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Hard to believe considering the trouble toyota has had this year.

I'm going to step on some toes when I say this, but the problems are not necessarily Toyotas'.

There was the issue of the difference between the Toyota engines used in the Truck and Busch/Cup series (which was NASCAR's fault, and they admitted as much), but those are going away for 2008.

Larry McReynolds created a Toyota truck team that was competitive, out of thin air. There have been Toyota teams running Cup this year that have done well.

The problem is, the most high profile Toyota team is the Waltrip team. I think there's been some poor management going on there. Michael's driving reflects that - he's pretty been erratic on the track here and there, not to mention that weird thing with him crashing on his way home earlier this year. He seems like he's stressed, and I've read that Toyota was angry with those folks, and normally you don't get angry with somebody in a situation like that, unless you believe that your end is covered, and they aren't living up to what they said they'd deliver.

I think it's a good move for JGR (and for Tony), because now Gibbs/Stewart/etc. are going to be the top team for a manufacturer - something they weren't getting from GM (at best they were third on the totem pole running a Chevy, behind Childress and Hendrick).

Gibbs will have the TRD fully behind them, and I don't know much about the Waltrip operation, but I think Gibbs has one of the best engine shops around, and I think that will make the difference.

Joe Gibbs is not one to jump into this lightly, and Stewart probably knew before he signed his contract extension.

I think it's going to be good. It comes at an interesting time, what with the transition to the CoT (which I still dislike).

Big potty mouth spilled the beans today himself......

Kyle Busch confirms Gibbs’ move to Toyota
SCENEDAILY - 3:31PM ET FRIDAY AUGUST 31, 2007 - BY SCENEDAILY STAFF REPORT

Toyotas after this season. KEVIN C. COX / GETTY IMAGESFONTANA, Calif. - Kyle Busch confirmed that he has been told that Joe Gibbs Racing will race Toyotas next season.

Busch, who will leave Hendrick Motorsports after this season to join JGR, said he is comfortable with the switch, which is expected to be announced next week by the team.

“I feel fine with it,” Busch said when asked what he thought of the team’s move to Toyota from Chevrolet. “I think it’s something that’s going to take Joe Gibbs Racing hopefully a step forward and in the right direction. They’ve got a great repertoire for being able to produce winning race cars year in and year out and championship-contending teams, so I think that they’re going to be just fine and this is a business decision that they’ve done right.”

Toyota entered Nextel Cup competition this season but its teams have struggled to make races. JGR - with Busch, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin - will become the premier team in a stable that likely will include existing Toyota partners Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull.

The biggest struggle has been in the engine department, where Toyota teams have had trouble with getting up to speed as quickly as its competitors.

Mark Cronquist, the team’s head engine builder, is expected to spearhead the work on the engine.

“I’ve met with him a few times in our meetings and our discussions,” Busch said. “He’s a really cool guy. Actually, when we were talking about Toyota, they brought him in because I had a bunch of questions about the motor.

>>>>>>”They’ve got a lot of questions in that area. ... They’ve got the ... top-end power but don’t have bottom-end. They’ve had not too many reliability issues, but a couple still. ... Mark [said] to me they feel like their package that they’ve had in the Chevrolets, especially with the new R07, that they can translate that into the Toyota and hopefully have a pretty good piece come January.”

JGR has been a General Motors team since its first season in 1992.

http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2007/08/27/scene_daily56.html