Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site - Toyota Past NASCAR News/Rumors

Toyota Manufacturer NASCAR news and rumors

Some OFFICIAL Toyota Sites:
Toyota Motorsports
Toyoya - Pitpass
Toyota
Toyota Automobile Museum

Past NASCAR news, rumors about Toyota

(note: some links will not work as sites have deleted stuff or moved them)

Mobil 1 and Toyota UPDATE: not quite sure what this is all about, have heard nor seen anything but......Mobil 1 Racing and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) U.S.A to make announcement about 2010 NASCAR season Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, scheduled to be attending the announcement are Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota; Michael Waltrip, owner of Michael Waltrip Racing and driver of the #55 NAPA Toyota; Lee White, President and General Manager, TRD; Harold Shablom, Global Motorsport Manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties.(PR)(11-13-2009)
UPDATE: ExxonMobil and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) unveiled a new technological partnership in which ExxonMobil will provide its Mobil 1 racing oil technology and products to TRD- supported NASCAR teams. Kicking off at the start of the 2010 NASCAR season, TRD-supplied NASCAR engines will be filled with specially modified motor oil based on the same technology available to consumers in Mobil 1 Racing oils, which were unveiled in April. The TRD-specific motor oils will deliver outstanding power via unique low-friction synthetic lubricant technology combined with boosted levels of anti-wear additives to protect and extend the life of engine hardware. Formally announced before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the collaboration will pair Mobil 1, the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” with one of NASCAR’s top engine manufacturers. With this new partnership, ExxonMobil’s racing oil technology will now provide performance and protection for the TRD-supported Red Bull Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing NASCAR teams.(Toyota PR)(11-14-2009)

Toyota leaving F1: Toyota is pulling out of Formula One racing, the world's largest automaker announcing Wednesday that it needs to cut costs and focus on its core business. "Based on the current economic environment, we realize we have no choice but to withdraw from Formula One," Toyota president Akio Toyoda said at a news conference. "This has been a very painful decision for the company." Toyota follows Honda Motor Co. as the second major Japanese automaker to withdraw from the sport in the last 11 months. Toyota officials called the withdrawal from F1 complete, making a return to the sport when and if conditions improve unlikely. Toyota, the world's largest car manufacturer, is seeking to cut costs as it expects to post an operating loss for the six months ended Sept. 30. It is due to report earnings Thursday. The company posted its worst-ever loss in the financial year at the end of March.(Associated Press)(11-4-2009)

NASCAR providing value for Toyota: Toyota's presence in NASCAR has had a little different purpose than other manufacturers in the sport. Sure, the company wants to sell vehicles. But before Toyota could get NASCAR fans to buy its vehicles, the manufacturer had to get NASCAR fans to consider buying its vehicles. That's where NASCAR came in - just to be in the mind of a potential car-buyer to look up a Toyota vehicle on the Web site or come into the dealership. To that end, NASCAR is producing results, said Bob Carter, a Toyota vice president who oversees Toyota Racing Development as the general manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA. "NASCAR continues to deliver what our goals were when we entered the sport," Carter said. "We've been involved in racing for 30 years. NASCAR has certainly positioned itself as the premier series within the U.S. "It has a huge fan base. In 2004, for many of the NASCAR fans, we weren't necessarily on the short list when it came to buying a car. In fact, compared to Chevy and Ford among the [NASCAR] people who were shopping, we were 20 points behind Chevy and Ford. In our third year of Sprint Cup, we're virtually identical with Ford and Chevy. [NASCAR] has delivered more benefits quicker than we had originally had hoped for," Carter said. "Our goal being at the race track is to be top of mind among all these race fans when they're considering their next car purchase. This was a push on a market that we saw an opportunity to expose the product."(SceneDaily)(8-30-2009)

Toyota to leave Nationwide and Truck Series? UPDATE 2 denied: Toyota appears ready to withdraw its financial support of NASCAR Truck and Nationwide teams, though continuing engineering support, in the wake of General Motors' decision to join Ford and Chrysler in withdrawing all but engineering support for those two NASCAR tours. There has been no specific comment on that yet from Toyota executives.(MikeMulhern.net)(6-22-2009)
UPDATE: Word in the Infineon Raceway garage over the week was that Toyota has decided to follow its three corporate rivals and pull all but engineering and technical support and parts supplies from the two NASCAR tours. Lee White, head of Toyota' racing development operations: "Toyota and TRD have been in the process for over a year, of adapting our series support for the Truck/Nationwide programs to be appropriate to the value of each series. Our process in the future will not be determined by other manufacturer's actions but by the value delivered by each series. At this point there is no plan to change our involvement for the remainder of this season. As always we will re evaluate each series over the winter and could make appropriate adjustments."(MikeMulhern.net)(6-22-2009)
UPDATE 2: Toyota has no plans to leave the Nationwide or Truck Series as has been reported and speculated. Lee White, who heads Toyota Racing Development, said the Japan-based manufacturer has eliminated its financial support in both series over the past couple of seasons. But technical, he added, support continues. "We're not going out of the series," White said. "We're not leaving. In fact, as we kind of moderated our involvement we gained truck count and car count in [both series]." White said it's unfair to say Toyota is following other manufacturers that have pulled financial support from the Nationwide and Truck series over the past few months.(ESPN Insider)(6-24-2009)

Toyota Hybrid to pace the Coke 600 and other races: When a Toyota Camry Hybrid leads the 43-car starting field to the green flag for the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS), it will mark the first time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) history a hybrid vehicle will serve as the ‘official’ pace car for an entire race. The Camry Hybrid will make its pace car debut on Sunday, May 24, at the Concord, N.C., track. Built at the Toyota manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Ky., the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a 187- horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder vehicle that gets an EPA estimated combined average of 33 miles per gallon. Before being approved to serve as the pace car for the upcoming May race the Camry Hybrid had to pass a NASCAR-mandated performance test. In order to qualify as a pace car for the race at LMS, a vehicle is required to reach speeds close to 100 miles per hour from a stand-by position near the exit of pit road to the time it reaches the exit of turn two, a distance of approximately one-quarter-mile. In addition to the May Coca-Cola 600 and the October 17 race at LMS, the Toyota Camry Hybrid will serve as the ‘official’ pace car at Infineon Raceway (June 21), Chicago (July 11), Watkins Glen (Aug. 9) and Martinsville (Oct. 25).(Toyota PR)
NOTE: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid led the field to the green at Homestead in November 2008, but did not pace the field on other cautions.(4-21-2009)

Toyota sticking with NASCAR and Motorsports: Toyota announced it plans to continue engaging in motor sports this year, despite being financially restricted by severe business conditions. TMC plans to focus on these top-class racing series: the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1), Japanese Super GT, Formula Nippon and NASCAR. This will mark TMC's eighth year in F1 competition. In Japan, TMC will participate using the Lexus brand this year and will aim to recapture the Super GT GT500 title using the Lexus SC430. In the United States, TMC will again participate in NASCAR's pinnacle Sprint Cup Series with the Toyota Camry, which totaled 10 wins last year. TMC is also aiming to win the Nationwide Series, NASCAR's second most-popular series, also with the Camry. And TMC will continue to race the Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Truck Series, after having won both the manufacturer's and driver's titles last year.(Toyota PR)(3-17-2009)

Toyota to go back to old oil pump on engines: Toyota Racing Development has reverted to the oil pump used on last year’s engine and will continue the modifications used in last Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas when its teams compete this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Michael Waltrip Racing [#00,#47,#55], Red Bull Racing [#82,#83] and Robby Gordon [#7] Motorsports use TRD engines. In the last two weeks, TRD has had to replace six engines during the race weekend – two at Auto Club Speedway in southern California and four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The problem was a lifter or camshaft issue. TRD President Lee White said in a phone interview Wednesday that he believes the problems occur when there is no oil pressure as drivers are entering and exiting the garages during practice. White said the oil pump used last year is better for those situations. The new engine pieces Toyota were using at California and Las Vegas were introduced at Texas last November with no problems for intermediate tracks last year. They consist of a very aggressive camshaft that uses a very lightweight lubricant. They are now using a different lubricant, White said. The data that helped the team locate the potential low-RPM issue came from a test session last year.(SceneDaily)(3-5-2009)

Toyota to cut back in NASCAR: The president of Toyota Racing Development said Wednesday he expects budget cuts in its NASCAR program as the Japanese automaker feels the effects of the global economic crisis. Typically immune from the declining sales that have rocked Detroit's Big Three automakers, Toyota recently said it anticipates its first yearly operating loss in 70 years for the fiscal year ending March 2009. The losses will have a ripple effect on Toyota's racing program, TRD president Lee White predicted. "There is probably not anything on this earth here that Toyota is involved with now that is not under some level of review regarding budget expenditure," White said in a national conference call. "That includes everything that we do, everything that TRD does and everything we do around motorsports. There is a review of everything. Certainly if contracts have expired, it's very likely that contracts have not been renewed, or if they are being renewed, they are certainly being renegotiated." As Chrysler, Ford and General Motors have struggled in this economic crisis -- needing recent emergency government loans to avoid collapse -- Toyota remained relatively healthy. Then came word of the automakers' own losses:Toyota reported that its U.S. sales in December were down 37% on the year, a worse drop than Ford's 32% drop and GM's 31% slide. Toyota has also decided to suspend production at all 12 of its Japan plants for 11 days over February and March. The last time Toyota Motor Corp. halted production at all its Japan plants was in August 1993, when demand plunged because of a rising yen, and that was for only one day. Asked specifically where Toyota will be cutting, White said he didn't expect any manufacturers to make on-track reductions. "In my opinion, the four automotive manufacturers ... the last thing that you'll see any of them reduce is cars on the race track with numbers on them competing," he said. "That is what it takes to gain the hearts and minds of the consumer and hearts and minds of the fans. I think you'll see the four manufacturers still out there, still being represented and still have cars going around the race track. There are different levels of trying to support that, and Toyota does it primarily with technology, parts and pieces, and engineering support. Those things are all under review."(ESPN/AP)(1-15-2009)

Chrysler, GM discuss merger, acquisition: UPDATE: General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have held preliminary talks about a merger or an acquisition of Chrysler by GM, according to published reports. The Wall Street Journal, citing people it described as familiar with the discussions, reported that Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns 80.1 percent of Chrysler and 51 percent of GMAC Financial Services, proposed trading Chrysler's automotive operations to GM. The Journal said Cerberus would receive GM's remaining 49 percent stake in GMAC. The New York Times, also citing people familiar with the talks, reported that the automakers were discussing a merger. The Times did not mention GMAC, a traditional auto lender hit hard by the housing market downturn. The talks have stalled because of the recent turmoil in the financial markets, according to the Journal. Its sources said negotiations could resume if markets stabilize because both GM and Cerberus want to quickly divest the assets under discussion.(Associated Press/Yahoo)(10-11-2008)
UPDATE: General Motors Corp. approached Ford Motor Co. in recent months about a possible merger but Ford called off the talks after the Dearborn, Mich. auto maker concluded it should continue to go it alone, according to a person directly familiar with the talks. GM and Ford already have a joint venture involving six-speed transmissions and have talked about expanding that partnership to include powertrains, according to sources familiar with the discussions.(Wall Street Journal), no idea how these deals will or would effect their NASCAR involvment.(10-12-2008)

