So what are your thoughts on Toyota this year?

haywired said:
I can see where you want everyone to have more HP in the Toyota camp and I respect that, I was just making the point that all I cared about was Matt having more, that's all.
I'm not much into the manufacture wars, even though I made my living wrenchin' on TOYODAS @ the dealerships. I'm more of a driver guy.

Everybody can haul ass down the straight away, but if you cut trough the corner, you're done.

:cheers:
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JGR set ups did Matt no favors man. None. They will get it back this year.
 
MortTheBeast said:
That it was for sure... 14 wins in '13 and then only 2 in '14. Whatever the case, they better do something to improve this year, or they might as well drop out. Makes me really wish Dodge would get the heck back into the sport.
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Might as well drop out? Like it or not Denny was one yellow from being your Champion.
 
MortTheBeast said:
Well Mark might not have officially retired, but I don't see him becoming a full time driver again... so in my eyes he is might as well be retired.

And I'm not contemplating changing drivers strictly because of Toyota sucking... which they themselves even admit they need to find more power, but I won't bs anyone by saying it's not the primary reason. It gets utterly frustrating to watch Matt struggle to do anything when I know the main reason for it, is because Toyota just doesn't have what it takes to keep up with the Fords and Chevys. I would bet dollars to doughnuts if Matt was in for example a Chevy with a Hendrick engine under the hood... he would be a whole lot better off than basically driving around in a handicapped vehicle.
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What kind of a set up does Matt like? Loose. Unless Hendrick can loosen up the set ups last year, Matt would have the same performance IMO.
 
Reck said:
I dont know where they went wrong honestly.

It was a drastic change from 2013 to 2014 for them.
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Are we forgetting the reliability issues from 2013? That year was far from awesome. David Wilson addressed the performance issues in 2014: 1) They got caught off guard on the new Chase format which rewards aggressiveness. The engine tune was conservative for reliability (which they got) which they anticipated would serve them under the old format, 2) The teams TRD serves never got a handle on the 0 Ride Height set ups, 3) Drivers couldn't adjust to tight cars--we are only talking about five of them where Hendrick et al. have a million, 4) Aero was horrid, 5) Crews were stellar. So, TRD and their teams went wrong with a conservative engine package, set ups, and a car which struggles in aero coupled with drivers who hate tight cars. Other than that, everything was peachy. The absolutely coolest part of this sport is that TRD has targeted their issues from last year, and now we will see if this company has the balls to respond. We can all sit here and give our opinions, but again this sport is great because the proof will be in the results.
 
MortTheBeast said:
That it was for sure... 14 wins in '13 and then only 2 in '14. Whatever the case, they better do something to improve this year, or they might as well drop out. Makes me really wish Dodge would get the heck back into the sport.
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Toyota will bounce back. Ford was dogsh!t in the not too distant past, and they have rebounded. One bad season doesn't mean they need to drop out. And even in that bad season, they had one guy make it all the way to Homestead and another to the final 8.
 
Don't know about the yoda's but the 48 will be back. I'm just kidding. Toyota will be better than last year but they're not the only ones
 
MortTheBeast said:
I believe it was around 1992'ish that I first got into watching Nascar with some friends. Had my pick of a lot of drivers back then and was a Chevy fan, but even though he drove a Ford I still liked something about him and he a lot of talent. I still to this day though, believe he would have gotten an elusive championship if he wasn't so damn nice all the time. Always use to say that Earnhardt Sr needed to teach him a thing or two about having just a touch of attitude on the track.

Sidenote: Went to a Bristol night race some years back and came with 3 people in front of me to get his autograph, but some yutz in the crowd threw a pair of underwear at him and security jumped in and tossed Mark into a golfcart and took off. Aside from that... the only driver I ever got to meet was Rusty Wallace outside of shop in NC. And man he really was as big a wanker in person as he was on tv. He saw my 2 friends and I coming out the door as he was pulling up and quick grabbed his phone and pretended to make a call, waiting for us to leave... we didn't budge, so he got out and with a sour puss on his face handed us signed pictures and that got all huffy when my buddy asked to take a picture with him lol.
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'90 was a tough year to take for all us Mark Fans...... he should have won the Champioship that year. It was a bull**** call by Nascar for that carb spacer being bolted instead of welded. Cost him 46 points and he lost by 26. All the crew chiefs in the garage were questioned as to if it made a difference....... every one of 'em said 'no'....... except Kirk Shelmerdine...... Richard Childress had his hand in it also because he had a dislike for Jack coming in. That's one reason I have no use for whining Richard..... and I think Karma got Kirk back because he left a very lucrative job to go racing and he couldn't race himself out of a brown paper bag........ I wouldn't spit on Kirk if he were on fire on the sidewalk......
 
