Toyotas impress at Sprint preseason testing, may contend for wins
6 Comments Quote selected text Published January 18th, 2008 in NASCAR News
After a difficult — some may even call it disastrous — inaugural season at NASCAR’s top level, Toyota has made marked improvements in its Sprint Cup program.
The two weeks of preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway showed that the 11 Camrys are fast and ready to challenge for wins.
Although Kasey Kahne posted the fastest overall speed in a Dodge, Toyota drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch had the next best speeds and Tony Stewart was 10th fastest. And in single-car runs, Camry drivers posted five of the top six speeds and 10 of the top 15.
It was a solid showing that had rivals wondering if a Toyota driver might score the manufacturer’s first Cup victory at the season-opening Daytona 500.
Toyota officials were pleased with the showing, but were cautious to take too much away from testing.
“If I told you how many times I have won testing in 40 years!” said Lee White, senior vice president of Toyota Racing Development. “It’s just testing, and it’s really hard for me to get all jazzed up over testing because you don’t know what people are doing. And there’s a month left before we race. That’s a lot of time for people to tune up their programs.”
It is difficult to accurately gauge just where the Toyotas rank after one testing session on the 2½-mile superspeedway. NASCAR splits the session equally among single-lap runs and drafting, and nobody is certain what each team is even working on. Some may be looking for qualifying speed, while others may be fine-tuning race setups.
“This is the biggest game of chess,” Sprint Cup director John Darby said. “All these teams are toying with each other, and no one wants to show their full hand. Yes, the Toyota’s have been very impressive. But it’s hard to say for sure where they stack up against the competition.”
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“This is the biggest game of chess,” Sprint Cup director John Darby said. “All these teams are toying with each other, and no one wants to show their full hand.
i think most or all the toyota have put all of there cards on the table. how many of the other team have held back sum? i dont see them getting there first race cup victory @ daytona
how many time have we all seen the best car NOT win the race?
hot rod todd wrote:
and if the Toyota drivers are in the same game plan as the rest of the field, relative comparison shows they have improved. What makes you assume Toyota teams aren’t holding back also? If they are, watch out…..
I honestly think that HMS didn’t show all that they had. Toyota certainly turned a lot of heads. They should win a couple of races this year. And like Hot Rod said the best car doesn’t always win no matter what brand it is.
gigolo george wrote:
true, best doesn’t always win. But as in any type of motorsports, it helps. Case in point, Hendricks cars were the class act of the field last season. They didn’t win all the races, but it sure helped in their championship goals.
NASCAR fan wrote:
Both statements are true! This should be a fun season.