Chevy in danger of losing manufacturer's championship: After winning five consecutive Sprint Cup Manufacturers’ Championships and 31 overall, Chevy is in danger of being dethroned this year. Thanks in large part to Greg Biffle’s back-to-back victories, Ford has cut into Toyota’s lead in the 2008 Manufacturers’ Championship race. Toyota continues to lead, but only by seven points over Ford – 172-165. Chevy is third with 159 points, while Dodge is fourth with 120 points.(SPEEDtv.com), see the rules, standings, manu wins, history and more on my Manufacturer's Championship stats page.(9-25-2008)

Manufacturers sticking with Cup: With four manufacturers each spending an estimated $100 million-plus annually in NASCAR's premier series, the financial benefit of their involvement must be significant. Despite the industry's gloomy economic outlook, automakers still consider NASCAR a showplace for its showrooms, which makes racing expenditures worthwhile. General Motors will slice some motor sports programs as part of $10 billion in budget cuts, and auto analysts have warned Chrysler might consider bankruptcy protection in the face of declining sales. But industry observers aren't expecting manufacturers to desert the sport as in the 1970s. Those fans apparently root with their wallets. Ford claims a 400% return on its marketing investment in NASCAR, says Dan Geist, the company's North American motor sports marketing manager. Geist says Ford tracks the purchasing history of NASCAR fans for six months after visiting promotional events or its racing website. More than 60% of Ford owners are race fans. "Racing is a critical piece of influencing consumers," Geist said. "The only reason we race is to sell cars, trucks and SUVs. … If it makes sense, we continue; if it doesn't, we stop." Chevrolet marketing manager Terry Dolan said NASCAR's 10-month schedule offers plenty of exposure as does the day-long experience of a race. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week, Chevy had an 80,000-square-foot display featuring 40 vehicles, including many hybrids and more-fuel-efficient versions of the larger classes favored by race fans. Toyota entered Cup as a means of pushing its new Tundra. Though sales are slumping, the company recently reorganized and expanded its NASCAR marketing department. David Wilson, senior vice president of Toyota Racing Development, said research shows "people are coming into dealerships that never would have" because of NASCAR.(in part from USA Today)(7-31-2008)

Toyota's Aust retires end of June UPDATE: Jim Aust is retiring June 30 as vice president of motorsports for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., and president and chief executive officer of Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. Aust joined Toyota in 1987 and held assorted management positions before moving to motorsports in 1998. He guided Toyota into NASCAR in 2004 when it entered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and helped lead Toyota in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series in 2007. Toyota's U.S. racing boss was on hand Sunday at Infineon Raceway to attend the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, where Pitpass caught up with him. See interview and quotes at the Toyota site.(6-24-2008)
UPDATE: Toyota announced today that effective July 1, Lee White will become president and general manager of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) and that motorsports activities at Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., will be consolidated under Ed Laukes, TMS corporate manager of motorsports marketing. White and Laukes will replace Jim Aust, who previously announced his plans to retire on June 30, from his position as vice president of motorsports at TMS and president at TRD. “As the Toyota racing program continues to grow and we enhance our motorsports marketing activities, these changes will allow Lee and Ed to focus on their key areas of responsibility, both on and off the track,” said Dave Illingworth, TMS senior vice president, chief planning and administrative officer. White, who will report to Illingworth, will be responsible for all TRD activities in the U.S., including engine development, manufacturing, chassis design/development, team/manufacturer relationships, manufacturer/sanctioning body relations and engineering support for Toyota teams participating in NASCAR, USAC, NHRA, Grand-Am and Off-Road competition.(Toyota PR)(6-27-2008)

Toyota & MWR team up for diversity apprenticeship: Toyota Motor Sales and Michael Waltrip Racing have joined forces to offer a one year apprenticeship to a deserving diversity graduate of Toyota’s Technician Training and Education Network (T-TEN) program. The selected diversity candidate will be relocated to North Carolina and placed in a technical position within the MWR organization, directly involved with the teams’ NASCAR participation. The candidate will have a strong technical background and will be assigned to a specific department within the MWR race shop, depending on the winner’s skill set. The application process, including pre-screening and final candidate selections will be administered by Educational Testing Service’s Scholarship & Recognition Programs (SRP) beginning immediately.(MWR PR) More info on my Driver Development News page.(5-23-2008)

Toyota staying out of Stewart negotiations: Toyota officials don't want to lose #20-Tony Stewart to another manufacturer, but they won't get involved in negotiations to keep the two-time Sprint Cup champion at Joe Gibbs Racing after his contract expires in 2009. "We're not a company that gets in the middle between owners and drivers," Lee White, the general manager of Toyota Racing Development, said before Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway. "If there is a manufacturer out there that is spearheading or brokering or promoting an activity like this, I can promise you it will not be Toyota. We don't consider that to be our role in the garage." There has been speculation that Chevrolet is behind a move to lure Stewart, who uses the manufacturer for his Sprint car organization, to CNC Haas Racing. Part-ownership of the team also is on the table, which Stewart has acknowledged. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say Tony really likes to win," White said. "I think Tony's best opportunity to win races, multiple races, and continue to threaten for championships is right where he is."(ESPN.com)(5-4-2008)

Latest on the 'stolen' Roush "proprietary part" UPDATE MWR: Jack Roush said on Friday that a Toyota team stole a sway bar made specifically for Roush Fenway Racing from one of his Sprint Cup teams last season at Dover. "A theft did occur," the co-owner of Roush Fenway said during practice at Martinsville Speedway. "The part was recovered ... We are still considering what if any legal action to seek." One of Roush's options is asking for a restraining order to guarantee the team in question does not duplicate the bar, which has been determined legal by NASCAR, for a competitive advantage. "It's lawyer time," Roush said. Roush made his first comments since he was quoted in ESPN The Magazine as saying a proprietary part was found missing from his inventory and discovered with a Toyota team. He discounted comments made by Jim Aust, the president of Toyota Racing Development, that a valve spring was found during a teardown inspection, identified as belonging to Roush and returned. Roush said the theft occurred in the garage area at Dover in September [2007], where the only Toyota teams in the field belonged to Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull.
Lee White, the general manager of TRD, said his organization launched a full investigation into the allegation when Roush's allegations were published in ESPN The Magazine. He said a valve spring that did not belong to Toyota ended up at TRD's California location after the California race, that it was reported to NASCAR and returned. Roush said he became aware of the theft in early January when the vendor that produced the product for Roush Fenway was contacted by the Toyota team in question about duplicating the bar.
Roush said he's had several discussions with NASCAR officials about the situation. He was alarmed when Robin Pemberton, the vice president of competition for the series, said disappearing parts are a common occurrence and the teams needed to work it out amongst themselves. Roush said there is something fundamentally wrong if NASCAR doesn't intercede, reminding the governing body has no problem reacting when somebody uses an illegal part -- on purpose or not. Roush, noting he has been in the business 22 years, and said this is the first time he's heard of such a situation. He declined to respond to a question in which Michael Waltrip Racing was insinuated as the Toyota team. "I don't substantiate," he said. Waltrip declined to comment until he heard how the question was posed and the way Roush responded.(see full story at ESPN.com)
MORE Waltrip admits it was MWR...mistake: Michael Waltrip confirmed Friday afternoon that it was his team that Jack Roush was alluding to when saying a Toyota team had stolen a sway bar from Roush Fenway Racing at Dover last September. “It was a mistake,” Waltrip said. “Look at the back of these toolboxes. There are sway bars, there’s jack handles, and it wound up in our possession. We called them and said, ‘We want to give this back.’ ”(full story atSceneDaily)(3-28-2008)

Roush Says Toyota Team Stole "Proprietary Part" UPDATE 2: ESPN the Magazine has an interesting and potentially explosive quote from Roush Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush as part of its 10th Anniversary issue, which is on newsstands this week. Two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the magazine quotes Roush as saying, “We had a proprietary Roush Fenway part go missing from one of my race teams, and we recovered it from a Toyota team. I’m not going to say which team it is, but we are considering legal action, or getting NASCAR involved.” If Roush’s allegations prove to be true, this could become NASCAR’s version of the recent spy scandal that rocked Formula One racing, in which the McLaren-Mercedes team was caught with confidential, proprietary test information belonging to rival Ferrari. We contacted Roush Fenway Racing today in search of further information – including team was involved and the specific part in question -- and we [SIRIUS Speedway w/ Dave Moody] hope to have a statement from them later today.(Motorsports Soapbox)(3-25-2008)
UPDATE: Jack Roush, co-owner of Ford-based Roush Fenway Racing, leveled another serious accusation at nemesis Toyota at Atlanta Motor Speedway -- one that took nearly three weeks to surface. No one from either RFR or Toyota was willing to comment on Tuesday, but no one was denying Roush told a reporter from ESPN The Magazine on March 7 that a Toyota team had been in possession of an RFR team part.(ESPN)(3-26-2008)
UPDATE 2: Toyota officials on Wednesday identified the Roush Fenway Racing part that owner Jack Roush said was found in a Toyota team's possession during a Sprint Cup post-race teardown as a spring. Jim Aust, the president and chief executive officer of Toyota Racing Development, said once the part was found to belong to RFR that it was returned. He was uncertain how the part, discovered on a table with other Toyota parts, got there or from which team it came. "I don't understand the whole procedure when a teardown happens," said Aust, referring to a post-race process in which several cars are broken down by NASCAR inspectors. "The only thing I know is it wound up with parts we had and [which were] returned to Roush. "It's unfortunate it happened the way it did. It wasn't anything intentional. There's no reason to be done intentional. I have no idea how it happened to begin with." Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith said the part in question was not a spring, but he would not elaborate. No one at RFR has identified which Toyota team had the part. "Jack is the only one to talk to at this time and he presently doesn't want to make any additional comments," Smith said.(ESPN.com)(3-26-2008)

