H
Happy29
Guest
Well, at Daytona Speedweeks this year, two surprises came... the shortening of our "Super Bowl" The Daytona 500 and the shocking announcement that Toyota will enter Craftsman Truck Competition in 2004 and gradually enter Nextel Cup by 2006.
Very surprising news to many in the NASCAR community. For one, Toyota has seen large success in the IndyCar Series and Toyota has also seen much success elsewhere in the world of racing. Most GM and Ford company executives and representatives that coordinate with many of the Winston Cup teams today are worried that when Toyota enters, GM and Ford may not match up to the manufacturing giant with their vast amounts of funds.
Most NASCAR purists and traditionalists are worried also. They're worried that Toyota with it's powerful engineering department may get more help from NASCAR to set it up in the Nextel Cup as NASCAR did when reinstating Dodge in the years leading up to Dodge's return year in 2001. There have been accusations that NASCAR had taken out parts from race cars for example, Tony Stewart's at Texas and there have been other accusations that several other teams had given engines or engine specialists to help Toyota. Dodge has terminated it's contract with Bill Davis Racing and withdrawn all funds, Dodge alledges that Bill Davis Racing had been a tool for Toyota so Toyota can find out car building and marketing secrets that Dodge had.
Others are also concerned that this may open the floodgates for more foreign competition to enter. Jack Roush, said that while Toyota will bring new sponsors and generate added interest in stock car racing, America would be better off if NASCAR stayed ``red, white and blue.'' And this is also the same point of view from NASCAR traditionalists and legends like Richard Petty.
When it's all said and done, my opinion coincides with Roush's. Though Toyota will bring added revenue to NASCAR like more merchandise sales and everything else, Toyota most likely will lead a spearhead of foreign manufacturers that'll take part in future NASCAR touring series. It is rumored that Nissan would also like to field a Truck team in 2004 and Volkswagon to enter the sport in marketing means. So, what we once knew as an All American sport will be a battlegrund for manufacturers both foreign and domestic thus, if a foreign competitor were to take the Cup, NASCAR will probably not be that all-american of a sport anymore. What do you think will happen ?
Very surprising news to many in the NASCAR community. For one, Toyota has seen large success in the IndyCar Series and Toyota has also seen much success elsewhere in the world of racing. Most GM and Ford company executives and representatives that coordinate with many of the Winston Cup teams today are worried that when Toyota enters, GM and Ford may not match up to the manufacturing giant with their vast amounts of funds.
Most NASCAR purists and traditionalists are worried also. They're worried that Toyota with it's powerful engineering department may get more help from NASCAR to set it up in the Nextel Cup as NASCAR did when reinstating Dodge in the years leading up to Dodge's return year in 2001. There have been accusations that NASCAR had taken out parts from race cars for example, Tony Stewart's at Texas and there have been other accusations that several other teams had given engines or engine specialists to help Toyota. Dodge has terminated it's contract with Bill Davis Racing and withdrawn all funds, Dodge alledges that Bill Davis Racing had been a tool for Toyota so Toyota can find out car building and marketing secrets that Dodge had.
Others are also concerned that this may open the floodgates for more foreign competition to enter. Jack Roush, said that while Toyota will bring new sponsors and generate added interest in stock car racing, America would be better off if NASCAR stayed ``red, white and blue.'' And this is also the same point of view from NASCAR traditionalists and legends like Richard Petty.
When it's all said and done, my opinion coincides with Roush's. Though Toyota will bring added revenue to NASCAR like more merchandise sales and everything else, Toyota most likely will lead a spearhead of foreign manufacturers that'll take part in future NASCAR touring series. It is rumored that Nissan would also like to field a Truck team in 2004 and Volkswagon to enter the sport in marketing means. So, what we once knew as an All American sport will be a battlegrund for manufacturers both foreign and domestic thus, if a foreign competitor were to take the Cup, NASCAR will probably not be that all-american of a sport anymore. What do you think will happen ?
