In a quiet corner of the Javitz center, while New York Auto Show press previews continue, I'm standing next to a revolution a-brewing. Toyota has an example of the Camry race car it will take into the Nextel Cup Series next season.
There's something profound about this car, with its NASCAR-typical aero body on tube frame, businesslike cockpit, big-meat Goodyear slicks on steelies and gawdy paintjob. All that we've seen before, but never with Toyota logos and "Camry" lettered on the flanks...
Some people will find the combination hard to get their brains around. A foreign automaker invading that most resolutely American of all motorsports? Yeah, welcome to the world. Personally, I love it. Big-time racing is an exercise in technical acumen, corporate branding and organizational passion, and nobody has a monopoly on that. Toyota has proven its credentials on those fronts, and I'd like to see them welcomed to the NASCAR fold. But I won't be at all surprised to see some resistance to their arrival. And maybe even some unspoken ganging up on them by the traditional participants. It'll make for good stories for sure.
sabastian says:
11:25 AM, 04/13/06
Oh Boy! When can I get my Camry with a V8 and RWD?
eddirkevins says:
03:19 PM, 04/13/06
Same time you can get a Ford Fusion that way!