It was reported by Scene Daily that after the Truck Series race at Bristol on August 20th, NASCAR took engines from eight teams for analysis. They took two Toyotas, two Fords, a Dodge, and three Chevrolet engines. I’m hearing from a source that the horsepower numbers are in, and the Toyota engines have as much as an 18hp advantage over some of the other manufacturers.
The success Toyota has enjoyed this season in NASCAR continues to be a major topic of discussion among the fans and the media outlets and if this information becomes official, look for this to fuel the fire. Toyotas have won nine of the sixteen Truck Series races so far this season, and as of today the Japanese auto maker is leading the Manufacturer Points Standings in all three series.
#71 Truck Team Shut Down? On August 30th, Jayski ran a snippet about Donny Lia being out of the #71 truck at TRG Motorsports and said that Andy Lally may run some races in that truck. I’ve heard today that the #71 may be shutting down completely and that a few employees were released from the team.
Lia, a long time Modified racer in the Northeast, splashed onto the Truck Series scene this year by winning a wild race at Mansfield. But even with the win, the team has only averaged a 17th place effort for the season.
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on Sep 2nd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
on Sep 3rd, 2008 at 11:43 am
I have a question. Why can’t a manf. have an advantage in HP as long as the engine is legal? Maybe NASCAR just needs to chain all the cars together to keep them competive.
on Sep 3rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Bruce: Thanks for the note, we are glad you enjoy the blog and we appreciate you deciding to leave a comment.
Zieke: I would tend to agree with you in the sense that teams and manufacturers should be allowed to work within the rules and if they find a way to be better, then they shouldn’t be penalized for it. I think the issue with Toyota here, is the same one we had some years back when Dodge came to town. These new manufacturers seem to get a little extra in terms of performance so they can compete early on. And at some point, the other teams’ complaints are finally heard and NASCAR decides to rectify the situation. I do believe NASCAR is teetering on the edge of having a series where everyone runs spec cars.