Toyota and Daytona 500

That was a pretty wild race today. Fun to watch. Tomes

.Wild race is right. Toyota made a respectable showing.

Based on what I recall other teams going thru, it'll be a few years away for them to really get consistent, close to the front, finishes.

Ron in Ca

I thought it would be a miracle for them to finish very high up.

Would have been nice if they had bested Chevy though, eh?

At least they didn't slide across the finish line on their roof.

Gawd...those nuts.......

Hey! It counts as a Finish!!!

Bet he needed a clean pair of shorts after that.....

I KNOW I would have!

I had to explain that to my son "There is no rule that says that the car has to be right side up when it crosses the finish line" Tomes

Why? Technically there is almost no difference between a Chevy, Ford, Toyota, and Dodge except for the decals and minor details of the nose (although those minor details can be important). The only thing holding Toyota back is the quality of the Toyota teams. All of the current Toyota teams would be second rate if running a Chevy or Dodge or Ford. At least with Toyota behind them (i.e., huge dollars), they have a chance. They are in a worse position than Dodge was when they first came back. If they win a few races, or at least do well, some of the better second tier teams are likely to defect to Toyota (like Robby Gordon). Everyone wants to win and is looking for an advantage. In the end, the biggest advantage is money. Years ago one of the Wood Brothers said it best - It is not cubic inches that matter, it is cubic dollars. Toyota has the bucks. Eventually they will win. But what does it mean? What does winning a race where the cars are restricted to the same body shape, 1965 Ford front suspension, GMC truck rear suspension, and 1972 engine technology prove?

Ed

It has taken Toyota YEARS in Indy car racing to become a contender. It took Honda YEARS to become a winner in Formula One. Racing is an aqcuired skill, all the money in the world doesn't help without experience.

But I'm also willing to bet Toyota will Fast Track it to the Winner's Circle...money DOES have something to do with it...

There have been times they have PUSHED cars across the line!

Actually this is not legal. It is allowed for a car to be pushed around to the pits, but not across the finish line. The closest I've seen is one case where it was thought Rick Mast pushed Harry Gant around for part of a lap, but Gant's car was under power when it crossed the finish line.

The wildest Daytona finish I remember is when Petty and Pearson wrecked coming out of turn 4. Both cars ended up in the infield, wrecked. Pearson got his going first and managed to drive the wreck across the finish line first (they were over a lap ahead of anyone else). See

. And back then, the cars looked like the car you could buy (and at least had production based engines). Ed

NASCAR is not Formula 1 or even Indy car racing. NACAR racers are technologically frozen in time. NASCAR tries to make everything equal. The chassis are all but identical. The body have only subtle differences. The engine rules are very restrictive and designed to make the engines equal. The "Toyota" engine is no more a "Toyota" engine than the Dodge engine is a Dodge engine. The Chevy and Ford engines are at least develped from former production engines, although only Chevy is still selling a production engine that could be called a distant cousin. I have not read a description of the Toyota engine, but I assume it is like the Dodge engine, largely a copy of the best features of the Ford and Chevy engines.

The biggest problem Toyota has is hiring the top talent. I understand why they hired the aging superstars (like Waltrip and Jarrett), but in the long run, they need to find some young hot shoes or figure out how to pry the better talent away from Rick Hendricks.

Ed

Check out the rules for Indy Car racing! Almost the same. The chassis, although made by different houses, are all nearly identical, and the same for the engines. They all have to fall into a 'general' specification in order to be run.

Again, like NASCAR, it comes down to driver skill (and luck) to win a race!

It did not take them very long in NASCAR Trucks. Tomes

....and whether you are on your wheels or roof.....

I don't bother to watch NASCAR, to much hype and marketing. The emphasis is on the drivers and how much they can woo the fans. I think they send them to some kind of good ol' boy finishing school. But when it comes to branding it's "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday". You can bet Toyota sold a few cars because of the race, and you can bet Honda will be racing soon.

"Win on Sunday, sell on Monday"?? I hope they sell a RWD Camry with carbs

It is not cars they are trying to sell. It is trucks. The only reason Ford or GM still bother with NASCAR is because a high percentage of truck buyers are NASCAR fans. The blue haired little old ladies who buy Camrys aren't going to rush out and buy a new one because a clone of a 1973 NASCAR Monte Carlo with Camry stenciled on the bumper won a race. Now a truck guy might buy a new Tundra because a Toyota won a race....

Ed

Yes, but the nearest Toyota was way back in 23rd place

mike