Car of Tomorrow...

[dezertranger1600]

Hi guys,i'm new here,but i've been a lurker,and I was wondering why is Jack Roush throwing such a fit about Toyota coming to nascar?can someone explain?thanks:D

[22REKid]

Probably because there is a great possibility that Toyota will smoke the compitition like in the Craftsman Truck Series and like 80's and 90's off road racing with the Ironman.:D

[kaw500]

Probably because there is a great possibility that Toyota will smoke the compitition like in the Craftsman Truck Series and like 80's and 90's off road racing with the Ironman.:D

Not with MIKEE they won't

[22REKid]

I say get Ivan in there with the old red white and orange paint job.

[dezertranger1600]

Cool,thanks for clarifying

[b-makk]

because they have a lot of money to spend (you'd think they could buy more than a POS with all that money)

[DEZERTBOUND]

Yea, kind of understood Mr Roush to be a "penny pincher". But all that money he pays Nick for a set of headers I could be wrong:D

[dezertranger1600]

I think he's the only owner to be complaining.The others seem to have the ''bring it on'' attitude IMO.
We'll see what happens @ daytona,with two toyotas in the field..

[woundedyak]

I think he's just trying to get more money out of Ford. With his budget about 1/10th of what Toyota is, I bet he is pretty worried about the futuer of his cup program.

[22REKid]

I say get Ivan in there with the old red white and orange paint job.

Secret spy photo;)

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/22rekid/toyota_nascar.jpg

[dezertranger1600]

ha ha thats awesome

[randomracer]

hey guys, seems funny that toyota gets to have a special motor built just for racing while at some point the other brands were all based off a production motor.

[RGFan]

hey guys, seems funny that toyota gets to have a special motor built just for racing while at some point the other brands were all based off a production motor.

Well, it was either that, or let them run their production 32 valve dual overhead cam V-8. That motor with TRD's technology would have had a huge advantage as far as reliability and HP. I see your point, but letting them run their production based motor would have been ugly for everyone else. They would have had a very unfair advantage

[CRFmotoRider]

Secret spy photo;)

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/22rekid/toyota_nascar.jpg

wow did u do that with microsoft paint??

[22REKid]

wow did u do that with microsoft paint??

Yes. Work place bordem:D

[NicksTrix]

toyota will outspend every other manufacturer by far. the big 3 are all struggling greatly and just don't have the $ to try to compeat with what yota is willing to spend.
they got some great consensions from nascar in the design of their new engine. blows the pants off the 50 year old stuff ford & gm are using.

that's what jack is upset about. the others are as well but just won't speak their mind like he will...

[FlyHiFlyLo]

toyota will outspend every other manufacturer by far. the big 3 are all struggling greatly and just don't have the $ to try to compeat with what yota is willing to spend.
they got some great consensions from nascar in the design of their new engine. blows the pants off the 50 year old stuff ford & gm are using.

that's what jack is upset about. the others are as well but just won't speak their mind like he will...

Too bad they didn't buy a three car team. They will next year.

[NIKAL]

Too bad they didn't buy a three car team. They will next year.

Toyota thought they did with Waltrip and Davis. LOL! Only problem is both teams don't have enough talent and can only get two out of the three cars in a race. Mayfield looks more like a azz because he hasent made one race yet and Waltrip has always been an azz. But I'm sure Mayfield is ok because his owner is around, and with him not making the races he can spend more time with Bill Davis on Sunday. I hope Jarrett is liking the money because he and UPS look like a fool driving around in the very very back. Hell at the race this weekend we were laughing because one of our freinds who goes wth us every year is or was a Jarrett fan and has now switch to Carl Edwards. We would watch everyone come by on the back stretch and then 5 seconds later here would come Jarrett by himself. Also Jarrett was lighting fast on qualifying day, NOT! He came down the backstrech at about 65 mph. Wow he has got to be loving those PCP. He's only got 4 left and then he will be spending more time with Micheal on Sundays. And the way things are going for AJ at Red Bull I would not be surprised if he does not finish his year in NASCAR. The word around the track was that he was very upset about how the cars go threw inspection and then he had some motor problems. So he got very little track time and then he did not qualify for the second race.

