Toyota: Stuck in NASCAR'S Slow Lane

If the hype was to be believed, Toyota would be a status quo-altering force in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series in its first season.

Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology, called the new competitors "predators" with an unlimited budget to woo top engineers and crew chiefs. Livonia-based team owner Jack Roush, who races Fords, was "preparing for a siege" and "going to go to war with them."

Not so fast. Through 14 races -- and heading into Sunday's Citizens' Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway -- nothing about Toyota's performance has struck fear in its competitors.

Toyota driver Brian Vickers has a fifth- and a 10th-place finish this season. But most weeks the seven Camry drivers have trouble just getting into the race.


Read Article

Will_ - 6/14/2007 5:05:32 PM

0 Boost

Success or not, pure brand exposure to NASCAR fans is helping spread word-of-mouth about Toyota, and most importantly, their new Tundra.

drew630 - 6/14/2007 7:28:52 PM

-1 Boost

Yeah, giving the fans the view that Toyota's are junk. Sorry, slow cars and struggling to make races doesn't exactly entice people to buy.

1970toyotamarc - 6/15/2007 2:05:56 PM

+1 Boost

The Tundra is tops in the Craftsman Truck Series, it won the championship last year.

Bmw8ter - 6/14/2007 8:52:40 PM

+3 Boost

"toyota/lexus are straight line vehicles, how are they supposed to handle a track?" - good generalization, you tw@t. It depends on what f'in car you're referring to. And, track cars are nothing like their road-going twins.

"As we all know, the japanese have no innovation skills, all they do is copy and try to make something better." - you mean the Chinese.

izfuney - 6/14/2007 8:00:03 PM

+1 Boost

You are entitled to a point of view. Hence you can dislike / argue against Toyota products . However please leave your racial commentary regarding the "japanese" in you KKK bible ( and remove the e90335i from your name as you make all BMW fans look bad) ...

trd1 - 6/14/2007 8:36:32 PM

-3 Boost

their killing every race in craftsman, but not so good in nascar.

M53R - 6/15/2007 6:43:19 AM

+2 Boost

I must have missed this part were they are killing every race in craftmanship........

1970toyotamarc - 6/15/2007 2:08:32 PM

-1 Boost

maybe not every race, but they are clearly dominating, and totally dominated last year. Check out Nascar.com if you dont believe it.

alfistiDK - 6/15/2007 7:50:16 AM

+4 Boost

Yeh....thats why only 1 japanese car (mazda) has ever won at Le Mans, and that was after all the other cars crashed and burned :) ....and after toyotas 5 years in F1, im not impressed by their results. So dont count the Euros out just yet, even though its your wet dream

Bill - 6/15/2007 12:56:41 PM

-1 Boost

Ignore this moron.