobs depleted more and more years ago. They’re all foreign in one capacity or another when you get right down to it. From Indian and Brazilian Chevrolets, to Chinese Buicks, German and British Fords, and brands like Vauxhall and Holden that many GM fans hadn’t a clue of their existence. It’s all one big melting pot and in the *NEW* Global Economy, it’s just something ya’ll are going to have to get used to.
It’s nothing new either, GM has owned European and Australian brands for years. They’ve had Brazilian factories and are pushing for more and more involvement in China (where they’re starting to build Chinese Buick’s from kits built in Australia). Ford has owned a majority stake in Mazda for awhile and many of their cars for now or the future will be built on either Mazda or Ford Australia sourced platforms. The Focus was engineered and designed in Europe (UK and Germany). The Taurus/Sable (nee-500 and Montego) are built on a platform designed by Volvo. Ford has had a European presence since the Model T! Chrysler… it’s all pretty much Mercedes or Mitsubishi sourced platforms, with a global engine family for the Caliber/Patriot/Compass developed with Mitsubishi and Hyundai. The Crossfire is built in Germany on the old SLK platform at Karmann. The new Chrysler under Canadian rule is going to start forging a plan to build a small car for worldwide consumption with Chery of China. Yes… a Chinese car company.
The path for the money-grubbing execs who spew the cash overseas or push themselves into relying on foreign engineering talent is of little concern to US AMERICANS, as it’s not helping US AMERICANS pay the bills. Who really gives a hoot if some bean-counting exec can sustain a few years at his board position so he can get his golden parachute and bail? I care more about what the company is doing… whether building quality product, and/or trying to help keep the American workforce alive and well. It’s who is investing in the American workforce (blue or white collar, doesn’t matter) and irony of ironies… “it’s them damned foreigners” giving us a place to work (and continuing to add to it with more and more factories) and for our fellow Americans to put bread on the table and greenbacks in their bank accounts while the domestics shop for labor and factories outside of the U.S. If you can’t see the forest for the trees on that one… well, ignorance truly is bliss.
Toyota didn’t screw their way into the American mindset by some heinous acts. They built a better product while Domestic beancounting corporations neutered product and put out sub-par vehicles, built cars that didn’t meet people’s needs, or built cars so poorly constructed they fell apart and left their owners irate, never with the desire to buy a car again. I’ve previously owned 2 GM cars, coming from a GM family… and I can tell you that in owning my first foreign brand car, I can see a huge difference between the 2. HUUUUUGE. If the domestics had sought to match on every facet what the Europeans and Asians were producing in terms of quality, construction, assembly, and parts sourcing… they would’ve never fallen into the rut they’ve gotten themselves into with the American public. Like it or not… it was their fault they’ve gotten to the stage they’re at, and it’s their situation to rectify. You don’t just buy a piece of junk to keep a company afloat, it’s moronic to even justify that. It’s up to them to build a quality product with quality parts, quality brake systems, using quality materials, and assembled to a high quality standard. Changing the image of bad quality and cheap subpar components and materials is not going to be an easy one, but if they work feverishly… they can and will get there. It’s not about undercutting on price, it’s about offering something that in 10 years time isn’t going to be held together with duct tape and enough JB Weld and Gorilla Glue to build a small island in the Pacific.
Tony should leave and go drive for DEI stay with chevy. I dont how much more of this b.s. i can take, jr. leaves leaves bud and the , tony possibly gonna drive for yota, joe gibbs having kyle busch as a driver. ay ay ay!
Marty and Spongezilla…. thanks for a good laugh.
We, the “ignorant illiterate folk”, don’t need to say a dang thang bout why we undirstand why Toyota don’t beelong in NASCAR. It be one of those thangs that don’t need splanin! Ain’t it clear?