Toyota is smart they will figure this NASCAR thing out and they have got to much invested to walk away. The only thing I cant figure out is how they thought BDR, MWR and Red Bull were the teams to a-line themselves with. BDR did help them with there truck program, but got sued by Dodge and lost because of it. MWR has zero points and is a start up team. They must not have seen last years races and saw how he did. They just saw a mouth. And Red Bull is a new team with a new manufacture. You cant expect to much from them.

[henry]

hey guys, seems funny that toyota gets to have a special motor built just for racing while at some point the other brands were all based off a production motor.

Not to be a jerk but when Dodge got back in their motor used for CUP was actually pretty much all-new as well.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Not to be a jerk but when Dodge got back in their motor used for CUP was actually pretty much all-new as well.

Yes... Dodge got to pick the best specs from two engine designs (now 6 years old) And Toyota got to pick all the best specs from all three existing engines. Ford got new heads last year.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Toyota thought they did with Waltrip and Davis. LOL! Only problem is both teams don't have enough talent and can only get two out of the three cars in a race. Mayfield looks more like a azz because he hasent made one race yet and Waltrip has always been an azz. But I'm sure Mayfield is ok because his owner is around, and with him not making the races he can spend more time with Bill Davis on Sunday. I hope Jarrett is liking the money because he and UPS look like a fool driving around in the very very back. Hell at the race this weekend we were laughing because one of our freinds who goes wth us every year is or was a Jarrett fan and has now switch to Carl Edwards. We would watch everyone come by on the back stretch and then 5 seconds later here would come Jarrett by himself. Also Jarrett was lighting fast on qualifying day, NOT! He came down the backstrech at about 65 mph. Wow he has got to be loving those PCP. He's only got 4 left and then he will be spending more time with Micheal on Sundays. And the way things are going for AJ at Red Bull I would not be surprised if he does not finish his year in NASCAR. The word around the track was that he was very upset about how the cars go threw inspection and then he had some motor problems. So he got very little track time and then he did not qualify for the second race.

Toyota is smart they will figure this NASCAR thing out and they have got to much invested to walk away. The only thing I cant figure out is how they thought BDR, MWR and Red Bull were the teams to a-line themselves with. BDR did help them with there truck program, but got sued by Dodge and lost because of it. MWR has zero points and is a start up team. They must not have seen last years races and saw how he did. They just saw a mouth. And Red Bull is a new team with a new manufacture. You cant expect to much from them.

Can you say... Trojon Horse?

[NicksTrix]

fly, fords got the D3 heads in cup 3 years ago, 2 years ago for the bgn/cts.
man o man it's a lot of work to build new headers for everyone....we burned some big hours for a few months for that deal...it was a record setting year for our output!

the yota engine is a beautiful piece. they really do a great job casting it and in the design. why ford can't do the same is a big question. it's two different leagues in casting quality just to start with. ;(

[FlyHiFlyLo]

fly, fords got the D3 heads in cup 3 years ago, 2 years ago for the bgn/cts.
man o man it's a lot of work to build new headers for everyone....we burned some big hours for a few months for that deal...it was a record setting year for our output!

the yota engine is a beautiful piece. they really do a great job casting it and in the design. why ford can't do the same is a big question. it's two different leagues in casting quality just to start with. ;(


man it's been three years? shi+! time flys...

[Bricoop]

uh oh, Robby has some work in front of him.

