Toyota goes NASCAR

[jdando]

Another item on the list of things I don't get/understand. A Camry in Nascar??:shake:

Toyota goes NASCAR

<small id="yspartclsrc">Mon 23 Jan, 6:04 PM</small>
Toyota (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html) may have pulled the plug on its IRL IndyCar programme, but the Japanese car giant today confirmed that they will be entering the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series in 2007 with a car based on the Camry model.

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The expansion will follow three years of Toyota (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html) 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 (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html) 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 Centre in Concord, N.C.

"Toyota (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html)'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 (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html)'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.

[Big House]

Rice at NASCAR...the world is really on its last leg.

[hitchhiker]

Another is the list of things I don't get/understand. A Camry in Nascar??:shake:

Toyota goes NASCAR

<SMALL id=yspartclsrc>Mon 23 Jan, 6:04 PM</SMALL>
Toyota (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html) may have pulled the plug on its IRL IndyCar programme, but the Japanese car giant today confirmed that they will be entering the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series in 2007 with a car based on the Camry model.

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The expansion will follow three years of Toyota (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html) 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 (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html) 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 Centre in Concord, N.C.

"Toyota (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html)'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 (http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/f1/teams/119.html)'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.

Toyota in NASCAR!

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Marauder2005]

:puke::rolleyes::flamer::help: :alone::argue::bigcry::bs::cen sor::shake::eek:

[Leadfoot281]

National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing.

Question. What's wrong with a V-8 powered, rear wheel drive, Camry in NASCAR?

Answer. The same thing that makes a V-8 powered, rear wheel drive, Taurus wrong.

Call me a purist, but NASCAR's been dead since 1970. It's just now begining to smell that way.:( Personally, I'd love to see a V-6 front driver, go 200 mph for 500 miles. It'd be fun to watch CV joints get replaced on pit stops.:D

[merc]

Just when I thought it was safe to attend a Winston Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. It's not every day I get to see Rednecks out of captivity, but on 04/02/06 you can purchase a ticket to see them live. I wonder if wearing the Japanese battle flag t-shirt would get a little attention?

http://www.japanorama.com/images/navy_army_ww2_flag.gif

[Breadfan]

It'll be interesting to see what Toyota comes up with engine wise. I'm probably way outta date here, but I recall the rules being carbureted engines with no more than 358 cu in's. Chevy and Ford, and Mopar all have YEARS of practice and designs on their engines.

Not sure what Toyota has...will they be developing an all new engine for this?

Anyway, aren't NASCAR engines OHV designs? Just wondering what Toyota has engine-wise that can be made to be a large OHV V8 - can't think of much off hand aside from really retooling on of their DOHC V8's, and in that respect sounds like you're making something that wasn't designed for OHV forced to be that way.

Will be interesting nonetheless.

I say let Toyota play, but rules are rules, if they wanna play the need to develop a big "old skool" V8.

Just wait until they start releasing the special edition Camry's with nascar stickers all over it, that'll be an odd sight!

[Wires]

What's the difference between a body with Camry stickers on it bolted to a racing frame and a body with Dodge, Chevy, or Ford stickers on it?

The Taurus and Monte Carlo are FWD cars, but the Racing cars are regular RWD. At one time, NONE of the NASCAR models was availble with a V8, and all were FWD. The new V8 wrist-twister Monte Carlo and the Daimler-Chrysler RWD cars finally changed that for the better.

Yes, the engine blocks are made by Dodge, Ford or Chevy, but they are not for just any average person to order. How many Chrysler, Ford, or GM cars that are in Nascar use push-rod OHV engines? What's the difference between Ford's special engine that is configured unlike most of their car engines and Toyota's special engine that isn't configured like any of their car engines?

Toyota is foreign owned, but so is Chrysler. Chrylsers are built in the US, but so are Toyotas. No difference there.

The "stock" in Nascar is a big joke. When have you seen a manual transmssion in any of the cars they pretend to run? Look how few body panels are actual panels from the cars they pretend to be.

It's all a big sham anyway - why not let Toyota in as well?