By the way, I am NOT ignorant or illiterate. I am simply typing what you perceive me to be. I could write you an essay about why it’s not a good idea, but why waste my time????
okay not a Stewart fan by any means but man I don’t wanna see him drive a toyota that’s just wrong…..and also I miss the good ol days b4 toyota came around when it was Ford vs. Chevy and then Dodge I mean what happened to that….. o yeah that’s right toyota came along and screwed this whole thing up, those people who used to be loyal to Ford, Chevy or Dodge bought some Jappanesse made car to save money on gas. Well I guess I’m one of those people who thinks it’s better to buy American, I’ll always belive that being a Ford girl I’d buy a Chevy or a Dodge b4 a toyota. toyota screwed up NASCAR and I’ll stand by that till the day I die. I can’t belive Gibbs would do that and I hope Stewart quits Gibbs and finds somethin better. O and spongezilla I have a ‘93 F-150 with 250,000 miles on it and it still runs good so u can kiss my @$$ if you think American made cars suck, they will beat any toyota piece of crap out there
by the way didn’t mean to go off topic but this kind of thing get’s me mad
You all are out of your god damn minds. Tony Stewart had to have been asked for his opinion about a possible manufacturer switch. Why in the hell would JGR risk losing one of the biggest star in all of NASCAR by switching to Toyota? He isn’t going anywhere, he is a fixture with that organization and why would he be at a press conference for this decision if he didn’t approve. JGR would NOT take a chance on losing Tony Stewart, one of the best drivers out ther, because they want to go to Toyota.
Now, I would like to understand why Toyota doesn’t belong in NASCAR. Because it isn’t American? Who the hell cares?!!? This is a global world, a global economy where half the things that are “American” ARE NOT EVEN MADE IN AMERICA! Toyota hires more Americans than Ford, Dodge, or Chevrolet. So, I would love for the Toyota haters to come out and give some good reasons with some sort of factual support to explain why Toyota doesn’t belong in NASCAR, maybe without being @$$ clowns about it. Thanks.
Just to clear something up, Tony Stewart is not leaving Gibbs.
okay ToyotaFan20 toyota’s are assembeled in America the parts are made in Japan okay so every one who keeps on sayin that toyotas are made in America get that through ur effin heads okay and that’s why toyota shouldn’t be in NASCAR it aint American is that a good enough reason
i’d have made this move if I was to make it after next season, it will take a full 2 years before Toyota will
completely own the field, they just got stupid from the start picking the worst possible teams to start with,
but JGR now will have a TON of factory support it will be unreal, even though I don’t care much for Toyota other
than their Tundras they will be a force to reckon with mark my words.
Tony will receive the entire package from Toyota. Toyota already has a strong midget engine program so they will give Tony’s sprint car program full support.
Face it, no matter what is said on these discussions, there will always be die-hard domestic loyalists who still look down upon anyone who’s not ‘caucasian’. It’s a fact of life, part of their upbringing and there will be no changing this.
I know what you Stewart, Hamlin, Gibbs Racing and Chevy fans feel like. I was like that last year when my driver, Dale Jarrett left for Waltrip and Toyota. I can tell you that i no longer route for Dale Jarrett. I’m a die hard Ford Racing fan. Go Robert Yates Racing.
Tony is a racers racer, he probably loves the new chalenge.
Has any driver won 3 Championships in 3 different makes?
Why would Toyota struggle next year with JGR? All the COT cars will be the same. All they have to do is take out the cheevy motor and put in a Toyota.
They won’t even have to build new cars.
I really do not think it matters what brand of car Tony drives. He is one of the best racers in the world and any brand will make sure he has great cars.
I,m sorry but Toyota’s motor program is way behind and JGR is not going to magicly fix it over night it is going to take a while to be competitive at all the tracks. It is true that tony and denny are good drivers but if your 20 plus horse power down every week you cant run up front.
Why can’t JGR fix the motor problem?
According to Kyle Petty(when he was announcing), it is just torque they are lacking.
What is it about the Toyota motor that makes it hard to fix? The motors in the truck and Busch series seem to run good. They are V8’s like the rest of the engines in the Sprint Cup, you don’t need a magic solution to fix them, just resources(JGR) and money(Toyota).
Liz the camry is made in georgetown Ky and alot of the parts are made in louisville an lexington Ky area they dont all come from japan,but since you say that ford chevy and dodge have parts made over seas and the fusion and monte carlo isnt even built in america!,im not a toyota fan but them being in nascar doesnt bother me.if you have a problem with over seas built stuff then throw away your computer cell phone tv etc.
it is a diffrent motor, they all have to run the cup style motor next year so the trucks will loose some HP And I’m not saying that JGR won’t be able to make it better but them jumping on board with Toyota wont magicly fix the motor problem. The problem does seem to be a mid rPM torque problem but when you change things in the motor improve the torque in one RPM range you hurt it in another and it is probubly going to come down to redesigning the heads and intake which will need to be approved by nascar and that will take time.
