Toyota in NASCAR

#1
I was reading some threads on another site and some guys are talking about how Toyota has been given "an edge" when it comes to rules.....What you guys think?
Also, anyone remember when Toyota cheated in Rally racing? Had them special turbos or something like that!!
 
#9
All the bodies look about the same - unless you read the Manufacturer emblem on the grill you wouldn't know what kind of car it was. Wish they would go back to actually racing stock body cars in stock car racing.
 
#10
All the bodies look about the same - unless you read the Manufacturer emblem on the grill you wouldn't know what kind of car it was. Wish they would go back to actually racing stock body cars in stock car racing.
This will never happen as we have become a front wheel drive, 4 door, V-6 world. When they (NASCAR) let Ford run the Taurus as a 2 door when all they made was a 4 door. This was the end of "stock cars".....

Although they must stick to guidlines, the engines differ from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The Xfinity bodies are now measured with a laser and have to be shipped to the NASCAR facility for measuring and approval before the season even begins. Then they can be re-measured at every race to the same approved specs from preseason. Bodies are standardized to make all the aero factors equal but the engines are unique to the manufacturer. That being said they are all pretty much the same parts wise. Just housed in a different sweater... Everybody runs the same tire. The same transmission. The same rear end. The same clutch. The same gauges. The same shocks. The same brakes. They even have to run the same contingency decals as specified by NASCAR. Only the numbers and the sponsor decals are unique to the team. NASCAR issues shocks to every team at the track. They can only have roller tires to transport the cars. They have to buy tires at the track for every race. Now NASCAR is issuing air guns, regulators and hoses.

These "race cars" are so screwed up suspension wise that you could not drive one off the race track onto the highway. They run positive caster on the right side and negative caster on the left side. This make the car constantly turn right. So to go down the straight away you have to steer right. They don't use the suspension for anything other than to get the car through tec. The springs have ridiculous rates of 2 to 4 thousand pounds per inch of compression. And then they have a "pigtail" that fits into a rocker seat so that the car is held up by the pigtail and as the suspension compresses at speed the spring seat rolls over and the car sits solid on the suspension stops. This is how they can run the splitter and the side skirts right on the track and not suffer from any damage as the suspension moves because it doesn't move...

And these Pigtail springs cost several hundred dollars a piece. And they might have 30 or 40 sets...

This is no longer a "sport". It has become a "cubic dollar" event.

I quit watching a long time ago unless it was a road race and that has become boring too...

It is amazing what you see and what you learn when you go to a NASCAR team shop. We spent a day at Hendrick's facility and that was definitely a "Mines bigger than yours" experience. They have CNC machines running 24 - 7 fabbing every part of the race car in house. The machine their own pistons from billet. Their own dry sump oil pans and valve covers from billet. The make their own spindles all from a solid block that weighs about 100 pounds and ends up about 8 or 9 pounds. They don't have 1 surface plate. Nope they have them for each team. 4 teams with 5 or 6 surface plates each. They are flush with the floor for hanging bodies. Flush with the floor with scales built in... They are up on stands for building the chassis. They have 5 or 6 complete crab claws hanging from the ceiling so you can push a button and lower them onto the body when you are hanging the skin.

Its a rich mans game. There will be no more poor boys that run on a shoe string. The shoe string teams have a couple of million dollar budget. The days of Wendell Scott are no more. If you don't recognize the name google him. He drove the race car and changed his own tires during a pit stop.

Doug
 
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delray

Well-Known Member
#11
nothing to do with toyota? or maybe. anybody watch the atlanta race . not even half the grandstands where filled:doah:
nascar is really starting to get bad now. they seem to want to kick anybody out that is over 40 now? so your telling me the dale jr can't race with the young crowd or how about matt kenseth and what the hell is with the new way they race...:eek:ut:
and yes the cars they race today are not stock cars. what about some of the new open wide computer generated tracks they built.cars run like indy cars on them tracks. they all spread apart. nascar is almost as bad as wrestling..........fake.
 
#12
nothing to do with toyota? or maybe. anybody watch the atlanta race . not even half the grandstands where filled:doah:
nascar is really starting to get bad now. they seem to want to kick anybody out that is over 40 now? so your telling me the dale jr can't race with the young crowd or how about matt kenseth and what the hell is with the new way they race...:eek:ut:
and yes the cars they race today are not stock cars. what about some of the new open wide computer generated tracks they built.cars run like indy cars on them tracks. they all spread apart. nascar is almost as bad as wrestling..........fake.
i agree with your statement. NASCAR has went down the drain.
 
#14
Thought everyone might find this interesting.....

This was discussed in class yesterday. If you attend a race as a team your minimum expense for the weekends activity, depending on the track location is between $270,000.00 and $400,000.00. This includes transportation for car and crew, track expenses, tires, motel rooms, food, fuel and whatever else it takes to make it happen. This is across the board. Doesn't matter where you qualify or where you finish.

Doug
 
#17
Sigh...i haven't watched NASCAR since the mid 70s..as a kid gazing up at the tv watching them trade paint.The rivalry between manufacturers instead of every car exactly the same...i can understand the logic behind equally built cars but it takes something away
 
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#18
Sigh...i haven't watched NASCAR since the mid 70s..as a kid gazing up at the tv watching them trade paint.The rivalry between manufacturers instead of every car exactly the same...i can understand the logic behind equally built cars but it takes something away
In the 70's the winner won by 8 laps , what kind of excitement and drama was that ? The racing is closer and more competitive than ever .
 
#20
To me, Gassers tearing up the 1/4 mile beats going around in circles for 3 hours....jmo.
Drag Racing is like teenage sex.... Its over way to fast.

Now if you want to watch exciting racing then watch the Australian Touring cars. That's hard core racing at it best. And the track that I would love to attend a race at is the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. Its a mountain race. Up 1 side and down the other only to go back up again...

Here is a good link to Mount Panorama.

https://www.nmrm.com.au/bathurst/mount-pan

Look at the lap record set by Allen Moffat in 1972 driving a Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III. There were only a handful of these built but you could buy them right off the dealers front line. They are claimed to be capable of 160 MPH right off the lot. 351 Cleveland's, 4 speeds and 4 doors. And of course... the steering wheel is on the wrong side.

These guys are as close to the 70 Trans Am racing as it gets. The "good old days"...

Doug

Pic your poison...

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...31k1j0i8i13i30k1j0i8i13i10i30k1.0.SzyMAUy0Hbk



Take the ride..


[video=youtube;faz0o7k4zGQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faz0o7k4zGQ[/video]
 
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