DAY 1 AM Speeds - Feb 28
rank car# driver manu time
(seconds) speed
(mph)
1 11B Denny Hamlin Chevy 15.706 122.170
2 16B Greg Biffle Ford 15.793 121.497
3 16A Greg Biffle Ford 15.794 121.489
4 17A Matt Kenseth Ford 15.799 121.451
5 48A Jimmie Johnson Chevy 15.820 121.290
6 24A Jeff Gordon Chevy 15.831 121.205
7 01B Regan Smith Chevy 15.896 120.710
8 38A David Gilliland Ford 15.929 120.460
9 18 J.J. Yeley Chevy 15.929 120.460
10 5B Kyle Busch Chevy 15.932 120.437
11 99A Carl Edwards Ford 15.933 120.429
12 31A Jeff Burton Chevy 15.935 120.414
13 26B Jamie McMurray Ford 15.944 120.346
14 9A Kasey Kahne Dodge 15.947 120.324
15 20 Tony Stewart Chevy 15.954 120.271
16 40A David Stremme Dodge 15.964 120.195
17 88A Ricky Rudd Ford 15.983 120.053
18 41A Reed Sorenson Dodge 15.990 120.000
19 21A Ken Schrader Ford 16.004 119.895
20 36A Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 16.008 119.865
21 8A Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevy 16.021 119.768
22 70B Johnny Sauter Chevy 16.029 119.708
23 40B David Stremme Dodge 16.043 119.604
24 31B Jeff Burton Chevy 16.044 119.596
25 4A Ward Burton Chevy 16.045 119.589
26 10B Scott Riggs Dodge 16.052 119.537
27 78A Kenny Wallace Chevy 16.053 119.529
28 2B Kurt Busch Dodge 16.053 119.529
29 1B Martin Truex Jr Chevy 16.066 119.432
30 42A Juan Pablo Montoya # Dodge 16.074 119.373
31 66A Jeff Green Chevy 16.082 119.314
32 96A Tony Raines Chevy 16.089 119.262
33 07A Clint Bowyer Chevy 16.089 119.262
34 01A Mark Martin Chevy 16.099 119.188
35 14A Sterling Marlin Chevy 16.101 119.173
36 13B Joe Nemechek Chevy 16.113 119.084
37 1A Martin Truex Jr Chevy 16.121 119.025
38 26A Jamie McMurray Ford 16.135 118.922
39 12B Ryan Newman Dodge 16.142 118.870
40 84A AJ Allmendinger # Toyota 16.162 118.723
41 22A Dave Blaney Toyota 16.178 118.606
42 43B Bobby Labonte Dodge 16.178 118.606
43 00A Mark Green Toyota 16.186 118.547
44 15A Paul Menard Chevy 16.190 118.518
45 44B Dale Jarrett Toyota 16.197 118.466
46 45B Kyle Petty Dodge 16.206 118.401
47 45A Kyle Petty Dodge 16.211 118.364
48 19A Elliott Sadler Dodge 16.214 118.342
49 25A Casey Mears Chevy 16.217 118.320
50 29A Kevin Harvick Chevy 16.236 118.182
51 83A Brian Vickers Toyota 16.297 117.739
52 55A Michael Waltrip Toyota 16.304 117.689
53 49A Mike Bliss Dodge 16.317 117.595
54 6A David Ragan # Ford 16.323 117.552
55 6B David Ragan # Ford 16.352 117.343
56 66B Jeff Green Chevy 16.439 116.722
57 34A Kevin Lepage Dodge 16.442 116.701
58 15B Paul Menard Chevy 16.465 116.538
59 47B Jon Wood Ford 16.469 116.510
60 7A Robby Gordon Ford 16.474 116.474
61 70A Johnny Sauter Chevy 16.777 114.371

[DanDan]

Whats the odds?

60 7A Robby Gordon Ford 16.474 116.474

[Bricoop]

why did wimmer drive the afternoon sesh?

