The national motorsports manager for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., defended the company Thursday in the wake of inflammatory comments made against it by veteran NASCAR driver Jimmy Spencer the day before. “The investment of Toyota in plants and associated businesses in this country is in the billions of dollars,” Les Unger said from Homestead-Miami Speedway in South Florida, where testing for several NASCAR series is taking place this week. “We think we’re great corporate citizens as far as this country is concerned.” When Spencer, 46, was asked at Texas Motor Speedway what he thought about Toyota, a Japan-based firm, competing in this year’s Craftsman Truck Series schedule, he brought up the bombing of Pearl Harbor as part of a rambling response on the development. Spencer, well-known on the NASCAR circuit for his opinionated, biting sound bites and sometimes off-color humor, later attempted to clarify his statement, stressing he was referring to how international business relationships have evolved in the years since World War II. “If Toyota didn’t do that (add new racing teams), the truck series would’ve been a dying breed,” said Spencer, who drove a Dodge truck to one series victory last year. “Toyota’s going to be good.”(San Antonio Press) AND NASCAR will not penalize driver Jimmy Spencer for a remark about the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor or his hope that Toyota’s venture into truck racing will be a failure. “That’s Jimmy Spencer,” NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said Sunday when asked about comments the outspoken driver made last week about Toyota’s entry into Craftsman Truck competition. Although Hunter said Spencer is not in any trouble with the sanctioning body, he emphasized that NASCAR does not share the driver’s opinion.(CNNSI/AP) see more about Spencer’s comments at: the Washington Post or/and San Antonia Press: [Jimmy] Spencer slams Toyota entry(2-2-2004)
