Toyota executive addresses Formula One decision, Earnhardt Ganassi possibility
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin drives his No. 11 Toyota through the garage area at Daytona International Speedway in February.
Jim Fluharty
NASCAR Scene
FORT WORTH, Texas – Toyota has talked to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing about joining its fold, but it is not unusual for Toyota Racing Development executives to talk to other teams, TRD President Lee White said Saturday.
White addressed the manufacturer’s participation in NASCAR in light of the announcement Thursday that the manufacturer is pulling out of Formula One. Various media estimates had Toyota’s involvement in Formula One anywhere from $300 million-$500 million annually. Formula One budgets typically are much more extravagant than NASCAR budgets.
“We are still on very, very tight budget restrictions as we have been for the last year-and-a-half and are continuing to be for the foreseeable future,” White said between Sprint Cup practices at Texas Motor Speedway.
As far as Earnhardt Ganassi, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Ganassi name associated with Toyota as Chip Ganassi Racing runs a Toyota brand (Lexus) in the Grand-Am Series and also has run one in IndyCar. But it would be a leap for the Earnhardt name, which has been associated with Chevrolet.
“We’ve had discussions with a lot of people, and as everyone knows we have a long relationship with Chip all the way back to 2000 as partners in motorsports,” White said. “But at this point, there’s nothing decided. Yes, we’ve had discussions with Chip, but we’ve had discussions with a lot of people.”
Juan Pablo Montoya’s season has been “very impressive,” White said, with his making the Chase For The Sprint Cup and sitting fourth in the standings with three races left in the season.
White said Toyota primarily supports three organizations – Michael Waltrip Racing (three teams, including affiliate JTG Daugherty Racing), Joe Gibbs Racing (three teams) and Red Bull Racing (two teams). All of those teams have contracts for 2010.
White said the Formula One decision was finalized at the Toyota global motorsports meeting.
“We were surprised, just like everyone else,” White said. “We are no more worried today than we have been for a year where we know we have to be responsible for budgets, we cannot cowboy and free-lance and go off the ranch so to speak.
“We have to adhere very strictly to our budgets, which are approved, and do our best to provide the best performance on-track and gain the results for the company within those budgets – just like everybody else.”
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23 responses to "Toyota executive addresses Formula One decision, Earnhardt Ganassi possibility". Post a Comment.
STP43FAN said:
Nov 7, 2009 at 1:46 PMToyota should get Earnhardt-Ganassi and Petty-Gillett - I'd prefer Petty in Toyotas than Fords.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportIndychic317 said:
Nov 7, 2009 at 3:58 PMNo, No, No.... Juan is staying with Chevy!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWormDirt said:
Nov 7, 2009 at 10:15 PMWait a minute.... Doesn't Mr. White have to consult with our dear leader's Auto Czar before speaking so freely like this??? Oh WAIT!!..... Silly ME.... I forgot! Toyota doesn't have the burden of the U.S. Imperial federal government's boot stepping down on it's throat. Nevermind.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportphillipwafford said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 12:45 AMthe year toyota announced they were going NASCAR RACING everybody was saying that toyota money would buy nascar - - - - looks like one more step accomplished
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRonSchwalbe said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 1:17 AMWonder if they'll sign the contracts on Dec 7th ?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportxbrownsx said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 3:14 AMLooks like Earnhardt-Ganassi will run Toyotas by 2011 if not sooner.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportprrfan said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 9:11 AM#3 THANKS!!! I just spit coffee on my keyboard
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» Confirm Abuse Reportamalycke said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 10:02 AMYES!! This means that Gunselman Motorsports will returning for another season, 2010 back in Camrys!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBOSN said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 12:21 PMNobody said it was a done deal. Not that I would mind it if it did happen. Toyota backs their teams a lot better than the domestic car companies do!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportleftturn said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 5:42 PM#3- It is just a shame that Toyota builds cars people want to buy. Yes sir, right here in the good old USA. GM and Chrysler built what they wanted the public to have, not what would sell or was selling. Ford got wise and followed the market trends. By the way, Toyota builds cars and trucks here in the States with real live Americans doing the work and uses American truckers, suppliers, vendors and railroads. Do I drive a Toyota? No. I have a Dodge Ram 1500 and my wife a Saturn Vue. I just appreciate a properly run business model. If that makes me some factually blind Kool-Aid drinking liberal do gooder, so be it.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdtk1952 said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 6:17 PMWho cares what JPM drives. I would like to see him drive himself back to Columbia.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjessydoyle49 said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 7:55 PMTOYOTA PROFITS,...go to japan.,,,NOT into the USA economy.,,,GO USA.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbthompson133 said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 8:40 PMcubic bucks = cubic wins. ask gm