DAY 1 PM Speeds - Feb 28
rank car# driver manu time
(seconds) speed
(mph)
1 11B Denny Hamlin Chevy 15.779 121.605
2 66A Jeff Green Chevy 15.804 121.412
3 9B Kasey Kahne Dodge 15.823 121.267
4 5A Kyle Busch Chevy 15.824 121.259
5 11 Denny Hamlin Chevy 15.847 121.083
6 9A Kasey Kahne Dodge 15.856 121.014
7 70A Johnny Sauter Chevy 15.858 120.999
8 96A Tony Raines Chevy 15.864 120.953
9 20 Tony Stewart Chevy 15.868 120.923
10 29A Kevin Harvick Chevy 15.871 120.900
11 17B Matt Kenseth Ford 15.893 120.732
12 78A Kenny Wallace Chevy 15.893 120.732
13 01B Regan Smith # Chevy 15.899 120.687
14 16A Greg Biffle Ford 15.907 120.626
15 07A Clint Bowyer Chevy 15.910 120.603
16 40A David Stremme Dodge 15.912 120.588
17 70B Johnny Sauter Chevy 15.925 120.490
18 48A Jimmie Johnson Chevy 15.933 120.429
19 5B Kyle Busch Chevy 15.936 120.407
20 4A Ward Burton Chevy 15.938 120.392
21 41B Reed Sorenson Dodge 15.956 120.256
22 24A Jeff Gordon Chevy 15.968 120.165
23 26A Jamie McMurray Ford 15.977 120.098
24 12B Ryan Newman Dodge 15.985 120.038
25 99A Carl Edwards Ford 15.993 119.977
26 88A Ricky Rudd Ford 15.993 119.977
27 45A Kyle Petty Dodge 16.004 119.895
28 84A AJ Allmendinger # Toyota 16.004 119.895
29 18 J.J. Yeley Chevy 16.019 119.783
30 16B Greg Biffle Ford 16.028 119.715
31 31A Jeff Burton Chevy 16.031 119.693
32 1A Martin Truex Jr Chevy 16.036 119.656
33 66B Jeff Green Chevy 16.037 119.648
34 21A Ken Schrader Ford 16.040 119.626
35 14A Sterling Marlin Chevy 16.043 119.604
36 10A Scott Riggs Dodge 16.051 119.544
37 07B Clint Bowyer Chevy 16.072 119.388
38 19A Elliott Sadler Dodge 16.075 119.365
39 43B Bobby Labonte Dodge 16.077 119.351
40 2B Kurt Busch Dodge 16.078 119.343
41 13B Joe Nemechek Chevy 16.089 119.262
42 55A Michael Waltrip Toyota 16.106 119.136
43 8A Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevy 16.109 119.114
44 38A David Gilliland Ford 16.122 119.017
45 36A Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 16.124 119.003
46 88B Ricky Rudd Ford 16.130 118.958
47 22A Dave Blaney Toyota 16.134 118.929
48 01A Regan Smith # Chevy 16.138 118.899
49 42A Juan Pablo Montoya # Dodge 16.158 118.752
50 41A Reed Sorenson Dodge 16.159 118.745
51 00A David Reutimann # Toyota 16.172 118.650
52 10B Scott Riggs Dodge 16.203 118.423
53 14B Sterling Marlin Chevy 16.219 118.306
54 44B Dale Jarrett Toyota 16.230 118.226
55 26B Jamie McMurray Ford 16.245 118.116
56 7A Scott Wimmer Ford 16.249 118.087
57 25A Casey Mears Chevy 16.258 118.022
58 8B Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevy 16.277 117.884
59 47B Jon Wood Ford 16.297 117.739
60 34A Kevin Lepage Dodge 16.299 117.725
61 1B Martin Truex Jr Chevy 16.305 117.682
62 6B David Ragan # Ford 16.305 117.682
63 49A Mike Bliss Dodge 16.306 117.674
64 15B Paul Menard Chevy 16.309 117.653
65 15A Paul Menard Chevy 16.332 117.487
66 83A Brian Vickers Toyota 16.345 117.394
67 6A David Ragan # Ford 16.371 117.207

[FlyHiFlyLo]

why did wimmer drive the afternoon sesh?



Robby said "screw this"?

[RGFan]

Robby said "screw this"?

LOL!! All kidding aside, I think this car will be the best chance that RG has to compete with the big dogs week in and week out. THis new car really paints the big teams into a box so to speak as far as what they can do with a car and what changes are allowable. It really takes alot of the R&D out of racing and should put alot more of the racing into the drivers hand. Do not get me wrong, the engineers are here to stay. But, the teams will not need as many of them in the long run, as long as Nascar sticks to their guns and stays strict with the new rules for this COT. That is why you hear all of the big team drivers bashing the COT and the smaller teams praising it. They will be loosing a huge piece of their respective advantages. The drivers that have been hanging their reputations on their engineers backs in the past will be shown for how talented or not talented they are as drivers on a much bigger scale. Here is a pic of #7 today in Bristol, courtesy of Racing One. Scott Wimmer and Team Gordon got the 7A to 34th on the pylon tonight and picked up 3mph over the day. Not to shabby for a first test. Is it just me or have you guys seen RG use all RCR developemental and/or Busch drivers this season. Brandon Miller, PJ Jones, racing the 21 this weekend in Mexico and now Scott Wimmer. I know that RG has had a very long relationship with PJ, but I just found that interesting.