[rayjay]

Just when I thought it was safe to attend a Winston Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. It's not every day I get to see Rednecks out of captivity, but on 04/02/06 you can purchase a ticket to see them live. I wonder if wearing the Japanese battle flag t-shirt would get a little attention?

http://www.japanorama.com/images/navy_army_ww2_flag.gif

I don't think I'd wear that target on my back... even a drunk wouldn't miss it from a hundred yards

[Marauder2005]

I don't think I'd wear that target on my back... even a drunk wouldn't miss it from a hundred yards

:lol: :laugh:

[Breadfan]

I do agree, the NASCAR offerings by the big 3 are really just representations of their "stock" vehicles. The manufacturer doesn't care about the engine trans setup of the stock vehicle, just the body lines, because really that is all that will be carried forward.

However, engine-wise, ateast Ford, Chevy, and Mopar all have small block engines that have been around for YEARS that they have used as a foundation. The engines they produce today are similar to their ancestors and are basically those engines but improved upon slightly each season until they are what we see today. Put 'em side by side and they look and are designed VERY differently, but, the ancestry is there.

My point is that the big three had these foundation building blocks. I'm not sure what Toyota has in its parts bin at the moment. If you ask me they need to design, tool, and build custom engines for this application.

The only other thing I can think is that they will "borrow" an engine design. So, my point is you may possibly see Toyota buying deisgn and tooling from one of the big three's. While not the same engine, their V8 may actually be based on say a Chevy 350 or Ford 351W.

Or they may have something from their olden days that they can build off of.

If they buy engine plans from one of the big three, be prepared to see a new Toyota hybrid. ;)





What's the difference between a body with Camry stickers on it bolted to a racing frame and a body with Dodge, Chevy, or Ford stickers on it?

The Taurus and Monte Carlo are FWD cars, but the Racing cars are regular RWD. At one time, NONE of the NASCAR models was availble with a V8, and all were FWD. The new V8 wrist-twister Monte Carlo and the Daimler-Chrysler RWD cars finally changed that for the better.

Yes, the engine blocks are made by Dodge, Ford or Chevy, but they are not for just any average person to order. How many Chrysler, Ford, or GM cars that are in Nascar use push-rod OHV engines? What's the difference between Ford's special engine that is configured unlike most of their car engines and Toyota's special engine that isn't configured like any of their car engines?

Toyota is foreign owned, but so is Chrysler. Chrylsers are built in the US, but so are Toyotas. No difference there.

The "stock" in Nascar is a big joke. When have you seen a manual transmssion in any of the cars they pretend to run? Look how few body panels are actual panels from the cars they pretend to be.

It's all a big sham anyway - why not let Toyota in as well?

[Black Terror]

Toyota has been racing a V-8 in Truck Racing for awhile, performs well and has won some races in the Truck series. It looks similar to a Chrysler engine.

[Vortech347]

I don't think I'd wear that target on my back... even a drunk wouldn't miss it from a hundred yards

Holy hell thats funny.

Rice in nascar...can you imagine it now sitting on the side line. VROOOOM VROOOM VROOM Then it takes 2 minutes to approach but you can year it. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[rayjay]

Its too bad that NASCAR went away from the 500 build rule. We would certainly have more enthusiast offerings to choose from. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not believe that Toyota has a passenger car with a V8 engine... At least the other three do. An AWD Fusion with a V8 would be nice.

[mcb26]

Toy o ta will use the same engine they use in the Craftsman truck series.
None of the competitors have a 350 - 358 engine they use available to the public. The Ford is no longer based on the 351, The GM is not based on the 350, nor is the Mer-say-dies based on the 340 of 360 Dodge.
I liked it a lot better when you could go to your local dealer and buy a car and power train just like was raced (IN theory anyway)

[Wires]

The manufacturer doesn't care about the engine trans setup of the stock vehicle, just the body lines, because really that is all that will be carried forward.



It's just my opinion, but these hand-made bodies stretched over the modern RWD race-frame don't share many of the same "lines" as the cars they are named after. Take the stickers off, and I bet no one could figure out what it was supposed to be. Look at the "NASCAR charger" and compare it to a real charger. Night and day. Same with the other models.

Yes, Ford, GM and Chrysler did have push-rod v8s, but unless my history is wrong, the configuration is all they share with the modern NASCAR block - it's a new block designed from the ground up and specially made. No modern car from Ford, GM, or Chrysler uses that configuration, just as no modern Toyota. My old 75 Toyota was OHC, I believe.

They might use their truck engine or at least the block, or they could very well borrow one.

Ford has always had a v8 RWD car, but they called the NASCAR car a Taurus, a FWD car that only had a limited number of the V8 cars.

I remember when RWD V8 cars weren't "niche" vehicles with expensive pricetags - those were the days.

