Rumor has it Toyota will enter NASCAR Nextel Cup racing in 2007 with the Camry. I heard Michael Waltrip will be one of the drivers. My sources say Ford, GM, and Dodge had to hand over motors to Toyota for them to study and create their own.
Any other information known about this?
Ford, GM, and Dodge ndid not 'have' to hand over engines for Toyota to study. They bought a bunch of them and used the info to develop their own. They'll do well just like in F1. And I'm sure they will also have the biggest budget, just like in F1.
No, I don't. It will be just like the Fords, Chevys, Dodges -- a manufacturer's shell with completely modified equipment underneath. You seem to have missed the point of my question. I was wondering about the engine design, entry date, drivers, teams, etc.
Here is an update I found:
UPDATE 3: Toyota will move into NASCAR's Nextel Cup and Busch Series beginning in 2007, becoming the first foreign manufacturer to compete in the top racing series since Jaguar in the 1950's. The announcement is expected Monday in a news conference at NASCAR in Concord, N.C., according to a person with knowledge of the announcement who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it. Toyota will join the American brands Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge in the top two levels of competition. Toyota has competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 2004, ending a long-held rule by NASCAR that only American-based manufacturers could compete in its events. Toyota has paid to align itself with elite teams and drivers in the Truck series. There has been widespread speculation that Honda will follow Toyota into NASCAR.( New York Times)(1-20-2006)
And if they want to do it right, they'll build their own engines rather than running something derived from a Chevy block like everyone else - wouldn't that be a kick in the ass?
The Fords and Dodges are running a Chevy based engine IIRC - insane. The chassis are all custom tube affairs, transmissions and axles purpose- built, the bodies are thin fiberglass with the headlights and taillights only printed stickers on top...
Remember when NASCAR was still pure Stock Car Racing? As in, what they were running on the track was basically the same car they sold in the showrooms? Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday. Which was supposed to channel all the 'innovations' made on the track into the showroom, or they couldn't use them...
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They all have Ford nine-inch rear ends also.
All those 'stock' FWD cars are converted to RWD. Imagine running a FWD car at 200 MPH in one of those races. ;)
mike hunt
Actually the manufacture had to sell at least 5,000 cars like those they wanted to run as 'stock' One of my friends bought one of those 'stock' Plymouths, for way under invoice at the time. I forget the name but it had the long nose and the high wing He has since become a collector of the breed. He owns around a half dozen and his cars have been featured is several buff mags in recent years.
mike hunt
Was it a Super Bird? IIRC, the nose was plywood - that car would be work a few bucks today!
Interesting idea! The cars and track would have to be built like slot cars to improve the chances that the cars travelled in the correct direction. Since the cars would have to ride in a slot, it wouldn't need a driver on board so it would be like a full-size slot car race - the drivers sit on stools in an air-conditioned room, squeezing the throttle trigger and pretending like they are really controlling the car ;-)
Run on slots? Does that mean the pole setter must win? ;)
mike hunt
That's it, I could not recall the name, there is a Dodge version as well. Indeed they are worth a small fortune today. NADA lists them in the $45,000 to the $125,000 range
mike hunt
I had a boss who had one as a demo when he worked for Chrysler. He said that he always late when he drove that car because he was either A) stopped for speeding; B) stopped because the cop figured he was speeding driving a car like that; C) or stropped becuse the cop was a car enthusiast and wanted to check out the car.
IMO, a Shelby Cobra was a better looking "supercar" from that era ;-)
Was the SuperBird a Plymouth Roadrunner? The description sounds like one my friend had that pushed me back in my seat so far I couldn't reach the dashboard!
I think the Super Bird was the Plymouth Roadrunner with the wedge nose and high tail spoiler. One of the things that was unique about the car was that the nose and spoiler actually worked.
So did that big V8 ;)
mike hunt
The Plymouth was build to take advantage of its aerodynamics on the track. It is my understanding the actual; race cars were aluminum while the 5,000 street legal cars were steel.
mike hunt
I've never been in either the Dodge or the Plymouth versions of this car, but I do recall looking over the street versions when they were new. As for whether the aerodynamics worked, I recall reading somewhere that the nose on the street car would probably generate lift, because the street car's front end was too high and air would go under it and help lift the front end, which is just what you wouldn't want.
On the track, it was a different story, because the cars were lower at the front, so the car had more of a wedge profile. I also recall that the front grille on the street cars was wire mesh, which looked primitive on a street car from the factory. Also, the street cars seemed huge, even back in that era when many American cars were very big.
Richard Petty drove a SuperBird in NASCAR, IIRC.
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