[randomracer]

Toyota thought they did with Waltrip and Davis. LOL! Only problem is both teams don't have enough talent and can only get two out of the three cars in a race. Mayfield looks more like a azz because he hasent made one race yet and Waltrip has always been an azz. But I'm sure Mayfield is ok because his owner is around, and with him not making the races he can spend more time with Bill Davis on Sunday. I hope Jarrett is liking the money because he and UPS look like a fool driving around in the very very back. Hell at the race this weekend we were laughing because one of our freinds who goes wth us every year is or was a Jarrett fan and has now switch to Carl Edwards. We would watch everyone come by on the back stretch and then 5 seconds later here would come Jarrett by himself. Also Jarrett was lighting fast on qualifying day, NOT! He came down the backstrech at about 65 mph. Wow he has got to be loving those PCP. He's only got 4 left and then he will be spending more time with Micheal on Sundays. And the way things are going for AJ at Red Bull I would not be surprised if he does not finish his year in NASCAR. The word around the track was that he was very upset about how the cars go threw inspection and then he had some motor problems. So he got very little track time and then he did not qualify for the second race.

Toyota is smart they will figure this NASCAR thing out and they have got to much invested to walk away. The only thing I cant figure out is how they thought BDR, MWR and Red Bull were the teams to a-line themselves with. BDR did help them with there truck program, but got sued by Dodge and lost because of it. MWR has zero points and is a start up team. They must not have seen last years races and saw how he did. They just saw a mouth. And Red Bull is a new team with a new manufacture. You cant expect to much from them.



well dont forget that it is a new team and a new manufacturer, and its only 2 races in to the season. so have to wait and see how it goes. just cuz dj is with pos doesnt mean he not a good guy or driver.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

well dont forget that it is a new team and a new manufacturer, and its only 2 races in to the season. so have to wait and see how it goes. just cuz dj is with pos doesnt mean he not a good guy or driver.


Can't blame DJ heading to the big bucks before his retirement. He may not be a sell out but he sure is cashing out.

[RGFan]

Yup, DJ did this for the money. It will be funny to see what POS has to say about DJ towards the end of the season after he misses a few more races and has used up all of his provisionals. No one should be questioning DJ's abilities, just his equipment. Hell, If I were him, I would drive a car for Morgan McClure for that money.

[JRod]

DJ is definitely cashing in/out. More than what POS has to say about DJ at the end of the year, I will be interested how long before DJ says what he really thinks about POS...

[DEZERTSUB]

So does Toyota have a fighting chance? Vickers seems to be the only competent driver...provided nobody assasinates him for what he did to 8 & 48 in the Chase last season...I assure you there is some Jr. fan out there plotting revenge for that. Oh yeah, and is anyone gonna mention the CoT?

[NIKAL]

I really think Dave Blaney will be the stand out in the Toyota camp. His first 2 finishes this year have not shown it, but look at where he was running during these races. Dave has been pretty competitve. I hope with BDR moving Tommy Baldwin over to Mayfield's team this week it does not take anything away from Blaney's team.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

I really think Dave Blaney will be the stand out in the Toyota camp. His first 2 finishes this year have not shown it, but look at where he was running during these races. Dave has been pretty competitve. I hope with BDR moving Tommy Baldwin over to Mayfield's team this week it does not take anything away from Blaney's team.

I second that... Vickers will be good too, But... If Menard makes the next three races he will become maybe a bigger story than Toyota.

[b-makk]

I second that... Vickers will be good too, But... If Menard makes the next three races he will become maybe a bigger story than Toyota.

too bad they couldn't find a bigger story than JPM. Why do they have to tell us every time he does nothing?

[DEZERTSUB]

too bad they couldn't find a bigger story than JPM. Why do they have to tell us every time he does nothing?


Reminds me of that SportsCenter host who always told us where Dick Trickle fnished!

[DEZERTBOUND]

too bad they couldn't find a bigger story than JPM. Why do they have to tell us every time he does nothing?

Because to fill the stands and buy the nick-nacks ( NASCAR "diversity") went from black to brown...the kid can drive, but this is big business, Realy big.

[RGFan]

Reminds me of that SportsCenter host who always told us where Dick Trickle fnished!