Toyota's GM says #99 knew what it was doing with lid UPDATE: Lee White, GM for Toyota Racing Development, said Carl Edwards' team knowingly caused a lid to come loose on an oil tank in his Ford because it increased the car's speed during Sunday's victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Edwards was penalized 100 points by NASCAR for the missing cover. Roush Fenway Racing has denied the infraction was intentional, saying a bolt broke because of a vibration. The team said it wasn't certain it achieved a gain in performance. White said the manufacturer's testing at wind tunnels in Germany revealed removing the cover on the oil tank (located in a steel box behind the driver's seat) resulted in 170 extra pounds of downforce, the aerodynamic measurement of keeping a car glued to the track. White also said video of a pit stop showed a member of Edwards' pit crew pulling on a right rear fender to open a 3-inch gap to an inner panel. Toyota testing showed that would create about 70 pounds of downforce, White said. NASCAR said the only issue with the car during inspection was the lid.(more at USA Today)(3-7-2008)
UPDATE: What began as a debate over whether the infraction was intentional -- which is the overwhelming opinion of the Sprint Cup garage -- has turned into personal warfare between Jack Roush and Toyota's Lee White. Roush has badgered White repeatedly since Toyota came into the sport last season, complaining about how the foreign manufacturer stole away crew members by doubling salaries and drove up the overall cost it takes to compete. He even referenced the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. So when NASCAR hammered Edwards with the penalty, which included the loss of 10 bonus points he would get should he makes the championship chase and a six-race suspension for crew chief Bob Osborne, White didn't hesitate to fire back at his former boss. White, the general manager of Toyota Racing Development, told USA Today on Thursday that Roush Fenway Racing knowingly caused the lid to come off to increase the car's speed. Roush fired back with claims that White basically cheated during his days as the manager of his road-racing team and that was the reason he didn't bring him to North Carolina when he moved into NASCAR. He also questioned why White would test a car without the lid or with the side panel pulled out when both are illegal. And then to throw fuel on the fire, Roush said Michael Waltrip's car wasn't the only Toyota at the 2007 Daytona 500 that had "jet fuel" in the engine. NASCAR never has revealed what the foreign substance was. Roush and White actually were once friends. White often tells how in 1986 his wife picked out Roush's first fedora that has become synonymous with the man known as the "Cat in the Hat." NASCAR officials declined to comment on that topic, but got a kick out of the way Roush and White were attacking each other. Maybe the two simply are following the edict of chairman Brian France and showing more of their personalities.(see full story and many quotes at ESPN.com)

Toyota's Aust retiring: Jim Aust, who has been responsible for Toyota’s motorsports activities in the U.S. for the past 10 years, has announced his retirement. Aust will step down as vice president, motorsports for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and president and chief executive officer of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development), on June 31. Toyota’s racing programs in the U.S. flourished under Aust’s leadership and included a victory in the Indianapolis 500, multiple series championships and the expansion of the company’s racing activities into NASCAR. Beginning in 2004, Toyota began competing in the Craftsman Truck Series with the Tundra and last year Toyota entered the Camry in the Sprint Cup Series, the premiere race series in the U.S. “Jim has played an integral role in the growth of Toyota’s racing activities in the U.S.,” said Dave Illingworth, TMS senior vice president, chief planning and administrative officer. “From the high banks of NASCAR to short track midget racing, drag racing, sports cars and off-road trucks, Toyotas are now racing and winning at tracks across the country.” Aust joined Toyota in 1987 and held various management positions in the Toyota Motor Credit Corporation/Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMCC/TMIS) division before moving to motorsports in 1998. “There are a lot of great memories, made possible by the hard work of the people at TRD and the great teams and drivers running with Toyota power,” Aust said. “There was Toyota’s first CART win by Juan Pablo Montoya, Gil de Ferran’s Indy 500 win, a CART championship for Cristiano da Matta and an IRL championship for Scott Dixon, Johnny Greaves’ multiple championships in CORR, Todd Bodine’s championship in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the three-peat by Ganassi Racing in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. “Seeing a Camry compete in the Daytona 500 last year for the first time was very special and I expect to see Toyota’s first Sprint Cup victory before I retire in June.” Aust’s replacements at TMS and TRD will be announced closer to his retirement date.(Toyota Motorsports PR)(3-4-2008)

Toyota Doing Better in 2008: With #18-Kyle Busch and #20-Tony Stewart leading the way, Toyota is putting its 2007 struggles in the past. Toyotas have now led 155 laps in the first two Sprint Cup races this year, with 17 at Fontana and 138 at Daytona. They led 166 laps in 16 CoT races all of last year.(Press Enterprise)(2-27-2008)

Toyota Celebrates 50th Anniversary in America: This October, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. is celebrating its 50th year of doing business in the United States. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., was formed October 31, 1957, establishing its headquarters in a former Rambler dealership in Hollywood, Calif. Sales began in 1958 and totaled a modest 288 vehicles that first year -- 287 Toyopet Crown sedans and one Land Cruiser. Today, Toyota produces nine vehicles in the United States, including the Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma and the Tundra. Toyota operates 10 manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and builds approximately half the vehicles it sells here. Recently, Toyota announced it will build its 11th U.S. vehicle assembly plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi. In nine of the past 10 years, the Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America. Assembled at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant, more than six million Camry models have been sold in the United States since its debut more than 20 years ago. Highlights from Toyota’s NASCAR activities include the 2003 Dash Series driver’s title (Robert Huffman) and the 2006 manufacturer’s and driver’s championships (Todd Bodine) in the Craftsman Truck Series, as well as a Busch Series victory (Jason Leffler) at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis earlier this year. Brian Vickers fifth-place finish at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway has been the best result by the Toyota Camry in the Nextel Cup Series this season. For more information on the 50th anniversary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., visit www.toyota50th.com.(Toyota PR)(10-4-2007)

Gibbs to Toyota - Official UPDATE 4: been told that the Joe Gibbs Racing / Toyota announcement will be made at the JGR Headquarters the week before the Richmond race.(8-30-2007)
UPDATE: 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. A GM official reached Thursday in Detroit said the manufacturer would not comment. Toyota Motorsports officials were equally mum.(ESPN.com)(8-31-2007)
UPDATE 2: 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. (SceneDaily.com)(8-31-2007)
UPDATE 3: SPEED will interrupt regular programming on Sept. 5 at 11am/et to present a live NASCAR press conference. It is expected to be an announcement from Joe Gibbs Racing regarding the 2008 season.(9-5-2007)
UPDATE 4: the press conference started just after 11:00am/et with JGR's J.D. Gibbs and Jimmy Makar; drivers Tont Stewart and Denny Hamlin; crew chiefs Steve Addington, Mike Ford and Greg Zipadelli; JGR's engine builder Mark Conquist; and Toyota officials Jim Aust and Lee White. Gibbs announced the team is switching from Chevy/GM to Toyota in 2008. Stewart says he is excited about the move and working on extending his contract. His USAC and WoO teams will stay Chevy and nothing will change there. Hamlin says he is working on his contract and is excited about the move.(9-5-2007)
PR: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will campaign Toyota Camrys in the Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Grand National Series [and also will switch to Toyota in the Busch Series] beginning in 2008. "We look forward to partnering with Toyota in NASCAR in 2008. Toyota will be hands-on with us as we become an integral part of their long-term development in NASCAR," said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. We have 420-plus families that are our number one priority, and taking care of them for the future is very important to us. Our people have made us as successful as we are today, and it's those same people who will ensure our success in the future. When our teams win, those families win. We're thrilled for everyone at JGR who will benefit from this."
"This decision was made by all of the key leadership at JGR," said Jimmy Makar, senior vice president of racing operations for JGR. "It was a decision made by the people in our competition department, who live by the one question whenever a decision is made regarding Joe Gibbs Racing: 'Will this make us more competitive on the race track?' The consensus answer was yes."(see full PR at the Joe Gibbs Racing site)(9-5-2007)

Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., and Joe Gibbs Racing announced today that the three-time championship-winning race team will campaign Toyota Camrys for drivers Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series. Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR Grand National Series program will also utilize Toyota Camrys next season. Joe Gibbs Racing will be joining Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull as the teams that will be racing the ‘Most Popular Car in America’ when the 2008 season kicks- off next February at Daytona International Speedway. Assembled at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant, more than six million Camry models have been sold in the United States since its debut 23 years ago.(see full PR at the Toyota Motorsports site)(9-5-2007)

No Gibbs to Toyota announcement planned at Calif: Don't expect a Toyota announcement that Joe Gibbs Racing has joined the manufacturer's stable next week when the Nextel Cup Series heads to the backyard of Toyota's base in California. Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said no announcement is planned for the Aug. 31-Sept. 2 race weekend at California Speedway and his team is still mulling whether to extend its contract with Chevrolet. "Nope - nothing there," Gibbs said Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway when asked if an announcement could come next week. "Nothing new ... We're not under huge pressure [to decide]." Gibbs wouldn't comment more on the situation, which has been the biggest question surrounding his organization now that Kyle Busch has opted to join the team next season.(SceneDaily.com)(8-26-2007)

Toyota first, 2 cars in top-10: #22-Dave Blaney crossed the finish line 6th after starting 17th. #83-Brian Vickers finished 8th after starting 18th. He led the race three times for a total of 11 laps. Two Camrys ended up in the top-10 today -- the first time that has happened in a Nextel Cup Series race. Toyota drivers have led a total of 137 laps across nine Nextel Cup events this season. Vickers has led the most laps among the Toyota contingent with 95 laps led over five races (Atlanta, Bristol, Texas, Charlotte and Michigan). Blaney has led 35 laps over four races (Atlanta, Richmond, Darlington and New Hampshire). Jeremy Mayfield has led six laps over three races (Bristol, Charlotte and Watkins Glen) and Waltrip led one lap at Michigan (June). Blaney earned the first Nextel Cup pole for Toyota at New Hampshire in June.(Toyota PR)(8-22-2007)

More on Gibbs to Toyota..done deal?; HOF to RCR engines?: hearing the decision has been made and that Joe Gibbs Racing [#11, #18, #20] will switch from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2008 and the announcement should come in early September.
AND: Joe Gibbs Racing still hasn’t announced whether it will switch to Toyotas next year, but the buzz is that it will. Some clues? Tony Stewart’s souvenir trailers were selling merchandise at 50% off regular price last week at the Brickyard, Stewart’s home track and a place where the Hoosier native is wildly popular. Also, a source at Richard Childress Racing said it has been approached by Hall of Fame Racing, a satellite Gibbs team, about buying engines from the newly merged RCR-Dale Earnhardt Inc., engine operation in 2008. Presumably, HOF is hedging its bets, if it ends up not being part of a Gibbs move to Toyota.(Ford Racing)(8-6-2007)

More on Gibbs to Toyota...done deal? Extending Stewart to 2011? Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota are “a done deal” for 2008, according to several sources, though team executives said otherwise. Apparently one hangup in the talks between the long-time Chevy operation (which features #20-Tony Stewart) and Toyota is a clause in Gibbs’ current GM [Chevy] contract which bars the team from negotiating with any other manufacturer until the contract is up. So sources said Gibbs has had to go through an agent in the talks. Gibbs has a major negotiating session scheduled with General Motors in the next two weeks, which should provide the ‘yea,’ or ‘nay’ on that side of the issue. One of the big reasons for Toyota’s intense interest in Gibbs Racing is Gibbs’ engine program, headed by Mark Cronquist, one of the best in the business. Gibbs is also renegotiating his contract with Stewart to extend it another two years. The contract runs through the end of 2009; the new package would run through the end of 2011.(Winston Salem Journal)(6-23-2007)