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkeith308 said:
Nov 8, 2009 at 11:06 PMToyota now! Honda next, then Nissan
Report as AbuseDid you see the crowd at the boring Texas race today.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWormDirt said:
Nov 9, 2009 at 12:13 AMLeftTurn, I think you might have missed the SARCASM in my comment. I was just trying to point out the LUNACY running rampant among a certain half of the TAX-PAYER FUNDED manufacturers in this sport at this time!!! I have absolutely ZERO problem with Toyota!!! Quite the opposite actually. And NO.... your stance hardly makes you a "blind liberal do-gooder". In fact, I'd say it makes you a SANE MAN in what is by my studied estimate an INSANE, not to mention economically-SUICIDAL, world. I was actually wondering if there were any level-headed folks like YOU left around here. Thank you for a brief moment of HOPE brother. Seriously!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportnascarnutsheeler said:
Nov 9, 2009 at 1:30 AMI think I'll sell my shares that our govenments so freely gave to Chevs & Dodges and go out and put a down payment on a Ford. In the end we are paying for the bail outs so shouldn't we get shares in chev and Dodge?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportleftturn said:
Nov 9, 2009 at 8:52 AMWORMDIRT- My apologies to you sir and thank you. I find it odd that in a sport that depends on manufacturers money to survive, the ideological perception that 'foreign' money is tainted a bit hard to follow. Simply, NASCAR has become a reflection of what Americans buy and drive. The parking lots of the tracks are not the exclusive realm of Ford, Dodge and Chevy. As a side note let me say I try my best to avoid political conflict here in Scene. There is enough Left/Right bickering in the daily news and I do voice my opinions in those forums. Here I hope for a little relief with something I enjoy.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Nov 9, 2009 at 4:37 PMJESSYDOYLE...profits may go to Japan, but the wages that are paid go into the workers pockets...then they can buy goods from China at Walmart and send the rest of the money there...ever notice how many foreign cars are out there on the roads?...why do we buy foreign cars?....we have have seen the enemy and they are us......
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» Confirm Abuse Reportleftturn said:
Nov 9, 2009 at 4:41 PMWERNER- Thank you POGO!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWormDirt said:
Nov 9, 2009 at 7:24 PMWerner, Let me get this straight.... So, choosing lower prices or efficiency or convenience makes someone an "ENEMY"???? I'm confused... Is it the hundreds of thousands of american jobs WalMart has created that's so bad? Or maybe how their low prices have drastically improved quality of life for the poor? Sure... the majority of our problems are self-inflicted, but are WalMart and Toyota to blame? Just imagine what you are saying... Imagine this idealistic world of yours with no foreign competition. The FACT is that it would be a world of LESS choice, fewer jobs, and HIGHER prices! Or do you think that the unions and greed-mongers etc are just going to provide some fair-priced efficient product producing utopia out of the goodness of their hearts in the absence of competition? If being opposed to that makes me an "enemy", well.....i'm sorry.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Nov 9, 2009 at 7:38 PMWalmart hasn't created new jobs...they took jobs away from the mom and pop stores...come up my way and i'll show you empty stores...closed drug stores...the hometown bakery gone...the indie record and book stores...the tv repair man...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWormDirt said:
Nov 10, 2009 at 2:11 PMWalMart didn't "take away" jobs from anyone Werner. That's like saying that the first automobile manufacturing companies "TOOK AWAY" jobs from the horse-and buggy industry a hundred or so years ago!! Sure... the struggling mom and pop stores are an obvious grim reality. But, it's only part of the equation. The other parts you choose to ignore include things like MORE new jobs, lower prices, convenience, efficiency, the enrichment of americans who produce goods and services to be sold there, higher quality of living for low-income earners who can't afford to buy a $5 tube of toothpaste at the mom & pop that they can get for $2 at Walmart, etc etc..... Not to mention the FACT that they do this without FORCING anyone to do anything. Are you suggesting they should be FORCED to stop?? Where exactly would FREEDOM fit into that equation?
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Nov 10, 2009 at 5:15 PMi guess i don't mind paying more of the quality is better...and i don't like the idea tha one day i went shopping for supper and i alot of the things i bought....were from China...can't we produce anything anymore....
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