Toyota and USAC
 

Looks like Toyota got serious about USAC

Could be an interesting way for some teams to make some extra money

http://usacracing.com/Sponsors_files...ontingency.pdf

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

Boy O Boy!

I want me a Chi-neeze chassis and a Japi-neeze en-gine!:wink

25 years ago this would be a prescription for an a$$ kickin' just showing up at a dirt track with this stuff!:icon_smile_blackeye

My O My how time changes things!:headbang

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

Ahhh Soooo!!! Serious Yen, indeed!:eek::applaud::respect:

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

Maybe 55-65 years ago, but 25 years ago(1983) many Americans already owned Honda's and Toyota's. Chrysler did have the "K" car though. That was something a proud American could get behind.

How come there wasn't this much backlash when Mark Gehrke ran a Toyota midget and Louis Senter(SEC Wheels) had wheels made over seas?

I surely don't remember this much anger when the VW midget motor was the most dominant engine.

Hell, there were Chinese built Midget,Sprint and Silver Crown racecars from the late 60's until the mid 80's. People like Parnelli Jones,Sonny Knepper, and Galen Fox owned them. My family even owned one of the midgets.

They were built by a chinese man named Grant King.

Personally, I feel this sport needs all of the help it can get and if Toyota is willing to give back, then good for them and good for USAC for putting the deal together.

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

I'll admit I'm not a fan of "foreign" car companies, but that's become a somewhat relative term these days.

I am definitely not a fan of Toyota, but I give them credit for getting into grassroots open wheel racing. Like it or not, racing needs support from big time companies with money.

If Toyota's involvement with open wheel racing makes the sport better, I'm all for it. My hope is their involvement will cause everyone to step up their game. I love watching those Toyotas get beat, especially by an Esslinger Ford!

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

IIRC, Gehrke's effort was not factory backed. He was a hobbyist that owned a Toyota dealership in Panama, City Florida and he did it to sort of advertise his dealership. The engine was a miserable failure.

Grant King I think was a transplanted Chinese/Canadian.

The VW engine was not a factory effort and eventually became an Autocraft I think which was American made.

I have owned one Japanese car out of many over the years and I'm sorry I bought it. I dumped it after 8 months.

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

I was just having some fun with the introduction of the 1st TRD motor for Silver Crown and Sprint cars. By the way, TRD is short for Toyota Racing Development (not turd as it looks like).

I am all for teams having a chance to make more money! :thumb

But let me test your age and your knowledge, 1983 the pits at Paragon/Putnamville/Bloomington, pick any night, park your GREEN painted Chinese chassis powered by a Toyota next to Big Ol' Bob Kinsers car and either move it, load up and leave or get your ass kicked all the way to the road!

:rolling :rolling

That I can see actually happening!

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

I don't see the difference in factory backed efforts and one off efforts using foreign produced parts. Just because American companies like Scat and Auto-Craft assembled the engines in America, doesn't change the fact that the design was developed in Germany and that many of the parts were still produced in Germany and Mexico.

As far as Grant goes, I realize he was Chinese/Canadian, but he was still Chinese and Canadian.

I didn't know him very well, but my dad worked for him for 25 or more years. And no, it wasn't my dads job to remove the vin numbers. He just held them in place while Grant tacked them on.

As far as foreign produced cars go, like American cars, there are some good ones and some bad ones.

C'mon, you had to suspect that the Yugo wasn't going to be a very good car. I mean the Renault maybe, but no way on the Yugo.

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

I'm all for a good American V-8 sprinter backin er in. All those midget engines are great too. GM got back into the Indy Cars until Toyota out spent and performed them. Then came Honda with their motorcyle like never break down reliability and out performed Toyota. Looks to me like USAC has the most diverse bunch of power plants going in any racing organization. I would just as soon see one of the big 3 sponsor USAC but what the hell. (national midgets Mopar) It's funny to me to see how mad the napcar people get now that Toyota has trenched in down south. What was that German named engine that dominated at one time for decades....

Re: Toyota and USAC
 

If that is how it was then, I for one am glad times have changed. There is nothing wrong with Toyota coming in! And if you can find a cheaper chassis without comprimising safety, why not? :kookoo