japanese in cup car?

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ghettozoe03

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Carter gives Japanese driver Cup test run
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive September 1, 2002
2:44 PM EDT (1844 GMT)




DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Former Japanese GT champion Hideo Fukuyama, who was hooked by stock car racing when NASCAR staged a series of exhibition races in Japan in the late 1990s, has tested a Haas Carter Motorsports Ford in hopes of making his Winston Cup debut this fall.



Travis Carter

Fukuyama, 47, was able to test one day last week at Dover International Speedway before rain interrupted the test. Owner Travis Carter has hired young crew chief Teddy Brown, who at the beginning of the season worked on the turnaround by BAM Racing with Shawna Robinson, to engineer Fukuyama's program.

In the meantime, Carter said he has been in discussions with executives from Discover Card in hopes the company would extend the sponsorship program with his No. 26 Ford driven by Todd Bodine. That deal began about a third of the way through this season, then was extended through the end of 2002.

The team owner said he hoped to retain Bodine's services for 2003, but that retaining Discover was critical to that aim.

Carter, who was planning a trip this week to Japan, would like to test Fukuyama again at Dover and at Rockingham before he attempts Winston Cup races at the one-mile Dover concrete oval; the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway short track and Rockingham, also a mile oval.

Fukuyama, a sports car driver who has competed internationally with several starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has also raced in a couple NASCAR Winston West Series events, including one at the Twin Ring Motegi oval in Japan and another at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

He met Carter at the first NASCAR exhibition race in Japan, at the Suzuka Circuit road course and drove his No. 23 Team Camel Ford.

Fukuyama competed in both Winston Cup style exhibitions at Suzuka and also drove in the Winston Cup race at the 1.5-mile Motegi oval in 1998 and the final NASCAR appearance in Japan, the Winston West finale in 1999
shouldnt he be in the minority project car not in haas carter car?
 
He should be wherever the opportunity is.

A driver is a driver, what matter is it where they are from, what sex they are, what color they are,or anything else. If an owner is will to give them a shot, that is exactly where they "should" be.

The good ones may have more than one opportunity, then there is a valid discussion of the "best" option, but I doubt that to be the case here.
 
Got to agree. if this guy can drive then let him drive, it is up to the team to overcome the language barrier.
 
i know i just thought it was a good point but man hes getting a late start hes already 47
 
A late start? What's a late start? Seems he has been racing for quite some time already.......just not in NASCAR or NASCAR type cars. Who cares if he's 47 and just getting into American stock car racing? If he can cut the mustard, let him race!! Language is a problem only within the team........and who says language would be a problem anyway? Most Japanese speak and understand English quite well.......in the aviation industry, English is the "international language". I'm sure if he didn't even speak a word or English, he would know green means go, red means stop, yellow means be careful, black means you screwed up (or go to pits:) ) and checkered means it's over!! I would love to see something like that happen........and not in some "minority thing" either. That's nothing but political correctness.:(
 
47 ain't all that old! I'm older than that and if Travis calls me tonight and says be at Darlington (or any other track) for a test session tomorrow morning, I guaran-dem-tee ya I'll be there. And I'll get there without need of car, bus,train.boat, airplane, or any other contraption!:D
 
Doesnt matter how old ya are. If your 75 years old but drive like your 30, you have every right to be where you are, expically if your competitive.
 
when you get older your reaction time is late!!! man i see i have cause a debate hmm how am i going to skirm outta of this one :eek:
 
I think it would be great for drivers from other countries to come over. I just don't want to see NASCAR go to different countries.
 
I'm with you mustang.......it's an American sport and if racers from other countries want to compete, let them come here to do it.
 
I think that what had really hurt other sports is not staying at their home country. I wouldn't mind seeing a few little races over there but they wouldn't count for a championship.
 
There are Italians (Andretti), French (LaBonte), Poles (Kulwicki) and Irish (Blaney) that are racing or have raced in your precious NASCAR.

Why is there so much controversy when someone wants to race that isn't as...uhm...caucasian?
 
Well the only non caucasion that I can think of off the top of my head Is Bill Lester in trucks. I dont really know why there is so much turmoil with other races, I guess thats what America has come to and has always been...
 
Originally posted by paul
There are Italians (Andretti), French (LaBonte), Poles (Kulwicki) and Irish (Blaney) that are racing or have raced in your precious NASCAR.

Why is there so much controversy when someone wants to race that isn't as...uhm...caucasian?
Click to expand...

I think we are referring to citizens..........all you listed are United States citizens. A foriegn national is what I was referring to anyway. Plus, I have no problems with that either.....just NASCAR Winston Cup (or any other series within NASCAR sanctions) should be raced here, the country in which the sport originated. Besides, Italians, French, Poles, and Irish are all caucasian......I think!!?:)
 
Actually, Italians aren't caucasian. :) But they "look" it so it's not so offensive to the bigots.

F1 races in countries all over the world, as do CART, Rally, Motorcycles and Touring Cars.
 
nascar has always looked so "white" that nething other than a white boy driving than its a "publicity stunt" man why cant people drive becuase they love to race and not put a emphasis on skin color....
 
Why should people care where this guy is from? If he can race at full speed, let him. Skin color shouldn't matter in any sport or anything else.
 
Language barriers can creat some interesting times, :D

Travis Carter's crew says it may take a while to break through the language barrier with Hideo Fukuyama, who will attempt to qualify for the Winston Cup race at Dover, Del., next week. That's because the Japanese language doesn't have words for all the NASCAR slang. When Carter's crew told Fukuyama to "pick up the throttle," he thought they meant it literally.
 
I dont see what it would hurt to expand nascar to other countries, It would help the economy some. It would get more people from other countries intrested in the sport so they would go to races over there and over here. Of course if money is being made in another country some of the money goes to that country in taxes but most of it will go to the owners of nascar over here in america. They will spend to buy new cars or whatever have you which will again put more money in our economy. Keeping the sport over here is actually hurting the economy more then helping it.
 
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