Toyota: Gibbs? Penske merge with Waltrip? UPDATE: Toyota, sources said, has approached the Gibbs team with a proposal to leave Chevrolet, which would give it #20-Tony Stewart, #11-Denny Hamlin and #18-J.J. Yeley. Gibbs’ management doesn’t appear to be that interested, but the offer hasn’t been rejected, according to team sources. Penske [#2, #12], who has been with just about every manufacturer in racing over the years and who is one of the world’s biggest Toyota dealers, could be making the move to Toyota for next year. According to sources close to the situation, Penske could be looking at a merger with Michael Waltrip’s struggling Toyota operation. And there is speculation that Robert and Doug Yates [#38, #88] may be willing to listen to Toyota offers, even though they have long-standing ties with Ford.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-31-2007)

UPDATE: Several sources tell SI.com that Toyota is going hard after Joe Gibbs Racing and that Gibbs is very interested. Officially, the Gibbs team denies any contact with Toyota: "It's news to us," team spokesman Mike Arning said. Toyota, as a matter of policy, does not comment on contract negotiations. The potential deal is a delicate subject for Gibbs and Toyota. Gibbs' contract with Chevrolet, which runs out at the end of the year, stipulates this is a non-negotiating period with other manufacturers. Is contact to determine interest negotiating? You'd have to read the fine print and then get a clarification from an arbitrator to determine that. But sources say there definitely has been communication between Toyota and Gibbs.(Sports Illustrated)(6-2-2007)

Toyota’s teams improve engines: The Toyota teams competing in all-star weekend activities at Lowe’s Motor Speedway won’t have different engines than they’ve had so far this year, but they will have a new combination in their engines aimed at helping them compete better. Lee White, senior vice president for Toyota Racing Development, said Wednesday that the changes are part of Toyota’s efforts at “continual development and improvement of the product we have.” White said results of chassis dynamometer tests following the Cup race at Atlanta earlier this year showed that Toyota has as much top-end horsepower as any other manufacturer’s engine. But at lower RPMs - when cars are trying to get off the turns and back up to full speed for straightaways - the Toyotas were not making as much power as other cars. “We’ve been working a lot of hours, seven days a week, trying to make the power curve look more like that of the people who’re beating us,” White said. The improvements include changes to existing parts and did not require NASCAR approval. “There was no going to NASCAR and saying, ‘Can you give us this or help us out,’” White said.(Thatsracin)(5-17-2007)

Waltrip gets help from Toyota: Toyota is taking aggressive measures, similar to the way it moved into the Craftsman Truck Series, to improve its Nextel Cup teams. Lee White, the general manager for Toyota Racing Development, said Saturday that TRD engineers are preparing a car from Michael Waltrip Racing that the struggling Waltrip could use at a future 1.5-mile track. He said TRD also has offered to build a Car of Tomorrow road-course car for Bill Davis Racing and a COT superspeedway car for Team Red Bull to use at the second Talladega race. But White insisted Toyota will not centralize the construction of Cup cars the way it did its trucks. White said four days are scheduled for Waltrip, who has missed the last four races, to test the car that was driven by Dale Jarrett at California. He said if the car ever gets into a Cup event it would be at the May race in Charlotte. White said the car will then go to Bill Davis' shop in the High Point, N.C., area and be put on a chassis machine, measured, checked and rechecked. White said he is encouraged by the progress Toyota has made the past month, particularly getting five of seven cars into Sunday's inaugural COT race at Bristol Motor Speedway after a subpar test last month. He said the company remains patient, understanding it will take time to make a mark in NASCAR's premier series. He hopes sponsors will remain patient as well, particularly NAPA, the primary sponsor of Waltrip's car. White added that Toyota is nearing a deal with a Busch team to run a few COT Cup road courses this year. He said Wyler Racing, which fields the Toyota Tundra driven by Jack Sprague in the Truck Series, might participate in a COT race later this year. He doesn't anticipate major expansion next season.(ESPN.com)
AND Toyota is sending one of Michael Waltrip Racing’s Camrys back to its TRD research center for a complete dismantling to see if they can learn why the car is so slow.(Ford Racing)(3-25-2007)

Toyota leads first laps: #83-Brian Vickers went into the NASCAR record book as the first driver of a Toyota Camry to lead a lap during a Cup race. Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, led twice for five laps, including Toyota's series first on Lap 89. But Vickers finished 42nd after getting swept up in a four-car crash on Lap 231. #22-Dave Blaney, who finished 27th and two laps down to winner Jimmie Johnson, also led one lap in his #22 Caterpillar Toyota for Bill Davis Racing.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-19-2007)

Toyota issues warning to teams: Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition, was emphatic this [the #55 infraction and penalty] was a team issue and not a Toyota issue. While embarrassed over the incident, Toyota officials insisted they would maintain a relationship with MWR. "This is not the way you want to enter NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series by any means," said Jim Aust, the president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development. "For this to happen to him is extremely disappointing and extremely disappointing to Toyota. ... He has certainly apologized to just about anybody that would be associated with his organization. He's beside himself with what's happened." Toyota isn't resting on an [Waltrip] apology. Company officials are expected to send a letter out to all Toyota teams next week stating Waltrip's organization has used two of the company's three strikes. The next team that crosses the line will face the loss of the manufacturer's support. Lee White, the senior vice president for TRD, said TRD worked with NASCAR throughout the process. "I can honestly tell you from an ethics standpoint and integrity, along with character and honesty, those things are paramount in our company," he said. "We hold ourselves to a high standard and we hold our teams to high standards. We hope we've picked the right ones."(ESPN.com)
AND: Jim Aust, vice president or Toyota Racing Development, was asked if this was his worst nightmare. "I would say that's pretty close to accurate," Aust said. "This is a week we had looked forward to for many years. To begin this way certainly takes some of the limelight and happiness out of it." It also doesn't help the Toyota guys win over some NASCAR followers who didn't want them here in the first place. That marketing campaign just got a lot tougher.(ESPN.com)(2-14-2007)

Toyota Over Spending?....One fear is that Toyota will spend its way to domination in the sport [NASCAR], raising costs for everybody and perhaps eventually running off an ailing domestic manufacturer. Officials at Ford, which has struggled financially while sales of Toyota’s have gained greater share in the United States, have been most vocal in their criticism. Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology, said his manufacturer’s NASCAR operation is financially sound. But he said Toyota’s spending spree in acquiring crew chiefs, drivers, engineers, tire changers and other support personnel has affected his teams. That includes Robert Yates Racing, which lost Jarrett and his UPS sponsorship [#44 Toyota]. “I think they have been predators, and people would say that might be extremely negative,” Davis said. “I would say that in the business world, people are predators. That’s how you get things done. When anything new comes in with a lot of resources, then those entities are going to try to acquire the best people, the best equipment, the best that they can get. That’s a bit predatory to me. And if you pay people more money than they were getting and you entice them other ways, in a way that’s more than normal, then it’s a bit predatory.” Team Red Bull has been accused of paying 200 to 300% more to hire John Probst, a top Ford engineer. Davis said he heard that Michael Waltrip Racing came up with more than $20 million to lure Jarrett, the 1999 Cup points champion and a favorite among longtime Southern race fans, away from the Yates team. Salaries are a closely held secret throughout NASCAR, and Michael Waltrip Racing officials have denied those figures. Davis said he voiced his concerns privately with NASCAR. So far, NASCAR officials say they see this as business as usual in a sport in which teams openly raid competitors. Earlier this month, for instance, Roush Racing [#26 Ford] hired the crew chief Larry Carter away from Michael Waltrip Racing [#00 Toyota].(New York Times)(1-18-2007)

Toyota Racing to build plant near Charlotte: Toyota Racing Development (TRD) said Wednesday it would build a plant in Rowan County. The company announced the decision a day after Rowan commissioners voted to put up $519,000 over five years to lure the plant. The company has an option to buy 89 acres near Salisbury to build a racing production plant. Toyota Racing has said the $22 million plant would hire at least 40 employees. If state officials approve incentives worth $100,000, the plant could open by the fall. The company chose the Rowan location as its preferred site over locations in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Iredell counties and three other states, Rowan economic development officials said.(Charlotte Observer)(1-17-2007)

Toyota Looking for Land near Charlotte: Toyota Racing Development officials met with Rowan County commissioners Monday night about the potential purchase of an 89-acre parcel of land near Salisbury, N.C., about 43 miles north of Charlotte, NC. TRD president Jim Aust said Toyota plans to build an engineering facility to support its NASCAR teams. The manufacturer, which will enter the Nextel Cup Series in 2007, would use about half the site's land for the building. The sale wouldn't be complete until next year after a follow-up meeting with the county.(USA Today)(12-20-2006)

Graves to Toyota UPDATE: Toyota yesterday signed Andy Graves to be the company's NASCAR field manager for its 2007 Nextel Cup debut season. Graves spent the past five years managing Chip Ganassi's Dodge teams.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-28-2006)
UPDATE: Andy Graves will be formally introduced Friday at Texas Motor Speedway as the director of Toyota’s Nextel Cup efforts for 2007. Graves, who spent the better part of a decade at Hendrick Motorsports before becoming team manager at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, has experience with Toyota, having worked with the Japanese automaker in 2000, when he worked with Ganassi’s CART open-wheel program. In addition to Graves talking about his new gig, Toyota is also expected to introduce its NASCAR Busch Series lineup for 2007.(SpeedTV.com)(11-2-2006)

Newman tested a Toyota? UPDATE: Toyota's 2007 Cup lineup so far: two Davis teams, three Waltrip teams, and two Red Bull teams, and two part-time teams. "I won't deny we've had conversations with existing teams, from every manufacturer," White said, leaving the answers up in the air. "It's not something we're actively pursuing. Teams have approached us; we have not approached them." One of those teams, sources say, could be Roger Penske's two-car Dodge operation. According to one source, Penske's Ryan Newman has just tested a Camry.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-15-2006)
UPDATE: being told Penske tested Toyota at Rockingham...sources told me they did it because supposedly "they wanted to see what the other guys had".(10-16-2006)

Toyota says they are not overspending: Lee White, senior vice president of Toyota Racing Development, made an appearance at Lowe’s Motor Speedway that served the purpose of quieting the notion that the Japanese manufacturer intends to smother the opposition with money next year. “We’ve done extensive research, and I don’t believe the level of expenditure is any higher than the existing manufacturer,” said White. White dismissed widespread rumors by saying: “This is a convenient way for a lot of existing teams to manipulate their own manufacturers and attempt to increase their own level of funding. “We provide technology. We don’t own these teams. We don’t fund these teams,” he said. “What we are trying to do is use our expertise with what I call ‘tribal knowledge,’ or the traditional method of producing racing engines.” White also said that Toyota would not further boost its expenditures or increase its teams in the Craftsman Truck Series, where Tundras have won 10 of the season’s 20 races to date. “There’s no question that the Truck Series needs focus,” he said. “I just attended a meeting along with the other manufacturers on the subject of what NASCAR, Speed Channel and MRN (Motor Racing Network) are trying to do to draw more attention to the Truck Series.”(Gaston Gazette)(10-14-2006)