MortTheBeast said:
Well Mark might not have officially retired, but I don't see him becoming a full time driver again... so in my eyes he is might as well be retired.

And I'm not contemplating changing drivers strictly because of Toyota sucking... which they themselves even admit they need to find more power, but I won't bs anyone by saying it's not the primary reason. It gets utterly frustrating to watch Matt struggle to do anything when I know the main reason for it, is because Toyota just doesn't have what it takes to keep up with the Fords and Chevys. I would bet dollars to doughnuts if Matt was in for example a Chevy with a Hendrick engine under the hood... he would be a whole lot better off than basically driving around in a handicapped vehicle.
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I know he didn't win a race but I don't get the idea that Matt struggled - only four drivers had more Top 5s and only Gordon had more Top 10s last year.
 
StandOnIt said:
He's lasted longer than a TRD big wig. No job security over there.
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Are you making stuff up already this early in the year? Lee White was at TRD since '97 before he "retired" in 2014. The guy who replaced him has worked at TRD since '89.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Any driver would "waaaaaaa" if they had the same troubles TRD had. They just drive the cars as hard as they can. They rely on the builders to supply an engine that wont break.
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Builders can only do so much. There is no such thing as a bullet proof engine.
Miss a shift......... clutch a moment to soon, those errors will take out any engine.

I think every engine shop has gotten below par parts at one time or another.
 
KevinWI said:
Are you making stuff up already this early in the year? Lee White was at TRD since '97 before he "retired" in 2014. The guy who replaced him has worked at TRD since '89.
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Point very well taken, but that position at TRD is tenuous and based on the whim of the corporate guys at Toyota NA. As I mentioned, there is pressure there, but to your point, Toyota is a company based on relationships and loyalty. I am not sure how much more patient they will be. ....and David Wilson is very much a TRD guy. Great leader as was Lee White.....and Jim Aust before him.
 
KevinWI said:
Are you making stuff up already this early in the year? Lee White was at TRD since '97 before he "retired" in 2014. The guy who replaced him has worked at TRD since '89.
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first lair doesn't have a chance on this thread.
 
Badbowtie48 said:
Don't know about the yoda's but the 48 will be back. I'm just kidding. Toyota will be better than last year but they're not the only ones
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No man, I think you are onto something. The 48 HATES tight set ups. Jimmie won 4 times because he is one of the greatest of all time (I say the greatest, but that argument is for another thread). If this set up package even inches back to loose, JJ in addition to the whole TRD Toyota bunch will be in much, much better shape.
 
Revman said:
No man, I think you are onto something. The 48 HATES tight set ups. Jimmie won 4 times because he is one of the greatest of all time (I say the greatest, but that argument is for another thread). If this set up package even inches back to loose, JJ in addition to the whole TRD Toyota bunch will be in much, much better shape.
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Does that go against JG and Junior?
I can see some Toy drivers who prefer lose to do better. Hopefully Clint is one of them.
 
Toyota will continue to hold their own in the two lower series would be my guess. I don't think having Carl drive one in cup is going to be their savior.
 
MortTheBeast said:
I use to be a huge Mark Martin fan back in the day until he opted to retire and then decided my new driver to follow was Matt Kenseth. My one huge complaint all last year, was the fact that Toyota just didn't have what it took to keep up with Ford and Chevy. If I'm not mistaken, I believe Toyota only had 4 wins the entire 2014 season... which in my opinion is beyond pathetic.