[Breadfan]

Well at anyrate sounds like I'm pretty behind on this sport. Time to change it's name if the darn engines aren't even based on Chevy, Ford, or Dodge units.

I forgot about Toyota being in the truck series, so yeah, guess they already got the engine worked out. In that case its just a logical progression for them to go NASCAR. Try the waters in Truck Series first.

Am still curious where they got their V8, betcha it's a US design.

[rayjay]

It's just my opinion, but these hand-made bodies stretched over the modern RWD race-frame don't share many of the same "lines" as the cars they are named after. Take the stickers off, and I bet no one could figure out what it was supposed to be. Look at the "NASCAR charger" and compare it to a real charger. Night and day. Same with the other models.

Yes, Ford, GM and Chrysler did have push-rod v8s, but unless my history is wrong, the configuration is all they share with the modern NASCAR block - it's a new block designed from the ground up and specially made. No modern car from Ford, GM, or Chrysler uses that configuration, just as no modern Toyota. My old 75 Toyota was OHC, I believe.

They might use their truck engine or at least the block, or they could very well borrow one.

Ford has always had a v8 RWD car, but they called the NASCAR car a Taurus, a FWD car that only had a limited number of the V8 cars.

I remember when RWD V8 cars weren't "niche" vehicles with expensive pricetags - those were the days.

TRUE, I have a hard time being able to even see what is a Ford on the track. Can't wait to try and figure out which car is Fusion. The acronym NASCAR could not be farther from the truth...

[Silver_04]

National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing.

Question. What's wrong with a V-8 powered, rear wheel drive, Camry in NASCAR?

Answer. The same thing that makes a V-8 powered, rear wheel drive, Taurus wrong.

Call me a purist, but NASCAR's been dead since 1970. It's just now begining to smell that way.:( Personally, I'd love to see a V-6 front driver, go 200 mph for 500 miles. It'd be fun to watch CV joints get replaced on pit stops.:D

Yup, that's why my money goes to SCCA racing events now because those cars are at least quasi-representative of what you see in a showroom. More entertaining too.

[Wires]

I liked it a lot better when you could go to your local dealer and buy a car and power train just like was raced (IN theory anyway)

Me too.

Car companies have always used Nascar as a marketing tool, but now there is no connection at all between what's on the track and what you can buy.

Nascar cars have traditionally been large, RWD American cars, yet, when Ford quit making their RWD thunderbird, FOrd didn't go with their V8, RWD car, the Crown Vic, they went with the FWD Taurus - following GM's switch to the FWD Lumina after they quit making real Monte Carlos.

Nascar should re-instate some of these requirments - and maybe allow DOHC V8's - Nascar Marauder, anyone? (Made from CV sheetmetal, no Marauders would be injured.)

[RR|Suki]

I don't think it matters until the days of having to actually sell the cars you race and actually be "Stock" return.

[Vortech347]

You might be a redneck if you have a number "8" on the window of your ford truck.

[dwasson]

Its too bad that NASCAR went away from the 500 build rule. We would certainly have more enthusiast offerings to choose from. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not believe that Toyota has a passenger car with a V8 engine... At least the other three do. An AWD Fusion with a V8 would be nice.

That would be like the old Group B rally cars. I'd love to see that.

[dwasson]

I stopped caring about NASCAR when the cars weren't stock cars anymore. There's a story about one of the Plymouth teams from the 60s breaking a rear spring. They looked at the rental car and said, "Hey! Isn't that a Plymouth?" And they took the spring off the rental car to get through the race, replaced it later, and never told the car rental company.

That's a stock car.

[Joe Walsh]

I do agree, the NASCAR offerings by the big 3 are really just representations of their "stock" vehicles. The manufacturer doesn't care about the engine trans setup of the stock vehicle, just the body lines, because really that is all that will be carried forward.

However, engine-wise, ateast Ford, Chevy, and Mopar all have small block engines that have been around for YEARS that they have used as a foundation. The engines they produce today are similar to their ancestors and are basically those engines but improved upon slightly each season until they are what we see today. Put 'em side by side and they look and are designed VERY differently, but, the ancestry is there.

My point is that the big three had these foundation building blocks. I'm not sure what Toyota has in its parts bin at the moment. If you ask me they need to design, tool, and build custom engines for this application.