LOL!!!!!They just liked saying his name:D They were asking the other night on Sports Center where Dick Trickle was, I laughed my arse off, in that 1st grade.."hee hee hee, he just said fart" kind of way:D :D :D

You can ask any non-race fan who are 3 drivers they can name in nascar, and 95% of the time you will get Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Dick Trickle......Two 7 time Series Champs and a guy with a cool name.

[randomracer]

its still early. i think, by the years in toyota will do good especially with the COT then its just power plant and driver and setup...

[baja stu]

I work at a CAT dealership and the new CAT car is a Toyota and there is alot of people mad about the new car being an import and not a domestic car. Maybe that’s Roush's problem. After all its a Redneck American sport. How many other ethnic groups do you see at a race besides a bunch of Red neck, mullet , tank top wearing people.
I myself like to see some diversity in the sport and Toyota is defiantly ruffling peoples feathers.

[RGFan]

I work at a CAT dealership and the new CAT car is a Toyota and there is alot of people mad about the new car being an import and not a domestic car. Maybe that’s Roush's problem. After all its a Redneck American sport. How many other ethnic groups do you see at a race besides a bunch of Red neck, mullet , tank top wearing people.
I myself like to see some diversity in the sport and Toyota is defiantly ruffling peoples feathers.

Diversity is great. But the Teams that Toyota chose....... Not so much.As far as being a redneck american sport, it has been mainstream for the last 7 years . Where have you been??? It ranks #2 in popularity next to the NFL

[22REKid]

As a hardcore Toyota fan I am happy to see them racing NASCAR. I heard on another forum that I go to that people were saying that it was unpatriotic for Toyota to start racing NASCAR when the big 3 are struggling with sales and big $ losses. That is utterly ridiculas for people to say. If anything Toyota coming in is a good thing for the growth of the sport. People who were never NASCAR fans (myself), will probably start watching to root for Toyota. I haven't missed a race this season and I find myself watching it closely and watching all the recap shows. That's something that I have never done before. Regardless weather they win or lose it's good to see a change and IMO, I think more manufacturers should do it (Nissan, Honda etc...). I agree that the teams that Toyota has are not the best, but they are still new to NASCAR and as soon as all the bugs get worked out maybe more teams will be intreasted in what Toyota has to offer. I see a win in the near future.

[RGFan]

As a hardcore Toyota fan I am happy to see them racing NASCAR. I heard on another forum that I go to that people were saying that it was unpatriotic for Toyota to start racing NASCAR when the big 3 are struggling with sales and big $ losses. That is utterly ridiculas for people to say. If anything Toyota coming in is a good thing for the growth of the sport. People who were never NASCAR fans (myself), will probably start watching to root for Toyota. I haven't missed a race this season and I find myself watching it closely and watching all the recap shows. That's something that I have never done before. Regardless weather they win or lose it's good to see a change and IMO, I think more manufacturers should do it (Nissan, Honda etc...). I agree that the teams that Toyota has are not the best, but they are still new to NASCAR and as soon as all the bugs get worked out maybe more teams will be intreasted in what Toyota has to offer. I see a win in the near future.

Good points made. A little tidbit....Toyota is building the Camry in the USA. Ford is building the Fusion in Mexico, Chevy is building the Monte Carlo in Canada. People can say that all of the profits are going to Japan, but most of the Profits for Chrysler are going to Germany (Daimler). Toyota is providing alot of jobs in America, and they build a superior product. It hurts to hear, but it is a fact. On an equal maintenance schedule with two comparable products, you will get more mileage per dollar out of a Toyota than you will from one of the Big 3. I own a Ford F-150 and a Toyota 4 Runner Limited. This is our 2nd Toyota. The first had 275,000 on it when we sold it. WE had it smogged before we sold it and the tech thought we messed with the fuel. It had better numbers then in years passed. It now has close to 350,000 and has the original drivetrain in it. No problems at all, it tows a set of wave runners to the river all summer long. My father in-law has a 2002 Tundra with the 4.7 V-8. He does rock crusher sales and is constantly traveling to Cal, Nev, Az. He just turned 400,000, same exact story. ENough said

[Bricoop]

Introducing the car of yesterday:

NASCAR Unveils New 'Car Of Yesterday'
March 29, 2007
By The Onion Sports
Special to CBS SportsLine.com



This story is fictional sports news meant for entertainment only.

