It's Time To Tell NASCAR How We Feel About Toyota

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[Provost-Marshal]

It's Time To Tell NASCAR How We Feel About Toyota

By Denise Thompson

June 4, 2003

I cannot believe what I have been hearing, and reading.

Much to the dismay of some fans, it looks like Toyota is going to get the chance to compete in the American sport of NASCAR.

I belong to several NASCAR fans private groups online and can honestly say that the majority of these fans are not just in shock at this news, but are as mad as Tony Stewart and his crew chief, Greg Zippadeli, were when NASCAR confiscated Stewart's Home Depot Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway earlier in April. Now it's come to light that NASCAR has given that car to the Japanese to help them produce a Toyota race car.

However, NASCAR has denied that Stewart's car was ever given to anyone and stated that the car is still in the R & D shop. If what NASCAR says is true, then why is Stewart and Zippadeli upset with NASCAR?

There are two reasons why most of the fans don't want to see Toyota in NASCAR.

The first reason: During World War II, not only did some of these fans lose a grandfather, husband, dad, uncle, brother, cousin and or a dear friend, while other fans may have a loved one that is or was permanently injured, as losing their eye sight or even a limb if not two, during the sneak attack on our American troops, that fateful day on December 7, 1941 known as "The Attack at Pearl Harbor." The Japanese brutally killed our boys on the march to Bataan, on Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima, as well as the P.O.W. camps, our American soldiers were brutally murdered and dismembered. It's not that we Americans hold a grudge, it's just the Japanese have never apologized to the United States for any of these cowardly acts.

Don't get me wrong, we realize that the Dodge's are now a German vehicle (Daimler owns 51% while Chrysler owns 49%), and we don't mind having foreign cars in NASCAR such as the Dodge, but it was first an American manufactured vehicle. The fans just don't want to see any foreign made cars in NASCAR.

Secondly: Traditionally this sport was based in the south and has traveled throughout the United States. Drivers like Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty, Ralph Earnhardt and Curtis Turner, just to mention a few, began this sport on the beaches of Florida and North Carolina, as well as dirt tracks in North Carolina. This sport has been passed from generation to generations of American families. What happened to the tradition of this sport? This is what the fans are asking. Why does Mike Helton or even Bill France have the right to change that? Looking at the whole picture, if Toyota is allowed to race in NASCAR, what's next? Are we going to open the door to Italy, France, Russia, China, or the rest of the world. Where does it end? Does this sport go International? Will we be actively looking for foreign drivers? Will NASCAR be building tracks in other countries?

No longer will NASCAR be an American sport. Like so many other things we have lost, it's time for the fans to stand up and fight for this by letting NASCAR know how we feel about it.

I am speaking on behalf of the majority of the NASCAR fans, We do not want Toyota or any other foreign made car in the sport of NASCAR. We want to keep the tradition and we want to keep NASCAR the way it is right now, today.

Many fans have fallen in love with the sport. Don't let NASCAR or anyone else take it away from us. You can contact NASCAR at the following address:

NASCAR 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, Florida 32114

[samuel_adams_us]

Check out the CART race times versus the F1 race times in Montreal. BTW, at the Illinois track Nascar runs about 210 MPH top end and the CART cars are running 230 MPH and don't forget F1 cars eat CART cars for lunch.

[Protagoras]

What's NASCAR?

[Johnny Gage]

There's still racing levels that allow cheap racing.

I can't remember which ones, but I know several folks who race VW golfs and Dodge Omni's and have more fun with them and spend little money on upkeep since parts are very available. One guy told me he could get me into an Omni, race ready for under $2000.

Those cars even make cheap club/pro rally cars.

[Rebelbase]

Why is this a big deal? If Toyota is superior and wins races that might be the "face slap" it takes to improve the U.S. car industry.

Competition is a good thing.

[MineralMan]

"I can't remember which ones, but I know several folks who race VW golfs and Dodge Omni's and have more fun with them and spend little money on upkeep since parts are very available. One guy told me he could get me into an Omni, race ready for under $2000.

Those cars even make cheap club/pro rally cars.