NASCAR Wants Toyota to Open Up: It may be impossible to buy a Toyota racing engine or parts to build one. NASCAR is looking for a way to open up Toyota's engine program so that it's open to the independent motor builders. The big three, Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge have open programs so that anyone wishing to build one of those engines, can buy the parts and construct one. But Toyota's program is closed and doesn't allow the independent builders to buy the parts. It's not available to anyone not a part of the Toyota Racing family.(Insider Racing News)(10-7-2006)

Toyota Camry and Avalon? There are reports that Toyota might like to promote not only its Camry but also its Avalon through NASCAR racing.(Winston Salem Journal)(9-3-2006)

NASCAR Approves Toyota Camry; BDR to test at Homestead: The Toyota Camry for the current version car has been approved for 2007, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Friday. The engine likely will be approved in the coming weeks, Pemberton said. Bill Davis Racing Competition Director Tommy Baldwin said his team plans to test a current Camry and a "car of tomorrow" Camry at the Homestead test session Oct. 16-17. He then plans on having new driver Jeremy Mayfield testing the cars weekly until February.(SceenDaily.com)(8-26-2006)

Toyota submits engine: Toyota has submitted its proposed Nextel Cup engine to NASCAR but is still awaiting a response, Lee White, Toyota Racing Development senior vice president, said Monday. The Toyota teams at the "car of tomorrow" test at Michigan were using truck motors with Cup-approved carburetors. "The engine that we're using here is essentially a hot-rodded truck engine," White said. "It's a truck engine brought up to Cup power specifications. It's not the engine that we will be racing in February in Daytona." White said he presented the block and cylinder head to NASCAR two weeks ago. "It's really a matter of them getting all of the right people in one place ... to look at the parts and talk about what the engineers are seeing and make sure they agree with the box that they've described," White said. "Once that's done, I would expect that we would have final approval. At this point, there's no indication that there is any issue."(SceneDaily.com)(8-22-2006)

Toyota close to approval: John Darby, Nextel Cup series director, says officials are in the final stage of approving the Toyota Camry for next season. Also, Dodge submitted a car for next season with a new hood and rear. Darby said the car is scheduled to be taken to a wind tunnel Tuesday.(Roanoke Times)(7-17-2006)

Toyota to Submit car to NASCAR, test at Atlanta on Tuesday: The 2007 Toyota Camry that will be used in 20 of the 36 Nextel Cup Series races next season will be submitted to NASCAR on Monday morning, Lee White, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) USA's senior vice president and general manager, said Saturday. White was at Michigan International Speedway in conjunction with Toyota's Craftsman Truck Series program and said the 2007 Camry, complete with the latest generation nose, would be delivered to the NASCAR research and development center in Concord, N.C. NASCAR will take the car to the Lockheed wind tunnel in Marietta, Ga., for testing on Monday evening, he said. The car, which was constructed at TRD's engineering facility in High Point, N.C., by the group led by engineer Todd Holbert, is scheduled to test for NASCAR on Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driven by Toyota Truck Series driver Johnny Benson.(NASCAR.com)(6-18-2006)

Toyota at the Wind Tunnel: hearing that Toyota was testing Tuesday, June 8th in some fashion [Cup/Trucks] at the NASA wind tunnel in Hampton, VA / Langley AFB.(6-9-2006)

More on additional Toyota teams in Cup for 2007: Toyota might have more than three teams in its debut year in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series after all. Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports and president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that two of its current teams in the Craftsman Truck Series are hoping to run some races in 2007 with the new Car of Tomorrow that NASCAR plans to launch at Bristol next spring. Germain Racing, which fields trucks for Todd Bodine and Ted Musgrave, and Wyler Racing, which has Jack Sprague as its truck driver, have told Aust they are looking for sponsorship to run a limited Car of Tomorrow schedule next season. The Car of Tomorrow is a bigger, boxier vehicle with a front-end splitter that NASCAR has designed to eventually replace the slick aerodynamic models that manufacturers spent the past 10 years developing. The Car of Tomorrow is scheduled to run in 15 races next season in a phase-in process that will be complete by 2009. Aust said it was something of a surprise when the Germain and Wyler teams approached him about competing in Cup next year. "We had planned on only running three teams and six cars next year, but these guys came forward and said they'd like to look into running some races with the Car of Tomorrow to test the water," Aust said. "This just came up in the last couple of weeks. "Both teams have said they would like to eventually come up into the (Cup) series sometime in the next couple of years and this could be a good test for them." Aust said the teams are uncertain at this time how many races they would run in Cup in 2007 but that their schedules would definitely not include any races with the current cars.(Associated Press)(6-1-2006)

Toyota hopes to get approvals early: Toyota hopes to have its Camrys for next year submitted to NASCAR in the next week or two as it tries to get a jump on the approval process. The deadline for submissions is July 1, but Toyota's NASCAR program Manager, Pat Wall, said Tuesday that he would like to have a Toyota "car of today" in NASCAR's hand in the next two or three weeks and is making arrangements for NASCAR to take the car to the wind tunnel for testing. NASCAR will have four submissions of cars of tomorrow, four new trucks (all manufacturers are making changes to the trucks) and Toyota's Cup car and a Toyota Busch car to approve for next season, Wall said. Toyota also has a new cylinder head for its engine that it is trying to get approved and will submit a revised engine block soon as well.(SceneDaily.com)(6-1-2006)

Another Toyota Team? hearing that Wyler Racing [#60 Jack Sprgaue in Truck Series] will be another Toyota team that makes the move up into the Nextel Cup Series in 2007 running in the COT [Car of Tomorrow events) . The team is currently in discussions with sponsors and potential drivers. There is also the possiblity of the team fielding a Toyota entry in the Busch Series in 2007. Wyler Racing will continue to field at least one truck in the Craftsman Truck Series as well.(5-26-2006)

Germain and Bodine could move up to Cup...with Toyota..UPDATE: The hottest Toyota driver in NASCAR is Todd Bodine, who has won five of the past eight Truck races and who leads the tour standings, ahead of teammate Ted Musgrave. The two ran 1-2 the last time out, at St. Louis' Gateway track three weeks ago. So, with Toyota's Cup teams and executives apparently running out of time to line up all the six or seven Nextel Cup drivers they'll need next year, Bodine, 42 and a 14-year NASCAR veteran, would seem a logical option. But Bodine said he has had no calls, and said he's having so much fun running for the Germain brothers (who own a number of luxury-car dealerships with $1 billion a year in sales) that it would take "a boatload of money to leave." Bodine said he and the Germains have studied stepping up to Cup racing with Toyota. But they haven't found sponsorship for what he estimates would be a $20 million to $30 million step.(Winston Salem Journal), the team did test an #03 Chevy at Las Vegas this past Jan.(5-20-2006)
UPDATE: The Germain Motor Co. is on the fast track in NASCAR, and not all of it deals with drivers Todd Bodine and Ted Musgrave ranking first and second in the Truck Series point standings. Steve Germain, who owns the Columbus teams with brothers Rick and Bob, yesterday [Friday] said plans are under way to attempt to qualify for as many as five or six Nextel Cup races this season. The family’s first race probably would be the Brickyard 400 on Aug. 6 at Indianapolis. There also are tentative plans to enter races at Michigan, Atlanta, California and Texas in an attempt to gauge whether a team with Bodine as driver would be ready to run as many as 15 or 16 races in 2007. "We’re interested in the Cup series, and it looks like we might do a limited schedule," Steve Germain said. "At this point, we’ll be at Indianapolis. We’d like to be in five or six races to help us understand the scope of Nextel Cup. We have a pretty good understanding of Cup, but we want firsthand experience so we can be confident before committing the resources for next year. We’re taking this one step at a time." The Germains own Toyota and Lexus dealerships in Columbus and Florida and got into NASCAR to promote their dealerships and help Toyota get a foothold in truck and stock car racing. Both truck teams are based in Concord, N.C., which is considered the heart of NASCAR country.(Columbus Dispatch)(5-21-2006)

UPS Undecided on future, either RYR or MWR; Bill Elliott to Yates?: With sponsor UPS suddenly NASCAR's top free agent, at least two teams' immediate futures appear to hang in the balance. Robert Yates Racing, which loses Jarrett's services at season's end, can't pick a replacement until it learns if UPS will remain. And if UPS opts to follow Jarrett to Michael Waltrip Racing, that operation would field three Toyotas instead of two next season. The one certainty is that Jarrett's move, formally announced May 13, leaves owner Robert Yates facing a scenario he thought was two years off. Expecting Jarrett to finish his career with the team in 2008, RYR began grooming Stephen Leicht and Matt McCall as possible replacements this season.
While the sponsor, be it UPS, Busch Series sponsor CitiFinancial or another entity, will play a role in selecting Jarrett's replacement, Yates says a veteran could figure in the mix. The question is whether the veteran would drive the full year or split time with one or two younger drivers as Yates works toward a permanent replacement. Team Manager Eddie D'Hondt said Bill Elliott could be the veteran if that plan is followed. Waltrip said he has sponsorship secured for two cars and has talked with UPS. If the company comes aboard, he'd gladly field three teams next year. In a statement, Peggy Gardner, UPS Spokesperson, said the company "is excited about its continuing role in NASCAR," but that its policy is not to comment about "our future plans or sponsorships."(SceneDaily,com)(5-17-2006)

Third Waltrip car? UPDATE 2 well...maybe: hearing that Michael Waltrip Racing [MWR] may field a third Nextel Cup team in 2007, could be part-time, with Burger King and Domino's Pizza as the sponsor. That is if UPS or another sponsor team up with Waltrip's Toyota that Dale Jarrett will run in 2007.(5-15-2006)
UPDATE: According to MWR spokeswoman Brooke Hondros, the team does not presently plan to field three Nextel Cup Series teams in 2007. Hondros said MWR is preparing two Nextel Cup teams and two Busch Series teams, all of which will run Toyota Camrys.(NASCAR.com/Marty Smith)(5-16-2006)
UPDATE 2: Michael Waltrip says he could expand his Toyota Cup operation to three teams next season. Waltrip is set for at least two teams. He and Dale Jarrett will be the drivers. "We'd like to have three teams," Waltrip said at Darlington. "We think that'll give us the best chance to compete against the guys who are winning races now. There's a timetable that will come into play. ... We could start a third team if we could get another sponsor."(Roanoke Times)(5-17-2006)