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Only days after its long-anticipated, much-criticized Car of Tomorrow debuted to overwhelmingly negative reviews at the Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR responded to the wishes of competitors and fans alike by introducing the stylishly retro, technologically retrograde NEXTEL Cup Car of Yesterday.

"This is exactly what everyone from race teams to race fans wanted all along -- a real American racecar," said Robby Gordon, standing in front of the Jim Beam '77 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme he will drive for the rest of the season. "To hell with things like spoilers, adjustable suspensions, disc brakes, shoulder belts, all that junk. People want to see us racing the cars they drive every day, and anyone who's seen the parking lot at a NASCAR race will tell you that's what the Car of Yesterday gives them."

Based on tried-and-true NASCAR designs from what many consider the golden age of stock-car racing, the Car Of Yesterday is based on the racing team's choice of four-door body styles: either the '77 Cutlass Supreme, the '79 Chevrolet Caprice Classic, the '78 Dodge Diplomat, the '77 Ford Granada, the '77 Mercury Gran Marquis, or for series newcomers Toyota, the 1989 Corolla. All cars, regardless of body style, must have fully reclining seats, column shifters, vinyl tops, ashtrays, and automatically retracting seatbelts. Adding spoilers and air dams for purposes other than providing advertising space is forbidden, although teams will be allowed to bolt wooden 2-by-8 planks to their front and rear bumpers for the contact-heavy short-track races. Mechanically, all cars will be basically identical, featuring 360-cubic-inch V-8 engines with the air filters reversed, "glass-pack" mufflers, and factory power steering.

"Our primary concern with the Car of Yesterday was safety," said NASCAR competition director Robin Pemberton. "The fans hate that ****. We had to keep that in mind when we went back to the drawing board, so we took away anything that increased grip, improved handling, or prevented a stock car from experiencing a sudden and total loss of control. NASCAR isn't about the cars, it's about the drivers. And the Car of Yesterday keeps the driver involved with the vehicle, whether he's just driving it or, ideally, crashing it."


NASCAR's Car of Yesterday. (Photo/Onion Sports) (Getty Images)
The Car of Yesterday underwent intensive single-car and multi-car tests earlier this week at Daytona, Texas Motor Speedway, and Martinsville, with testing director Brett Bodine and his crew wrecking 34 cars in routine driving. An enthusiastic Bodine reported the new design passed with flying colors.

"I could barely keep the thing out of the wall. It swapped ends, got way loose, and nearly spun out with little to no warning. Sometimes it dove down towards the infield for no reason I ever did figure out, and once coming off the banking at Daytona it rebounded off the suspension stops hard enough to bounce the whole front end in the air," said Bodine, who was pronounced healthy and released from Daytona Beach Memorial Hospital early Wednesday afternoon. "It may be the best all-around NASCAR stocker I've ever driven. I wish they had these cars when I was still racing, but unfortunately, they'd advanced past that point by then."

Drivers were unanimously positive when informed of the Car of Yesterday and praised NASCAR's courage in pursuing a deign philosophy that satisfied fans and racers alike.

"Like I said before, that Car of Tomorrow was crap," said Kyle Busch, who won the March 25 race in which the controversial design debuted. "It kind of stuck to the track in a boring way, and just sort of went where you pointed it. But this car reminds me of the ones I grew up watching -- not just on the track, but on the two-lane highway outside of town. Hell, for all I know, this one was there."

NASCAR president Mike Helton is currently working closely with all competing teams, current Nextel Cup drivers, and a network of salvage yards and used-car dealers to make sure every team has enough cars and spares for the Car of Yesterday's debut race, currently scheduled for April 29 at Talladega Superspeedway, the largest tri-oval on the Nextel Cup circuit and one of NASCAR's fastest and most challenging tracks.

"We want to make sure fans have a strong first impression of the Car of Yesterday," said Helton. "And believe me, seeing a few dozen of these all-American road-hugging beauties roaring flat-out into Talladega's Turn One is something they'll be talking about for years."

http://images.sportsline.com/u/photos/img10095943.jpg

[bajafox]

^^I gotta steal that one!