Manufacturer has proven itself in truck series; U.S. teams fret

08:34 PM CDT on Thursday, June 8, 2006

FORT WORTH – Contrary to gloom-and-doom rhetoric, NASCAR's world as we know it will not end when Toyota enters Nextel Cup next season.

Trepidation over Toyota's move to Cup in 2007 has soared among other NASCAR competitors.

Entering tonight's Sam's Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, Toyota drivers hold the top six spots in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.

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That type of domination has fueled fears from other manufacturers and teams.

If Toyota can do that in the truck series, will they do the same in Cup?

The feeling is Toyota will outspend everyone to win. Jim Aust, president of Toyota Racing Development, doesn't see it that way.

"People don't know how much Ford is spending, or GM and Dodge," Aust said. "We've been trying to get that information. Nobody seems to have it.

"Yet, the general idea is Toyota is spending more money. There's nothing to justify those statements."

The rumors on Toyota's spending increased last month when Dale Jarrett signed with Michael Waltrip's new Toyota team for a reported $20 million over two years.

Waltrip denies those lofty figures, but Jarrett's move next season prompted more talk that Toyota will spend whatever it takes to get any driver, crew chief or crew member it needs from other teams.

"None of us at Toyota had even met Dale Jarrett until after the announcement was made," Aust said. "Teams come to us and say, 'This is a driver we're looking at. Do you have any issues with him?' But that's it. The team's sponsors pay the drivers, not Toyota."

When Toyota entered the truck series in 2004, most people assumed in was a steppingstone to Cup. Toyota officials insist that wasn't true, but nevertheless, here they are.

What scares some Cup competitors is the way Toyota does things. All the Toyota teams operate as one unit. Toyota supplies engines, chassis and engineering technology that the each team uses.

It's not done that way among teams with other manufacturers. Ask Ted Musgrave.

He joined Toyota's Germain Motorsports truck team this season after winning the truck championship for Dodge last year. He also drove a Ford for Roush Racing in the Cup series.

Dodge officials say they use the one-team concept, but Musgrave disputes that claim.

"No information was shared with us," he said. "Pretty much everybody just lied to each other.

"But here, I can open up this notebook and see what every Toyota team has for its setup this weekend. If gives you a direction to go in. I could walk over to Jack Sprague's [Toyota] truck right now with a tape measure if I wanted to."

Jack Roush and Roush Racing president Geoff Smith have criticized Toyota's method of operation. Smith recently told reporters that Toyota officials were offering sponsorship discounts in the truck series and funding the difference themselves.

"That's an extremely false statement," Aust said. "We are not providing any sponsorship dollars to any of these teams."

Musgrave said Roush Racing officials should look in the mirror.

"That's almost like the pot calling the kettle black," Musgrave said. "I have seen Roush tell sponsors, 'I will give you five cars instead of one.' "

Regardless of what Toyota does, costs will go up in Cup next year with the new Car of Tomorrow being used at some venues.

Aust said Toyota hopes to have its COT ready by the end of the month. Toyota also has a new Camry design in 2007, so Toyota Racing is changing the nose of its upcoming Cup car to reflect that change.

That's expensive stuff, but it's an expense every manufacturer endures.

It's true that the cost of doing business in the truck series rose when Toyota came onboard. But it also rose a few years earlier when Dodge came in.

"I remember everybody saying the same stuff about Dodge," Musgrave said. "The truth is everybody fears change. But what makes the difference for Toyota is they have taken their time and hired the best people."

E-mail tblount@dallasnews.com