Originally Posted by jdull99:
20 year old Mopar won Saturday night...what's everyone know about that engine? Few updates along the way I'd presume...
Updates are to be found in the small details (piston source, rocker arm source, bearing source, etc.). The essentials, that determine torque & power, were in place when the engine was first completed.
What changed? Manufacturer support, and hence, product placement. Recall that the Daimler-Chrysler lashup was in turmoil; in NASCAR both Penske and Evernham had been strong Mopar runners, but were left in the cold when Daimler pulled out.
For Toyota, motorsport involvement is simply about name exposure. The letters "SC" in NASCAR are Stock Car; the Toyota 2-valve, pushrod V8 engine was never in a road going Stock Car, it exists only for racing.
