Alright. The stage is set for a fun month in Florida. We got the Chicago Bears ready to kick of Indianapolis Ass at Superbowl 41 (fuck that roman numeral crap). But right now down the line is the biggest event to the year, the Daytona 500. Any serious tailgater would be smart and just go from Miami right to the Daytona International Speedway parking lot. With a bunch of friendly NASCAR fans, Speed Weeks, Bike Week, warm weather, and tailgating as seriously as it gets, Summer has some competition. Now I could dream of nothing more than telling my boss, I’m going to Florida from Feb 2nd to the 20th to enjoy America’s finest events. Hell, give me an air card and a generator with plenty of gas, I can work from anywhere! Then reality sets in.

But that isn’t why I’m writing a blog entry more than 2 sentences for once! NASCAR.com has an article on how only two Toyota Camry’s have a guaranteed spot in the Daytona 500, while there are 8 trying to make their way in. Now, it is good to know that Dale Jarrett in the #44 UPS Toyota Camry (I know your still thinkin’ about that #88 Ford Fusion) has a spot based on his championship provisional. Dave Blaney also will have a spot when the green flag drops since the car number itself was 27th in owners points at the end of the year. The other six Toyota Camrys will have to fight their way in during the Gatorade 150s.

Now, I don’t expect Toyota to make a bold start, especially at Daytona where DEI and Hendrick seem to dominate. But, look at the current situations in NASCAR. Ford took a hit in 2006, but they did change from the Taurus to the Fusion. Chevy announced their change this year. Will they see the same fall Ford did? Before you answer that, don’t forget that Chevy outnumbers the field. Look at Dodge, they really got it going after a couple of years. Even though I drive a Toyota, I have to say Dodge will be the make to watch out for this year. I expect to see Ford make somewhat of a comeback also.

Now, Im sure Toyota will be able to pull a few wins. Im positive we won’t see the success the Tundras have in the Truck series for a couple of years, but after some time they will be right up there. They are about to overtake GM in sales. Now, Im sure someone reading this is going to bitch that “Toyota ain’t American, and they don’t belong in NASCAR.” All I have to say on that is Toyotas are made here in America. Chevy and Ford both send plenty of work to cheap Mexican and Canadian labor, which may explain why they break after you pay the damn thing off. But enough about that.

Just remember, success takes a certian amount of time. There is only so much you can do with testing(which is very limited to NASCAR’s rules). It was nice to see some Car of Tomorrow testing at the Milwaukee Mile before I moved! If Toyota can replicate what they did in the Truck Series, they will be a competitive, if not a dominating force in NASCAR. Once the Camry starts winning races, and gains the acceptance it deserves, you know its only a matter of time before Nissan gets into NASCAR. Both Toyota and Nissan have their shit together and are doing everything it takes to become the dominating force in the American Market. Hell, look at this article on how Toyota is going to try to make a sub $7,000 car.

So, this should be an interesting next month. GO BEARS!!! And I sure hope Dale Jarrett can try to show off the #44 UPS Toyota Camry with a nice starting spot in the Daytona 500. Now, after all this writing, I am going to bed. I don’t think I’ve written this month since College.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 22nd, 2007 at 11:42 pm and is filed under My Rants, NASCAR. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.