Jarrett announcement this weekend? OFFICAL Jarrett to Waltrip/Toyota: hearing that #88-Dale Jarrett could make his announcement going to Toyota/Michael Waltrip Racing as soon as this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Waltrip is scheduled to make a live announcement on Speed Channel's NASCAR Live, Saturday, May 13th at 12:30pm/et...maybe....(5-12-2006)
OFFICIAL: it was announced on Speed Channel's NASCAR Live at 12:32pm/et that Dale Jarrett, current driver of the #88 UPS Ford for Robert Yates Racing will drive a Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007, no word on sponsor, car number, etc. AND see a transcript of the announcement at FoxSports.com: SPEED Q&A: Waltrip's Toyota team signs Jarrett to two-year deal
UPDATE: Michael Waltrip, owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, Incorporated, announced today that former NASCAR champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner, Dale Jarrett, is joining the organization to drive the team's second Toyota entry in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series beginning in 2007. "When we began building Michael Waltrip Racing, I knew the key to success was bringing in quality people," Waltrip explained. "Ty Norris has been instrumental on the business side, just as Larry Carter and Bobby Kennedy have been on the competition side. By hiring Dale, we have yet another example of the importance we are placing on securing first-rate individuals for our program."
"Dale's resume speaks for itself," continued Waltrip. "To have a NASCAR champion on our team is another significant piece of the puzzle that pulls together our vision. I know his knowledge and experience will be invaluable for a start-up team with a new manufacturer and will allow our organization to grow and succeed at a faster pace." Jarrett is a well-known veteran of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. He established himself as a perennial championship contender in the mid-90s, finishing in the top-10 in championship points for seven consecutive seasons and winning the series title in 1999. Jarrett has 32 career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victories, including the aforementioned three Daytona 500 wins and two in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His resume also includes being named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list.
"My tenure at Robert Yates Racing has been extremely important to me, my family and my career," Jarrett said. "We accomplished a lot together during the past 12 years and I am thankful to Robert and everyone at RYR and Ford Motor Company for the opportunities they afforded me and the success we have all shared. This was a very difficult decision. I feel this is a great opportunity for me to take on a new challenge and what they are building at Michael Waltrip Racing fits my plans for the future."
"My decision to join Michael Waltrip Racing is based solely on a competitor's perspective," Jarrett continued. "What Michael has pulled together is impressive and I want to be a part of it. The Daytona 500 might seem far away, but for a race team it is right around the corner. Michael's team is building cars now, their core management team is in place, the competition department is established and sponsors are locked up. From that perspective, it doesn't feel like I am going to a brand new team."
"Toyota's strategic entry into NASCAR has been equally impressive," said Jarrett. "The mark they have made in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the last three years is reason enough to want to be part of their entrance into the Cup Series." Waltrip is the first of the three Toyota team owners to solidify their 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers.(MWR PR)(5-13-2006)

Toyota's Jim Aust Interview: Jim Aust -- Vice President of Motorsports for Toyota U.S.A./President and CEO of Toyota Racing Development -- spoke on Sirius Speedway (MRN/Sirius Satellite Radio) Thursday, fielding a number of questions from host Dave Moody about Toyota's move to NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series racing in 2007.
Moody: What kind of progress is Toyota making in the development of the NASCAR Camry? Are you on track to submit a car for NASCAR approval at the end of next month?
Aust: I don't think we have much of a choice! We don't have a lot of time, and it would have been nice to have another six months (or even a year) to get things done. We have a lot of things that we're working on, as you can imagine. The introductory car that we unveiled in Charlotte was a 2006 model, and the standard production Camry changed in `07, so we're having to do some work on that car to get it ready for submission at the end of June. Like everyone else, we're also working on a 'Car of Tomorrow,' in addition to some changes on the Toyota Tundra Craftsman Truck, since once again, the standard production model changed from `06 to `07. So we have a lot of things going on at our facility in North Carolina. Moody: How complicated has the process been to date? Any surprises?
Aust: We work very closely with NASCAR, and whenever there's a question that arises, our guys are pretty quick to get on the phone and check with the people there to make sure we're headed in the right direction. It's a question of getting all the parts as close aerodynamically to what everyone else has got as we can, so that when we come out in February of next year, we're competitive. That's what Toyota is all about, and that's our hope at the present time.
Moody: We have not yet seen a Toyota 'Car Of Tomorrow' on the racetrack. Have you got one built, and will it hit the track anytime soon?
Aust: We working on it, but we don't have one completed. We're working on the chassis at our shop, as well as the body parts; just as we are with the current car. We hope to have the COT ready when NASCAR gives us a call for it, but there's a lot of work to be done yet. I was there last week, and they were changing some of the cross bars (in the chassis), so it's still a work in progress.
Moody: Bill Elliott tested a Michael Waltrip Chevrolet with a Toyota engine last week at Charlotte. Was that a first, or have you slipped something past us?
Aust: Unless somebody knows something that I don't, that was a first. It was a basic first run to see what things looked like, and all in all, I think we came away pretty pleased with what we saw.
Moody: If the development and approval processes go perfectly - something that we know never happens -- could you race a Camry before the end of this season?
Aust: That's not our intent, and it's not something we have on our plate at the present time. We want to be prepared to run at Daytona in February of 2007, and talking about anything prior to that would be premature. We really have quite a bit of work to do.
Moody: You have named three teams for next year, Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull. Is that the extent of the roster, or could there be another addition between now and the end of the season?
Aust: As far as teams are concerned, those are the three that we announced in Charlotte, and that's our plan for next year. We have no intention of adding anything other than the three teams you mentioned.
Moody: Are we to put no stock in the rumors that you're wining and dining Joe Gibbs?
Aust: No, I don't think so. We probably don't have the capacity to do anything beyond what we've already announced. That's going to be a big chore for us. Having said that, though, you always look a bit down the road, and there are opportunities that we hope will avail themselves in future years. Our plan is to look at expansion as the years go along.
Moody: Is Toyota involved in helping the teams find drivers and sponsors, or is that up to them?
Aust: Those are the assignments we've given the teams, and they are very willing to take them on. That's what they're in business for. Sponsor and driver recruitment are on the shoulders of the teams, and we feel that they have better insight in those areas (than we do). We're certainly in the background if they need our opinion, but our feeling is that driver selection is ultimately up to the team and the primary sponsor. The sponsors are the ones contributing the big bucks, and they need to be able to find someone who works well with the image they have, and what they're trying to proclaim in business and on the track. So we're leaving that up to the teams.
Moody: Roush Racing President Geoff Smith has been quoted saying that he believes Toyota and its teams are offering cut-rate packages to lure sponsors away from established operations. How do you respond to that?
Aust: I don't know where Geoff gets his information. He's free to have his opinion, but that is certainly not one that we share with him. I don't know of anybody that's out there offering any kind of a discount deal, and if there is, the team that is offering it must have the wherewithal to handle it financially, on their own. It's certainly not anything that we're a part of.
Moody: The NASCAR community is somewhat set in its ways, with specific ways of doing business. Is it possible that Toyota will approach the business side of NASCAR racing in ways that will disrupt the status quo?
Aust: Our approach when we entered the Craftsman Truck Series was to not pick-off teams that had established manufacturer relationships. That's also the way we've tried to approach the Busch and Nextel Cup Series. If you look at our three Cup teams, other than Bill Davis, they're all startup teams. I think NASCAR, Mike Helton and Brian France, approve of that approach. They want us to grow the organization by bringing new people in, and we have said we're willing to do that. Everything we have done, we have checked-in in advance with NASCAR. We don't want to be running in a direction that is opposed to what their ideas are, and how they want to run the series. We don't want to come in and disrupt the organization in any way. There's no value in that for us, since we're looking to be in NASCAR for a long time.
Moody: If necessary, will Toyota or TRD sponsor a car like they do in the Craftsman Truck Series?
Aust: We have no intention to do that. I feel that we've more or less earned our stripes, in terms of proving what our capabilities are through the Truck program. We don't feel like that's something we have to do in order to put cars with the Toyota nameplate on the track. It's our intent that the teams provide their own primary sponsors.
Moody: How is the test track you're supposedly building in the Charlotte area coming along?
Aust: I'm still looking for it, to be honest with you. (Laughs) I'll be down there next week, maybe somebody can help me find it.
Moody: There are a lot of rumors floating around, and as the new kid in town, a certain amount of that is probably to be expected. But does it bother you to be portrayed as the behemoth intent on burying the competition under a pile of money?
Aust: Well, sure. We're looking around saying, `Where does all this come from?' The company is very successful in the automobile business, and perhaps that has something to do with it. Our perspective is that we would like to come in and just be a part of the series. But for some reason, whenever we decide to come in, it's like, `OK, here they come. They're going to take over.' That is not our intention. We have a great organization -- Toyota Racing Development, that we have built over the years, and we have a lot of capacity that we would like to put to use. But certainly not to the detriment of the series.(Sirius Speedway - MRN/Sirius Satellite Radio)(5-12-2006)

Elliott tests Toyota engine at Lowe's: Bill Elliott tested one of Waltrip's #00 Chevy Cup cars with a Toyota engine earlier this week at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and there are plans for more tests as the foreign manufacturer seeks approval from NASCAR.(NASCAR.com)(5-6-2006)

Toyota...no plans to expand past three teams in 2007: Toyota has no plans to expand its team lineup beyond the three -- Michael Waltrip Racing #00, #55), Red Bull Racing (#83, #80) and Bill Davis Racing (#22, #23) -- it announced in January. Robby Gordon's [#7] team, whose contract with Chevrolet ends following this season, is not under consideration.(CNNSI)(5-5-2006)

Jarrett/Toyota offer..$20 million? UPDATE done deal? Toyota - The Japanese automaker has pumped in tens of millions of dollars into its teams to launch a Nextel Cup program in 2007. Car owner Michael Waltrip is rumored to be dangling a two-year, $20 million contract in front of Dale Jarrett to get him into a Toyota.(Speed Channel)
UPDATE: #99-Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Cup champion, is expected to help head up the company's [Toyota] 2007 entry into the series, agreeing to join Michael Waltrip Racing next season. Several sources have confirmed that Jarrett, 49, informed Robert Yates Racing officials of his decision April 26. UPS, the primary sponsor of the No. 88 Ford, is also in the final year of its contract with the team. And sources have indicated that the overnight delivery service provider would like to remain with RYR, provided the team can sign a competitive driver rather than someone just embarking on a Cup career. If the latter is the case, it's likely that UPS will make the move with Jarrett to Waltrip's organization. RYR typically attempts to sign sponsors for the length of its drivers' contracts. Because of that, those sponsors have some leverage in driver selection. Possible driver candidates that have been mentioned in the Toyota mix have included Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick and owner/driver Robby Gordon. However, car owner Richard Childress said April 29 that he is close to signing Harvick to an extension. Gordon, who has fielded his own team since 2005, has an existing relationship with Red Bull through his off-road racing efforts.(in part from SceneDaily.com)(5-3-2006)

Toyota looking at Rudd? Ricky Rudd confirmed Wednesday that Toyota is courting him. He's honored, but to date has politely declined. This retirement thing ain't so bad. "I've had a few conversations with different folks, and that's one group," Rudd said. "It's a two-way conversation. I'm not ready to come back right now, but there has been conversation. They've got to move on with their program, and their timeline and mine are not the same. I wanted to take a year off." That's not to say he's ruled it out completely, however. Rudd has pinpointed a September commitment time regarding his racing future. Might he come back? "I enjoy race day a lot, but not the grind of the schedule," Rudd said. "I'm liable to get bored and restless, though, but haven't yet."(NASCAR.com)(4-27-2006)

