Is NASCAR ready for a Toyota driver as Cup champion?
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Thursday, June 05, 2008
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RACE COMMENTARY
Kyle Busch had a chance to win all three NASCAR races at Dover International Speedway. He had one of the best trucks in the Craftsman Truck Series race and one of the best cars in the Nationwide Series event but couldn’t find victory lane.
He found it in his Sprint Cup car as he cruised to victory. It was his fourth Cup win of the year, and he now leads the series by 142 points, although his lead will shrink when points are reset for the Chase.
Some people wonder if NASCAR is ready for Busch to win a Sprint Cup title and what type of champion he would be at such a young age. He’ll be fine.
A more appropriate question would be is NASCAR ready for a Toyota driver to win a Cup title? The answer to that question is less certain and one that the NASCAR spin department needs to discuss.
A Sprint Cup title for Toyota is coming, and it’s coming fast. If not this year, then next with either Denny Hamlin or Busch behind the wheel.
Toyota has won a truck title, but winning a Cup title would be a different story. In a year when NASCAR has stressed going back to basics and catering to its core fans, a Toyota champion would not make people think of NASCAR’s roots.
For Toyota to have a driver win a Cup title in just its second year would be a major accomplishment, especially considering the manufacturer didn’t win a race in its first season. Obviously, the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing has nearly everything to do with the success of Toyota this season, although Michael Waltrip Racing and Red Bull Racing have shown improvement.
When Toyota struggled in Cup last year, it was good for the sport. It showed that a new manufacturer couldn’t come in and just dominate, that this is a tough sport and everyone has growing pains.
But now it looks as if it’s as simple as just getting a top team in one’s stable. Would Joe Gibbs Racing have been just as strong if it had started the 2006 season in Toyotas? We’ll never know.
If Toyota wins the title, it will be interesting to see how fans react. No matter how many cars and trucks Toyota builds in the United States, there will be those who think the Japan-based manufacturer should never have been allowed to enter Cup racing and even more who will root against it each and every lap.
That might be a short-sighted attitude, but for those who had family members and friends die in World War II, it is an understandable reaction. Their hatred doesn’t focus on Toyota, it focuses on any product whose top corporate offices are based in Japan.
But like it or not, Toyota is making its presence felt more and more every day in NASCAR. The Dover weekend was the first where Toyota swept all three events – Bill Davis Racing’s Scott Speed won the truck race, JGR’s Denny Hamlin won in Nationwide and then Busch won in Cup. For the season, Toyota has four wins in eight truck events, 10 wins in 14 Nationwide events and five wins in 13 Cup events.
All of those have been well earned, although it certainly seems as if Toyota might have an engine advantage in the Nationwide Series. If it has one on the Cup side, it’s much less pronounced and probably limited to reaching top speed quicker than its competitors – an area where Toyota was woefully behind at the start of last year.
While it is assumed that Toyota is outspending its competitors, it cannot be overlooked that it is working hard at being successful. The swarms of people in Toyota Racing Development shirts at the track don’t go without notice. It is obvious that this is serious business to Toyota.
NASCAR did the right thing by allowing Toyota in the sport. It should allow all manufacturers in a sport that considers itself the poster child for free enterprise, with an open door for all who want and can afford to participate.
Hopefully Toyota’s success forces the other manufacturers to step up their performance and doesn’t dissuade them from participating. Hopefully the day a Toyota driver is crowned Cup champion will be a day that sparks NASCAR growth instead of hindering it.
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