Just because Stewart might drive a Toyota in NASCAR, doesn’t mean his sprint & midget teams have to change. They wre running MOPAR up until recently and all that time, Tony was in a Pontiac or Chevy. The two are not necissarily related. This is great news for Gibbs and I think they will have a fantastic year. Stewart has already said he is excitedd by the news and that he’ll end his career with Gibbs and never drive for another team.
Luke Warmawater? That name was used by the great sprint car driver from California, Jimmy Sills, for years!
Nice touch.
It’s Official.
I just want to know what Stewart has to say, not Kyle. haha
perfect match!!
i can’t stand Toyota or Tony!!
maybe tony will learn to whine in japanese now!!
it may become entertaining then!
nooooooooooo, whining is whining!
Tony is the king of whine & BLAME!
Sponge Bob you trying to get on the best seller list with that novel you penned up above. I started snoozing about chapter 3. Keep it light man.
You have to give him credit though. He actually produced an intelligent response albeit quite long. This site needs more people like that with better reasoning other than mind-numbing drivel like “Tony sucks” or “Toyota sucks” or “Teresa is evil” or “Free the 8″. Sponge made a point and backed up his opinion. Grade A performance!
I will call out TONY-a, however. Please waste my time and show us your essay you are itching for us to read.
This schtick of “Toyota has no place in NASCAR” is burned to a crisp. These folk do not care to hear reason or any arguments, as well defined as they are, that are contrary to their deep-rooted belief system no matter how factual it seems. Attention: the world is in fact round.
Now as for JGR and Toyota. I would to see the reaction of Tony when a Roush car tries to take out Tony, Denny or Kyle. No current Toyota driver has the cajones like Tony to stand up to stuff like Roush cars taking out Toyotas. I think a lot of that nonsense will disappear when JGR takes the bulleyes off of their manufacturers cars. Now this is the stuff flamewars and thread hijackings are made of.
Man it doesn’t matter if they switch manufactures.. I am damn well sure they will be as competitive next year as much as they have the past.. I don’t know 9-10 years.
And Marty I don’t bother reading comments that are more than a paragraph long.. it’s just a waste of time just like Tonya just said. You can go ahead and make a story out of it if you want but I’m not gonna read it.
Its rather cheeky of Joe Gibbs to attend the meeting of all the top Chevy teams a few weeks ago (where they discuss development for the 2008 season and such) and now make the switch to Toyota.
Toyota is doing what it has done everywhere else…
Imitate and annihalate.
I hope Tony Stewart likes trading in his Corvette for a Camry….
Well Joe will have two Baby’s and a Man Driving for him. Kyle and Tony will have a big
play pen in the Garage and Denny will be the only man of the three. At least he doesnt cry if
he doesnt win, he shrugs it off and goes on to next race.
it doesn’t matter the only part in the motor that’s USA made is the block !!!!
This year Stewart, Hamlin and Busch are all in The Chase. How many of these guys will make it next year?
I’m irked by this announcement..I actually cried thursday night after I read it..not just because I don’t want to support a Toyota and I don’t want my favorite driver to switch, but because I had a BAD day all around and that news just put the topping on the cake. It really sucked.
If Tony wins the Daytona 500, i’ll leave Toyota alone and support them. AT LEAST a top 5 at Daytona will show me that Tony and Denny and Ky’s switch arn’t completely meaningless.
Hope this works out…
Amanda, that is fair that you want them to prove this is not a bad decision with race results.
I think the start of next season will be a reflection on who has a good COT program and who has done their homework in that area. JGR has done pretty good there, Hamlin has a few good finishes in the COT races.
Motor-wise, can we look at Daytona as a good measuring stick? I’m not so sure, afterall it is a restrictor plate race.
I would be willing to bet, the engine man at JGR was in on the decision to move over. If I’m making the decision for JGR, I want to KNOW the engine will be competitive before I leave a good thing. JGR is a top notch team, they don’t make hasty decisions without doing their homework.
the 18, my favorite car from 1996-2004 is now officially my least favorite car.