Anyway... I have been contemplating switching drivers with a preference to someone in a Chevy, but just not sure if I want too and if so who I would pick at this point. If Chase Elliott was coming to Sprint Cup full time this year, I think I would jump on him in a heartbeat, cause I think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

One big question I have and maybe those with a knowledge of cars, is if the new change in horsepower will help or hurt the Toyota or will it all just even out and be the same as last season?
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I don't really care about Toyota but I had to come in here to let u know that's one of the best avatars I've ever seen! Lol
 
StandOnIt said:
Toyota will continue to hold their own in the two lower series would be my guess. I don't think having Carl drive one in cup is going to be their savior.
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I don't think Carl's gonna go in and do what Kenseth did two years ago, but I think he at least matches the two wins he got with RFR last year. Ultimately though, I think the move will hurt RFR more than it will help JGR. Carl was pretty much the only thing they had going on over there. Biffle is past his prime, Stenhouse is looking like a bust, and Bayne hasn't proven he can do much outside of the RP tracks. They have some talent in Xfinity, but those guys are probably a couple years away from Cup.
 
ToyYoda said:
I don't think Carl's gonna go in and do what Kenseth did two years ago, but I think he at least matches the two wins he got with RFR last year. Ultimately though, I think the move will hurt RFR more than it will help JGR. Carl was pretty much the only thing they had going on over there. Biffle is past his prime, Stenhouse is looking like a bust, and Bayne hasn't proven he can do much outside of the RP tracks. They have some talent in Xfinity, but those guys are probably a couple years away from Cup.
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I feel like jgr will be at the very top of the heap very soon. Maybe after one more year and more package changes but I'm gonna bet they'll be badass this year.
Helluva lineup all around.
 
ToyYoda said:
I don't think Carl's gonna go in and do what Kenseth did two years ago, but I think he at least matches the two wins he got with RFR last year. Ultimately though, I think the move will hurt RFR more than it will help JGR. Carl was pretty much the only thing they had going on over there. Biffle is past his prime, Stenhouse is looking like a bust, and Bayne hasn't proven he can do much outside of the RP tracks. They have some talent in Xfinity, but those guys are probably a couple years away from Cup.
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Penske is taking up all the slack, it's root hog or die for Jack n the boys and if that bunch doesn't wake up and smell the coffee, they are all going to be looking for rides. Much more critical than the Toyota bunch unless Toyota pulls out which they have a history of doing in other series.
 
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The yotas are going to rebound and jgr should have about 8 wins 3 carl 2 denny and kyle and 1 matt. Penske should have about 8 for ford and the other 20 wins will be from the bowtie brigade....im a ford man but im a realist
 
StandOnIt said:
Penske is taking up all the slack, it's root hog or die for Jack n the boys and if that bunch doesn't wake up and smell the coffee, they are all going to be looking for rides. Much more critical than the Toyota bunch unless Toyota pulls out which they have a history of doing in other series.
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Toyota isn't leaving. Period.
 
ToyYoda said:
I don't think Carl's gonna go in and do what Kenseth did two years ago, but I think he at least matches the two wins he got with RFR last year. Ultimately though, I think the move will hurt RFR more than it will help JGR. Carl was pretty much the only thing they had going on over there. Biffle is past his prime, Stenhouse is looking like a bust, and Bayne hasn't proven he can do much outside of the RP tracks. They have some talent in Xfinity, but those guys are probably a couple years away from Cup.
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I think Carl is going to have a huge year. I really do.
 
ToyYoda said:
I don't think Carl's gonna go in and do what Kenseth did two years ago, but I think he at least matches the two wins he got with RFR last year. Ultimately though, I think the move will hurt RFR more than it will help JGR. Carl was pretty much the only thing they had going on over there. Biffle is past his prime, Stenhouse is looking like a bust, and Bayne hasn't proven he can do much outside of the RP tracks. They have some talent in Xfinity, but those guys are probably a couple years away from Cup.
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In the long run, RFR could be better off without Carl. Now the drivers and future ones
can race for top spot within the organization. In My Opinion, Carl was a disruptive force.
 