Toyota to buy out Robby? Harvick? Jarrett AND UPS? #7-Robby Gordon declined to comment on the latest reports that Toyota and sponsor Red Bull are making an offer to buy him and his entire team. General Motors executives are still hopeful of keeping Gordon in their fold and point to the extensive work they've done to help Gordon become more competitive as an independent owner-driver. #29-Kevin Harvick, also said to be on Toyota's wish list, is still negotiating with GM and owner Richard Childress for a contract renewal, and the yes or no could come in the next few days. Harvick has set a package and price, and the ball is in Childress' court. But team sources indicate that Childress isn't willing to meet Harvick's demands. Childress has been unavailable for comment, and Harvick has declined to comment. According to sources, Dodge owner Ray Evernham may be interested in hiring Harvick.
And Toyota apparently wants not only Dale Jarrett but also his sponsor, UPS. That situation is unclear, but it appears to mean that if car owner Robert Yates wants to keep UPS on his quarterpanels, he would also have to re-sign Jarrett for two more years.(Winston Salem Journal), note: supposedly UPS is signed thru 2007 with Yates and Jarrett is signed thru 2006.(4-22-206)

Toyota looking at Fennig? 5 hired from Penske..more: former #26/97/6 Roush crew chief Jimmy Fennig [recently replaced on the #26 and now with Roush in the Busch Series], a highly respected, no-nonsense guy who gained his credentials with Bobby Allison and Mark Martin, is suddenly the hottest item in the stock-car racing garage, with Toyota officials and Dodge's Chip Ganassi expected to make calls. Ganassi is looking for a new team manager for his three-car operation after Andy Graves' resignation. And Fennig could be just the guy to fill the void, with instant credibility. Toyota could be an option. Toyota executives are wide open in building their Nextel Cup tour operations, and now they're raiding teams right and left, according to car owners. Don Miller, of the Roger Penske team, said that Toyota has picked up five Penske men already: "They just offer them $20,000 more than they're currently making, and get them." Ganassi has been so upset at losing crewmen to Toyota that he has sent the company a "cease-and-desist" letter. That move has many here writing off Ganassi for any Toyota-NASCAR deal.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-22-206)

Toyota and...Jarrett? UPDATE 3 Allmendinger? Gibbs?: The new NASCAR Nextel Cup Toyota operation that is being backed by Red Bull "has opened the checkbook," according to one top Ford man, who points to Red Bull's hiring of John Propst, a top Ford Motor Company vehicle dynamics specialist, and the hiring of a top Dodge engineer from the Ray Evernham camp for its new stock-car racing team. General Motors executives are anxiously watching their own key engineers for any similar defections. Elsewhere on the Toyota-NASCAR front, Toyota has made a bid to sign a two-year contract with Dale Jarrett, the tour's 1999 champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. Jarrett's contract with car owner Robert Yates is up at the end of this season. While it has been unclear for several months if Yates and Jarrett could come to new terms, Ford officials said Yates is offering Jarrett a contract similar to the Toyota deal.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-8-2006)
UPDATE - Red Bull Drivers? When Red Bull Racing debuts their two Toyota teams at Daytona in February of 2007, rumor has it the organization is looking to pair a rookie with a veteran, taking an approached used by Evernham Motorsports with Dodge. Veterans on the Red Bull list are said to be Kevin Harvick and Dale Jarrett. No word on a rookie, but it could easily be an accomplished veteran from another of the Motorsports arenas.(CircleTrackPlus)(4-9-2006)
UPDATE 2 Allmendinger? Murmurs in Champ Car circles say Red Bull, which carries a personal services contract with AJ Allmendinger, might like to see the young American in Nextel Cup, where it hopes to strike big in 2007 in partnership with Toyota. With so much money and fame up for grabs in NASCAR, it has become a challenge to keep promising open-wheel drivers away from the France family circus. It could prove difficult for Owner Carl Russo and Champ Car to hold onto Allmendinger, especially if he starts winning.(Autoweek)(4-9-2006)
UPDATE 3 Gibbs? There is still no word on which drivers Toyota might back, but Toyota may be making a run at car owner Joe Gibbs, with hopes of persuading the veteran Chevy man, and his three-man team of #20-Tony Stewart, #11-Denny Hamlin and #18-J. J. Yeley, to jump to the Camry brigade, according to sources. Chevy's Kevin Harvick continues to be a focal point of Toyota speculation. However, there is word that Harvick may be under consideration by Ford's Jack Roush for a driving job next season, though Harvick insists "I've not talked with Jack Roush, and I don't know Geoff Smith (Roush's contract attorney)." Smith was not here to discuss the situation, and Roush demurred: "I hear Toyota goes with Kevin Harvick, and there's not a Toyota in my future. What I do know, is Toyota just hired (engineer) John Propst from Ford, and that gives Toyota access to everything all the Ford teams have known about the engineering of the cars, and that's a cheeky move by Toyota, and it's certainly a coup for Toyota. The thing that is more distressing is Toyota is in position to make their own tires, with its relationship with Bridgestone....And I've heard Toyota has acquired 100 acres of land in Charlotte to put together a test track."(Winston Salem Journal)(4-10-2006)

No Honda in NASCAR? Honda Racing president Robert Clarke was asked this week if Honda will follow archrival Toyota into NASCAR. "I never say never," Clarke said. "I've learned that in this business. But we have no immediate or near-term plans to get into NASCAR. We are quite occupied with our activity in the IRL." Honda is the only engine supplier for the IRL this season because of the departure of Toyota and Chevrolet.(Dallas Morning News)(3-10-2006)

Red Bull's technical director moves to NASCAR: Red Bull will use one of its first prominent figures to set-up its NASCAR team in the US. Their technical director for Red Bull Racing in Formula 1, Gunther Steiner, will more from Formula 1 to NASCAR starting April 1st. The forty-year-old South Tyrolean will also assume the function of Technical Director for the Red Bull Toyota NASCAR team, acting on a level with General Manager Marty Gaunt. Red Bull's NASCAR team will start preparing for their debut season in 2007 on the first of April. Gunther Steiner said about his career move inside Red Bull Racing: "It is a new and fascinating challenge. If as a European you are asked to help set up such an ambitious project you simply cannot say no. I'm really looking forward to working on my new task."(f1racing.net)(3-3-2006)

Penske talks about Toyota: Of rumors Penske Racing South [#2, #12] would leave Dodge and align with Toyota, Roger Penske said, “I have no contract with Toyota. I have a long-term commitment with Dodge, so we’ve not made any commitments at all with Toyota.”(Speed Channel)(2-27-2006)

Toyota denies Dodges claim: A Toyota executive denied the company was looking for confidential Dodge information and also said the company would not pay for Bill Davis Racing's defense in recent litigation with Dodge. DaimlerChrysler won a $6.5 million jury award in a breach of contract lawsuit Feb. 9 in U.S. District Court in Michigan. The jury decided that BDR had given confidential Dodge information to Toyota during the time BDR was developing a truck for Toyota. "If we were going to copy people's stuff, it wouldn't be people running at the back, let me put it that way," Toyota Racing Development Senior Vice President/General Manager Lee White said in a jab at Dodge. Dodge terminated its Cup contract with BDR in May 2003 after discovering BDR was building Toyota trucks and promptly filed suit. BDR filed a counterclaim and asked for more than $9 million in the case, which went to trial in mid-January. The bill could climb toward $9 million if attorney's fees and other penalties are awarded to DaimlerChrysler, according to Robert Thackston, who represented Dodge in the suit. White and Davis continue plans to debut two Toyota Nextel Cup teams in 2007. "There is no moving back from the deal that we have. I'm sure he is going to appeal it or whatever he can do," White said. "That's his program and it's really nothing to do with us. He's never asked [for us to pay it]."(NASCAR Scene)(2-22-2006)

More on Toyota's move to Cup: According to Toyota Racing Development officials, the newest manufacturer will field six Camrys when it debuts in 2007. Bill Davis Racing, Waltrip-Jasper Racing and Team Red Bull will each enter two apiece. The only driver sure to be racing a Toyota in 2007 is Michael Waltrip. Dave Blaney, who will drive a Dodge for Davis this year, is only under a one-year contract with the team.(Gaston Gazette)(1-26-2006)

Ganassi's comments about Toyota: Q) Does the new Manufacturer's Lineup [now with Toyota] surprise you and would you consider joining them [Toyota]? A-Chip Ganassi - #40, #41, #42 team owner) "I've been in Phoenix all week, so I'm not exactly sure what they announced or who they announced. Whoever they go with, I think you saw in the truck series they made winners out of teams that were otherwise not. I don't really know what their plans are for teams or drivers, but I can assure you they'll do it right no matter who they're with. We were with them for a lot of years and had some success with them on the Indy car side. Right now we don't have any plans to switch off from Dodge. We'll see what happens down the road, but right now that's not in our plans."(Clear!Blue PR)(1-26-2006)