The only other thing I can think is that they will "borrow" an engine design. So, my point is you may possibly see Toyota buying deisgn and tooling from one of the big three's. While not the same engine, their V8 may actually be based on say a Chevy 350 or Ford 351W.

Or they may have something from their olden days that they can build off of.

If they buy engine plans from one of the big three, be prepared to see a new Toyota hybrid. ;)

Nope, Toyota NEVER offered a pushrod V8 in a sedan. I don't think Toyota EVER MADE A PUSHROD V8........UNTIL NOW!
At least the Big 3 offered 350 CID pushrod V8 engines in their vehicles since the 50s.
AND the Big 3's NASCAR V8s are based on the same block and cylinder head architecture as their OEM V8s.
Toyota had the luxury of designing a pushrod V8 from scratch SPECIFICALLY for NASCAR racing.
They could use the best features of each of the Big 3's V8s and incorporate them into their V8.
Yes, I know that NASCAR vehicles are about as far from 'STOCK' as you can get...BUT allowing Toyota to design a V8 from scratch JUST to get into NASCAR SUCKS!:mad2:
I can't stand to see good 'ole rednecks wearing TOYOTA RACING jackets.:puke:
It's a sad state of affairs...:(

[Bluerauder]

Am still curious where they got their V8, betcha it's a US design.
We saw this coming when NASCAR let the Tundra compete in the Craftsman Truck series. That was the beginning of the opening to let Toyota into the Winston/Nextel Cup series. I am pretty sure that the NASCAR rules state that the vehicle must be made in the USA regardless of the badge on the front. H3LL, I have trouble telling the difference between the Ford, Chevy and Dodge except for the grill area and the decal taillights. The sheet metal bodies are basically all the same. :rolleyes: It'll be interesting to see which drivers decide to drive the Toyotas. :o

BTW .... the FORD teams are switching from the Taurus to the Fusion beginning with the 2006 season.

[merc]

I don't think I'd wear that target on my back... even a drunk wouldn't miss it from a hundred yards

I see your point. Every Hill Billy with a varmint rifle and large bore pocket cannon would be coon hunting that day.:lol:



http://prodtn.cafepress.com/8/27866528_F_tn.jpg

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/audio/nascar

[MENINBLK]

How does TOYOTA qualify as NORTH AMERICAN ???

If I see a Camry on Daytona, I'm going to sell all my NASCAR Collectibles.

[Silver_04]

So the next question is when does the Nissan Altima or Maxima and Honda Accord show up in Nascar? I would think it's only a matter of time now.

[2ndMDRebel]

Its good that the Japanese companies are showing interest in NASCAR. At least there won't be any lapses in racing when the American companies go out of business.

:D ;) :rolleyes:

[Joe Walsh]

OH BOY!!!.....I can't wait for a V8 Toyota Prius to be running laps at Talledega...JEEEEEZ!

[rayjay]

So the next question is when does the Nissan Altima or Maxima and Honda Accord show up in Nascar? I would think it's only a matter of time now.

FWIW, Morrisville State College will be expanding its auto education program and building another state of the art automotive facility dedicated to racing. The sponsor: Honda... and yes it will include a circle track program.

[Breadfan]

OK so sounds like Toyota did put forth the change to design their own V8, and sounds like rather than BUYING the design they just stole all three and reverse engineered them, ha!

The odd thing is, Camry screams soccer mom to me, NOT NASCAR or redneck. I can see Rednecks buying Monte Carlo's (though not necessarily Fusions) but the Camry is such a non-NASCAR sort of thing.

I wonder if they'll spruce up the runs through the corners with some drifting??

[seans]

The Camry won't be the fastest but it will get the best gas mileage. They won't even need a pit crew.

[dwasson]

OK so sounds like Toyota did put forth the change to design their own V8, and sounds like rather than BUYING the design they just stole all three and reverse engineered them, ha!

Yeah like reverse engineering a pushrod V8 is a big deal. They could have found the original engineering diagrams on the walls at Altamira.



The odd thing is, Camry screams soccer mom to me, NOT NASCAR or redneck. I can see Rednecks buying Monte Carlo's (though not necessarily Fusions) but the Camry is such a non-NASCAR sort of thing.

Those Tauruses and Interpids really make the racing types moist.


I wonder if they'll spruce up the runs through the corners with some drifting??


Like most NASCAR efforts, Toyota will find that the merits of the cars doesn't matter a bit in the face of the rules manipulation to make it all "fair". NASCAR hasn't been worth the time in 35 years.