"

Sounds like fun, but I'm a little past the age where I crave going racing. Besides, I can just imagine my wife's reaction. I guess I'll just have to go with my old memories. [grin]

[newgeezer]

Ya know, if we were still driving our own, isolationist rust buckets that fell apart at 80K miles, there'd be a lot more people employed by our auto industry. </sarcasm>

[tacticalogic]

There's a little more to an afternoon at Bristol than just turning G's.

[Palmetto]

I bet the first Minis surprised a bunch of folks at the autocrosses in those days. It didn't take too long for most of the people who showed up to our autocrosses to figure out that the Yugo had some ringer drivers, but occasionally some people were surprised by what sort of car autocrossed well. Miatas are incredible, as are Si versions of Civics and CRXs.

Our club president got a job as a test-track driver for Michelin. He brought a C4 Vette down one day for a race, which I thought would be too big and ponderous, but he hustled that thing around like a far more powerful Miata. I had a lot more respect for Vettes after that day, especially in the hands of a pro driver.

My favorite trick to decrease lap times - let the club president ride a lap in my car with me in the passenger seat. My next trip around would usually drop in time significantly.

[billbears]

Put it on the track at Bristol with 43 of 'em for an afternoon, and the results may vary.

LOL!! I'll say. Wonder if they'd make it three laps

[eBelasco]

No debate they go faster. However, f1 cars go faster all alone on the track most of the time (22 guys strung out over 3 mile courses) whereas NASCAR guys are in close quarters all day long. Different sports. Put 43 f1 drivers in f1 cars on a big oval and they'd probably all crash out on the first lap (JV, Mario, JPM excepted).

[biblewonk]

Ya know, if we were still driving our own, isolationist rust buckets that fell apart at 80K miles, there'd be a lot more people employed by our auto industry.

How about if we simply made it impossible to buy anything but those cars here. That's secure a lot of fat union jobs for detroitians.

[Rebelbase]

"drama that is 43 men battling on a half-mile oval."

Yawn. I've had some really nice, NASCAR inspired naps on Sunday afternoons.

[samuel_adams_us]

F1 cars can make it just as far as a NASCAR. You laugh but it would be nice to see you do some research on the subject. Comparing NASCAR to F1 is like comparing a covered wagon to a jet figher.

[samuel_adams_us]

But they don't, F1 does run oval tracks during the year, have never seen a 43 car pileup, have you heard of one?

[N. Theknow]

Either you live on a truly awful road or you don't know how to drive.

As a fellow native of South Carolina I can tell you have not driven in the frgid north much.

My driveway sometimes has over 12" of snow and ice on it and is at a 45 degree angle with no approach for a running start, just a 90 degree turn off a dirt road.

And the dirt road in the spring, which is referred to as MUD week when the frost comes out of the ground, has mud that is over a foot deep.

My 4X4 Jeep makes it in a breeze. My wife's AWD Subaru has to wait for the plow on our driveway and bottoms out on the road in MUD week.

Having grown up in red clay I can truthfully say, "It don't come close."

[Pukin Dog]

Do you honestly believe Schumacher to be better than Ayrton Senna or Alain Prost?

Get real dude. If either of them had Schumacher equipment, they would have been even greater than they were.

[billbears]

More strategy? F1 takes more from the driver, pulling more G's at much higher speeds. The times on the road track when NASCAR is running at the Glen are so much slower than the times from CART and CART is so much slower than F1.

Alright junior. I'm talking about strategy as the car changes, how tight or how loose it is, how long stretches affect it, and depending on what the driver says what adjustments need to be made each and every time the car enters the pit. Also take into consideration, that lead changes are made a lot more often compared to plastic car driving. I'm not talking about pushing a button so the incar jack lifts the car up to replace four wheels (one lugnut a piece mind you) and a little gas

[newgeezer]

Exactly my point. There are people out there who find nothing at all wrong with that scenario.

By the same token, we would do the economy a great service by building highways where they're not needed, and by using inferior processes and materials in those we do need, so that they'll require more frequent resurfacing.

It's all about jobs.

[Sloth]

Sounds like they're chicken to me.