Team Penske said:
In the long run, RFR could be better off without Carl. Now the drivers and future ones
can race for top spot within the organization. In My Opinion, Carl was a disruptive force.
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agreed. He will do the same at Gibbs, one of the reasons I laughed when Kyle popped off about the teamwork thing. They all will be better going in the "legend in my own mind" direction, lots closer to reality.:biggrin:
rickybobby_alig.jpg
 
I think Carl will do well any where he's at as long as the equipment is good. I have never been a fan of Roush anyway. It seems like they get lucky once in a while and that's about it. JMO. The thing I'll be watching is the Carl and Matt relationship :rolleyes: There's been tension there before between the two of them, and IMO, it was Carl's doing and not Matt's. I'll be in Matt's corner :D
 
Team Penske said:
In the long run, RFR could be better off without Carl. Now the drivers and future ones
can race for top spot within the organization. In My Opinion, Carl was a disruptive force.
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In the long run maybe, but I think the next couple of years are gonna be pretty painful on the Cup side at RFR. Right now, I'd say they're only about the 7th best team in the Cup Series. RFR in the mid-'10s is starting to look a lot like Robert Yates Racing in the mid-'00s and Junior Johnson Racing in the mid-'90s: Cup teams who were powerhouses just a few years before that all of a sudden found themselves devoid of talent. And while Bubba and Buescher offer some hope for the future, it's no slam dunk that they'll be successful once they get in Roush's Cup stuff. After all, Stenhouse was a two-time Nationwide champion and look how he's fared.
 
MortTheBeast said:
That it was for sure... 14 wins in '13 and then only 2 in '14. Whatever the case, they better do something to improve this year, or they might as well drop out. Makes me really wish Dodge would get the heck back into the sport.
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What Matt did his first year even surprised Matt. I THINK what happened is he jumped into cars that Denny and Kyle already had
and out drove them just because he was hungry. Then they changed the cars and when lose was gone, Denny and Kyle were also
which left Matt a one car team doing their best.
So this year, lose is back ( so I hear ) which will help all 3. I don't think any of them will help Carl regardless of all the hype talk from Carl.
One thing his new CC can say to Carl is look, " I took Tony to a championship and Denny to the final" if you can't drive these cars, maybe it's the Driver"


whistling_zpsyw21ksmk-1.gif
 
Team Penske said:
What Matt did his first year even surprised Matt. I THINK what happened is he jumped into cars that Denny and Kyle already had
and out drove them just because he was hungry. Then they changed the cars and when lose was gone, Denny and Kyle were also
which left Matt a one car team doing their best.
So this year, lose is back ( so I hear ) which will help all 3. I don't think any of them will help Carl regardless of all the hype talk from Carl.
One thing his new CC can say to Carl is look, " I took Tony to a championship and Denny to the final" if you can't drive these cars, maybe it's the Driver"


whistling_zpsyw21ksmk-1.gif
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I think I have a couple ideas why you don't like Carl...
screen-shot-2010-03-08-at-9.03.03-amopt.jpg
f1f996c66d1fa80739949c4aa07ac3e0.jpg

;)
 
Team Penske said:
What Matt did his first year even surprised Matt. I THINK what happened is he jumped into cars that Denny and Kyle already had
and out drove them just because he was hungry. Then they changed the cars and when lose was gone, Denny and Kyle were also
which left Matt a one car team doing their best.
So this year, lose is back ( so I hear ) which will help all 3. I don't think any of them will help Carl regardless of all the hype talk from Carl.
One thing his new CC can say to Carl is look, " I took Tony to a championship and Denny to the final" if you can't drive these cars, maybe it's the Driver"


whistling_zpsyw21ksmk-1.gif
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What leads you to believe that JGR will not work together? I mean other than your impressions via the media, what makes you believe that the infrastructure isn't there? Denny, Kyle and Coach all admit that Denny shared information which benefitted the team on the short tracks, and that Kyle shared information which helped everybody on the 1.5's. Matt was better than he had ever been on short tracks because of Denny. Not sure why all of them would be blowing smoke out their asses. Carl will be fine, and so will JGR. Come on man.
 
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StandOnIt said:
agreed. He will do the same at Gibbs, one of the reasons I laughed when Kyle popped off about the teamwork thing. They all will be better going in the "legend in my own mind" direction, lots closer to reality.:biggrin:
rickybobby_alig.jpg
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Yeah, Carl was a complete cancer to Roush. Damn near won them the title. If Toyota didn't exist who would you hate?
 
Team Penske said:
In the long run, RFR could be better off without Carl. Now the drivers and future ones
can race for top spot within the organization. In My Opinion, Carl was a disruptive force.
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Hell yeah, I want my money on Biffle, Stenhouse, and Bayne. Are you serious?
 
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