After ragged debut, Toyota envisions victories in '08
Toyota's Camry fared better on the showroom floor than it did on NASCAR tracks in 2007. But lessons learned and the addition of some big names have Toyota's racing executives thinking about checkered flags as they prepare for a second season of competition in NASCAR's premier series.
"Certainly, there will be some victories for Toyota next year," predicted Jim Aust, president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development. "We're going from a hope or chance that we might win a race to we know we're going to win a race. It's just a matter of how many."
One reason for optimism: the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing with Nextel Cup drivers Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Gibbs, which has raced Chevrolets since 2003, also will supply components for Hall of Fame Racing's entry to be driven by J.J. Yeley.
Toyota's top three Cup performers in 2007 —Dave Blaney, Brian Vickers and David Reutimann— combined for two top-fives and nine top-10 finishes. Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, each of whom landed a spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Cup, combined for six victories, 34 top-fives and 61 top-10s.
"Having Gibbs, an established top-caliber team come aboard does, to a certain extent, legitimize Toyota," said Vickers, who led all Camry drivers with five top-10s for Red Bull Racing. "It's going to bring us some fans, bring some notoriety and I think it's going to help the other (Toyota) teams."
Gibbs' entries have the luxury of being locked into the top 35 in owners' points, meaning they are guaranteed spots in at least the first five 2008 races. Lack of that assurance hounded Toyota in 2007. They were forced to focus on qualifying and butted heads with each other as much as the competition.
"For the guys that are out of the top 35, it's incredibly hard to race," team owner Bill Davis said. "Your whole deal is about qualifying on Friday. It's your entire preparation. That makes it real hard to be successful on Saturday and Sunday."
Failure to qualify meant less experience for young drivers such as Reutimann and A.J. Allmendinger.
"The thing we faced all year was that all three of our teams were fighting each other just to get into the races," said Lee White, senior vice president of Toyota Racing Development. "Now they have a team that's established at the front to reach out to them.
"The one intangible question here is: Can Gibbs and TRD and Michael Waltrip and Bill Davis Racing and Red Bull come together to a degree that matches the intensity of the way that Hendrick (Motorsports) does it? Frankly, the Gibbs group coming on board has helped facilitate that. They've reached out to the other teams and embraced the TRD method of doing things better than we have all year."
Newcomers optimistic
At least publicly, the Gibbs camp is not fretting the change in manufacturer — even though Chevrolets won 26 of 36 Cup races this year.
"I feel pretty good about next year," said team president J.D. Gibbs. "It's going to be a while to get where you want to be. But I would be disappointed if we're not at least where we are now."
Said Denny Hamlin: "I think you'll see a large increase in performance from Toyota next year and I'm absolutely sure we're not going to run any worse than we did this year."
Mike Ford, Denny Hamlin's crew chief, said much of the adjustment will be dealing with new people and processes as much as new engines.
"Not to sound simple and basic, but parts are parts," Ford said. "The bodies are so (similar), there's not a huge difference there. Chassis are chassis. It's science and math, not necessarily the name on (the car)."
In some ways, Ford says 2008 should be easier than 2007. "I think the Car of Tomorrow helps level the playing field somewhat," Davis said. "At least we'll be working on one car instead of two."
A 2007 to forget
Toyota's 2007 Cup performance failed to live up to expectations for a manufacturer that has enjoyed success in other racing series. Toyota did capture its second consecutive manufacturers' title in the Craftsman Truck Series, where drivers Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson combined for nine wins.
The Cup program stumbled out of the gate at Daytona, where Toyota's marquee team, Michael Waltrip Racing, was penalized for an illegal substance in an intake manifold. Only Blaney, running for Bill Davis Racing, was able to qualify for more than 26 races. Blaney qualified for 33 and captured Toyota's first Cup pole, at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Toyota enjoyed more success on superspeedways such as Talladega than short tracks and road courses, where maintaining power through turns was a problem. Toyota says it has a handle on that issue.
"Let's go win at Daytona. That's our philosophy," White said. "We expect to go to Daytona with a shot, not only at the big race but a couple of the qualifiers, maybe the shootout and maybe sit on the pole, too. Let's do it all."
