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My grandfather drives a Toyota Camry. So does my roommate, on his commute to Staples.
Soon, Tony Stewart will, too.
And while it may model a family sedan - and seem far less menacing than the mean and macho Monte Carlos to which he's accustomed - it might be just the vehicle Stewart needs to ensure he'll be a Nextel Cup contender for the rest of his career.
Toyota may be unproven in stock cars, and suffering through a miserable first year after hitching itself to a series of substandard teams, but nevertheless the decision by Joe Gibbs Racing to shift to its brand from Chevrolet was the right one for the company's long-term strength.
With its soon-to-be-former manufacturer, Gibbs was always going to be sharing resources with three of its primary competitors. Hendrick Motorsports has committed to General Motors through 2012, while Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc., appear invested for the long haul as well - and they're only going to get stronger and more unified after agreeing over the summer to merge their engine programs.
But by going to Toyota, Gibbs won't have to worry about the impact of those arrangements on the information and attention they're receiving. Instead, they'll be the top team for a manufacturer looking to make its mark in a foreign market, flush with cash and willing to do whatever it takes to make itself a winner.
"For us, it was a matter of, who are we going to be partnered with going forward? I think for us, this is the right partner," JGR President J.D. Gibbs said. "If you look inside GM, all those groups currently already have partnerships established.
"I think for us, this is really our partnership going forward."
And it'll work because it brings together two accomplished organizations whose ongoing success is now dependent upon the other, and with that pressure will have no choice but to perform.
Gibbs should have little trouble holding up its end of the bargain, given the talent in its stable. Aside from Stewart - who's a two-time Cup champ - they have Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch under long-term contracts, those two having won the last two rookie of the year awards, and about to join Stewart in chasing a championship for the second straight year. Even looking down the road, they've got a gem in development driver Joey Logano, who is in line to win the Busch East Series as a 17-year-old.
The question, though, comes on Toyota's end of the deal. And that's why Gibbs is taking a bit of a gamble. Toyota has the employees dedicated to NASCAR and its racing division to make things happen, and has facilities both in North Carolina and in California -- but it's yet to prove it can translate those resources to the track.
Over the course of the year, Gibbs's Senior Vice President Jimmy Makar says Chevy provides them with support in aerodynamics development, so Toyota will be leaned on for that, but the biggest challenge will be changing over all their engines. With the Car of Tomorrow commanding uniform bodies, the engine will be the biggest issue. But Gibbs doesn't think the transition will be too difficult.
"I think Toyota is going to work with us," said Mike Ford, Hamlin's crew chief. "We've got more support on development and things like that, so on the car side, really no concerns."
Entering last night's race at Richmond, Toyota's top car according to the standings was driven by Dave Blaney, who was 33rd, while many of the manufacturer's entries weren't good enough to be guaranteed a spot in the field each week. But Gibbs expects that to change next year. Immediately.
He said he wouldn't have made the move had he not felt the Gibbs-Toyota tandem was capable of instant success - and the rest of his organization seems to believe it, too. Stewart says he wants a contract extension. Hamlin trusts his bosses.
And everyone says they're ready to run up front - both on the track and with their manufacturer.
"We just felt that from a growing standpoint, we wanted to be on the leading edge of being the top team for a manufacturer," said Steve Addington, who'll be Busch's crew chief. "We want to lead Toyota in the championships and win, so it was a nobrainer for us."
East heads east
A couple of weeks ago, it looked as though the Busch East's Aubuchon Hardware 125, slated for Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway, might include Logano's coronation as series champ - but Matt Kobyluck is doing everything he can to keep it a contest until the final week of the season.
Logano comes to Loudon for the season's penultimate race with an 82-point edge that's shrinking not because of his own inefficiency, but because Kobyluck has been so strong. Finishing first and second in the two most recent races, respectively, he now has at least an outside shot of catching the hot-shot kid.
Especially if he can pick up 40 points at New Hampshire, and trim the deficit in half, things could get really interesting as the series heads to Dover for its finale.
Truckin' to NHIS
Speaking of narrow title races, none is better in NASCAR right now than that between Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Skinner led the tour for 14 weeks by virtue of his 13 top-five finishes over the first 16 races, but with a runner-up run last week, Hornaday overtook him by just four points. Off this week, that's how they'll head to New Hampshire - and then they'll leave with just seven races to settle things.
"We just keep finishing in the top five, and try to win some races, and keep the pressure on everybody," Hornaday said. "We can't lay over; we have to do that for this championship."
Inside the oval
• While last night's race lacked the drama recent last-chance-for-the-Chase races at Richmond have had, consider how different it would've been had the number of qualifiers stayed at 10. Clint Bowyer (25 points ahead of 11th) and Martin Truex Jr. (20 ahead) would've certainly been sweating things out, while Kurt Busch (20 out of 10th) and Kevin Harvick (33 out) would've been racing for their season. Dale Earnhardt Jr., however, would've already been done.
• Of the seven cars Toyota attempted to qualify for the Richmond Cup race, five made it on time, while Jeremy Mayfield and Michael Waltrip each went home early.
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