Three Teams to field Camry's in 2007 Cup Series UPDATE: hearing that Bill Davis Racing [#22,23], Michael Waltrip Racing [#55] and Team Red Bull will run the Toyota Camry in 2007 when Toyota enters the series. In addition to Red Bull, other sponsors that will be associated with the Toyota teams are Caterpillar (Bill Davis Racing) and NAPA (Michael Waltrip Racing). Team Red Bull will be based in Mooresville, NC, and stock car veteran Marty Gaunt [Penske] will serve as the team's general manager. Who will drive for Red Bull? how many teams/cars? not sure, Robby Gordon, who owns his own team has been sponsored by Red Bull. And have heard that Kevin Harvick, who drivers the #29 RCR Chevy, could be one of the drivers for Red Bull team. Expect these teams, but doubt the Red Bull drivers, in part to be announced at Toyota's Press Conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway tonight.(1-24-2006)
UPDATE: One veteran race team with close to 20 years of stock car experience, another with an owner who has been driving race cars for more than 20 years, and a third totally new team will all be running the Toyota Camry in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull will all utilize the "Most Popular Car in America" when the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season kicks-off next February with the Daytona 500, Toyota and teams announced.
Bill Davis Racing has been a regular competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series since 1993, while Michael Waltrip Racing has primarily been involved in the Busch Series. Team Red Bull is new to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, although the company has been heavily involved in worldwide motorsports. In addition to Red Bull, other primary sponsors that will be associated with the Toyota teams are Caterpillar (Bill Davis Racing) and NAPA (Michael Waltrip Racing). Caterpillar has been associated with Bill Davis Racing for nine years and NAPA has had a relationship with Michael Waltrip for five years.
"Based on our motorsports experience, we know the importance of working with experienced teams and partners," said Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports and president and CEO of TRD, U.S.A. "We have developed excellent relationships with Bill Davis and the Waltrip family --- and look forward to developing a similar relationship with the Red Bull team as Toyota joins one of the world's most competitive racing series."
"Next year -- 2007 -- marks Toyota's 50th anniversary in America and seeing a Toyota Camry -- America's best-selling car -- in the NEXTEL Cup Series will be a great way to celebrate this milestone," said Kim McCullough, TMS corporate manager, marketing communications. "The response to Toyota's involvement in the Craftsman Truck Series has been very positive, and we look forward to building on that acceptance at the next levels -- in both NEXTEL Cup and Busch racing."
The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America for four straight years and eight of the past nine years. Assembled at Toyota's Georgetown, Ky. plant, more than six million Camry models have been sold in the United States since its debut 23 years ago. The all-new 2007 Camry, a complete redesign from previous models, was recently introduced at the North American Auto Show in Detroit.
Bill Davis has been involved in NASCAR competition for 18 years. During his tenure as a NASCAR team owner, the Arkansas-native has worked with some of the sport's top drivers and claimed numerous honors, including the 1991 Busch Series Rookie-of-the-Year award with driver Jeff Gordon, and a 2002 Daytona 500 win with driver Ward Burton. Bill Davis Racing has 18 victories, 38 poles, 104 top-five finishes and 257 top-10 finishes as a NASCAR team owner. In 2004, Bill Davis Racing partnered with Toyota to field three Tundras in the Craftsman Truck Series. In two seasons participating in the NCTS, the Bill Davis Racing drivers have combined for two wins, 11 poles, 22 top-five finishes and 41 top-10 finishes. The team will again field three Tundras in the series in 2006.
Michael Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, formed his own race team nearly a decade ago in Sherrills Ford, N.C. Established primarily as a Busch Series team -- where Waltrip would collect four wins and six poles -- the organization began fielding cars in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series on a limited basis over the past few years. In order to better prepare for the expansion of his team, Waltrip announced plans last August to develop, design and create 'Waltrip Racing World' -- an interactive, high-tech race shop that will feature more than 125,000 square-feet of shop space, buildings and housing when completed.
Team Red Bull will be based in Mooresville, N.C., and stock car veteran Marty Gaunt will serve as the team's general manager. Although Red Bull is new to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competition, the world's leading energy drink company has been increasingly involved in global motorsports over the last decade. Red Bull owns and operates two Formula One teams -- Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso -- plus is an active supporter of action and adventure sports, music and culture, along with motorsports.
In 2004, Toyota became a regular competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) -the first new manufacturer in elite NASCAR competition in more than 50 years. In its inaugural NCTS season, a Toyota Tundra recorded four wins, five pole positions and 25 top-five finishes. During last year's Craftsman Truck Series campaign, four Toyota drivers -- Todd Bodine (five), Mike Skinner (two), David Reutimann (two) and Brandon Whitt (one) -- combined for nine Tundra wins and Toyota drivers recorded 13 poles. This season, Toyota will again field five teams and nine drivers in the NCTS, including defending series champion Ted Musgrave. Toyota made its initial move into the NASCAR ranks in 2000 with the introduction of a V6-powered Celica in the Goody's Dash Series. In three years in the Dash Series, Robert Huffman won 10 races and earned Toyota it's first-ever NASCAR championship when he claimed the 2003 driver's title.
Powering all of Toyota's American racing programs is TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, Calif., and High Point, N.C. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyota's factory racing engines. In addition, TRD is also the source of high-performance aftermarket products for both street performance and grassroots racing Toyotas. From the race track to the aftermarket product segment, TRD plays a key role in providing Toyota with an enhanced performance image.(Toyota Motorsports Site)(1-25-2006)

Looks like Mikey, NAPA and Toyota in 2007 UPDATE: hearing that NAPA will continue to sponsor Michael Waltrip in the #55 NAPA Camry and welcoming Toyota into their first year of Nextel Cup competition. Expect this to be announced at Toyota's Press Conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway tonight. See an image of the #55 NAPA Toyota on my Toyota Images page.(1-24-2006)
UPDATE: Michael Waltrip announced that Michael Waltrip Racing will field multiple Toyota Camry entries in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series when the green flag waves for the 2007 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. "Toyota is a leader in the automotive industry and has quickly become a consistent winner in the NASCAR Truck Series," Waltrip said. "The logical step is for them to come into the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and I am honored to be a part of their entrance into the sport."
Driving the #55 NAPA Toyota Camry, Waltrip has support from all of his sponsors and he has the resources in place to chase the coveted NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship. In addition to NAPA supporting Waltrip's efforts, Best Western, Klaussner (Sofa Express and More) and Coca-Cola will be heavily involved in his racing endeavors during Toyota's inaugural year in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
"Toyota's standards are high and their approach into the sport is well thought out," said Waltrip. "Michael Waltrip Racing's sponsors have also taken their own methodical steps into the NASCAR industry and I am grateful that they are making this march with me and that they share my eagerness in today's announcement. As my new NASCAR NEXTEL CUP organization is formally born today, it's interesting to note that there is already a strong connection with my new partner. Both Toyota and I have Kentucky roots -- I was born in Owensboro, Kentucky and the Camry is assembled in Toyota's plant in Georgetown, Kentucky."
"We are pleased about being a part of Toyota's entry into the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series," said NAPA President Bob Susor. "NAPA shares Toyota's enthusiasm for motor sports and through our sponsorship we want to be one of the first to welcome them into the top level of the sport. This partnership is an excellent match for NAPA. We are equally excited about our new partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing. Michael has been synonymous with the NAPA brand since 2001 and we could not be more pleased to have a person of Michael's qualities representing our brand."
"We are an established leader in providing quality aftermarket automotive parts and service," continued Susor. "NAPA AUTO PARTS has coverage and availability of over 300,000 part numbers to service the North American market needs of both domestic and imported name plate vehicles."
To prepare for the future of Michael Waltrip Racing, Waltrip devised a plan to achieve his goal of becoming a successful owner in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Setting the stage in August of 2005, Waltrip announced his plans to design and create Waltrip Racing World, an interactive high-tech race shop designed for the ultimate fan experience. "Since 1996, we have operated Michael Waltrip Racing out of our backyard," Michael Waltrip explained. "I have always dreamed of constructing the perfect building for a race team. Waltrip Racing World will be just that. NASCAR is a family sport and this, in our opinion, is the definitive family destination. We see the fans packing up their cars and motorhomes and setting out to experience Waltrip Racing World and the area that surrounds it. The value of letting the fans touch, hear and smell the workings of our NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Toyota teams seven days a week not only benefits the fans, but gives our sponsors and manufacturer more exposure. We believe the fans will come during the week to watch our Toyota teams prepare for the races and on the weekends to watch NASCAR action on one of the giant movie screens as part of the experience."(MWR PR)(1-25-2006)

Toyota: Toyota's Dave Illingworth announced that Toyota will run the Toyota Camry model in the Busch and Nextel Cup Series in 2007 and continuing in the Truck Series. The Camry is bulit in Kentucky. Toyota will not have any Toyota branded teams/cars as teams will bring theie owns sponsors to the teams. The 2007 Camry was unveiled. There will a more detailed press conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway Tueday evening [Jan 24th](1-23-2006)

Toyota's Press Release: NASCAR and Toyota announced Monday the manufacturer’s plans to expand its NASCAR program by competing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and the NASCAR Busch Series starting in 2007, fielding the Toyota Camry model. The expansion will follow three years of Toyota competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and will result in all three of NASCAR’s national series having four manufacturers competing, as Toyota will join Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford.
“NASCAR welcomes Toyota to the greatest auto racing in the world,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, who made the announcement on Monday at NASCAR’S Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. “Toyota’s entry into the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and the NASCAR Busch Series is good for drivers, teams and the fans. This move provides for even more intense competition on the track between drivers and manufacturers, which will provide more excitement and fan interest. Toyota’s entry also provides more options for drivers and teams, which will increase the competition between manufacturers.”
“It’s a great pleasure to announce Toyota’s entry into the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series with the Toyota Camry,” said Dave Illingworth, senior vice president and chief planning and administrative officer for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “Next year – 2007 – will be a special year for Toyota in more ways than one. Toyota will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in the United States, and we will be joining the NASCAR NEXTEL CUP Series, America’s premier racing series. Toyota has been an important part of the U.S. motorsports community for almost 25 years. We’ve competed and won in different series and on tracks across America. Toyota drivers and teams have won championships in a variety of different series. But, if you want to compete against the best, in America that means NASCAR. We look forward to February of 2007 when the green flag waves to start the Daytona 500 and the starting lineup features the Toyota Camry.”
Illingworth, who joined France in making the announcement, said more information – regarding possible sponsor and driver lineups – will be released Tuesday night, during a media gathering at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord.
Toyota, which has been doing business in America since 1957, now has eight plants in the United States – 14 if you count all of North America. Toyota will build approximately 1.6 million vehicles this year, including production at its new Tundra pickup plant in Texas. Toyota and its dealers now directly employ approximately 142,000 Americans. Since 1986, Toyota has built more than 12 million vehicles in the United States. More than 6.5 million Camrys have been sold in the United States and it has been the bestselling car in America for eight of the past nine years. Camrys are built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, Ky.(Toyota.com)(1-23-2006)

Toyota Announcement coming? UPDATE 4: NASCAR President Mike Helton said Tuesday on MRN's NASCAR Live with Eli Gold that NASCAR hopes to make some sort of announcement about Toyota's future involvement within the next few weeks.(1-4-2006)
UPDATE: Toyota officials were present for last week's Car of Tomorrow tests at Daytona, marking the first time they were officially invited by NASCAR to attend a CoT test. Although the manufacturer hasn't officially announced its intention to enter both the Busch and Nextel Cup Series in '07, there should be something official from the Toyota camp soon, possibly as early as the weekend of the Feb. 26 Cup race at California Speedway.(Yahoo Sports)(1-18-2006)
UPDATE 2: Toyota could join the three American manufacturers [Chevy, Dodge, Ford] within two years. NASCAR is expected to address the issue Monday when it holds its state of the sport address on the annual media tour [in Charlotte]. Toyota, which already competes in the NASCAR truck series, has a press announcement scheduled Tuesday.(St. Petersburg Times)(1-19-2006)
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)
UPDATE 4: Toyota will race in Nextel Cup events beginning in 2007, becoming the first foreign competitor in NASCAR's top stock car series since the 1950s. The Japanese auto maker will also run the Busch Series races after the 2006 season, joining Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge. The announcement was expected at a Monday news conference from NASCAR's research and development facility in Concord, a person close to Toyota told The Associated Press. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement hasn't been made, said Toyota ``is looking forward to being competitive right off the bat'' in both series. The last foreign manufacturer to participate in NASCAR's top racing series was Jaguar, which entered several races in the 1950s [and even won a race]. The move by Toyota was not a complete surprise. The company moved into NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series in 2004 and quickly became competitive, with Travis Kvapil giving the manufacturer its first win in July of that year. Toyota raced in several American-based sports car series before moving into open-wheel racing in 1996.(ESPN.com/AP)(1-23-2006)

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