Starting in 2007, Toyota will field a Camry race team in the NASCAR Nextel Cup
. "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."
I guess this should come as no surprise, as Toyota has been racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for some time now. So now we can also look forward to seeing a RWD, OHV V8-powered Camry, just like the one you can buy at your local Toyota store (j/k), racing in endless circles.
I guess this should come as no surprise, as Toyota has been racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for some time now. So now we can also look forward to seeing a RWD, OHV V8-powered Camry, just like the one you can buy at your local Toyota store (j/k), racing in endless circles.
tryan says:
09:43 AM, 01/24/06
About the sarcastic comment of "....seeing a RWD, OHV V8-powered Camry, just like the one you can buy at your local Toyota store...." - I can't remember the last time any Stock Car was actually even remotely mechanically related to a showroom floor "stock" automobile, though a V8, RWD Camry would be one hell of a sleeper...
rsholland says:
10:25 AM, 01/24/06
Go back 40 or 50 years. That's when (NASCAR) stock car racing bore a great deal of resemblence to vehicles you and I could actually buy. Those days are long gone.
Here's one case where I say bring back the old days. :)
sabastian says:
10:31 AM, 01/24/06
When you look at today's F1 cars, it's hard to believe that they actually have a closer relationship with their production counterparts than most of the NASCAR racers do. By the way, who in their right mind ever thought that NASCAR would be exciting? Let's watch cars drive in a circle for hours on end!
ateixeira says:
01:57 PM, 01/24/06
Someone tell me where I can get that RWD v8 Camry... :-)
It's strange that they made it look like the outgoing model, with a new model already shown at the auto shows.
tryan says:
03:51 AM, 01/25/06
So, you ask "who in their right mind ever thought that NASCAR would be exciting?" I would say the majority of Americans, after all, NASCAR events draw the biggest attendance per event than any other sport in the United States.
The average attendance for a NASCAR Winston Cup race is around 190,000 people, whereas "only" about 70,000 people on average attend an NFL game - the next biggest draw for crowds after NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series races.
pf_flyer says:
07:51 AM, 01/25/06
Just my two cents... that really just looks like any other NASCAR car with Toyota stickers on it.
I think it really would be interesting if there was a true "stock car" series where manufacturers would have to enter cars that were available for production. Only limit I would put on it would be engine displacement to make sure that the cars racing could be street legal. After that, anything would go as long as you had it out there for the public to buy.