Toyota Hybrid for the Pace Car

[Young Gun]

Sorry, I'm not even of fan of Nascar, but I think this is too far...



CONCORD, N.C. -- A hybrid vehicle will be the official pace car for the first time in NASCAR during next month's Coca-Cola 600.
The Camry lent by Toyota had to pass a NASCAR performance test. The hybrid must reach speeds close to 100 mph by the time it reaches the second turn of Lowe's Motor Speedway from a standby position near the exit of pit road.
The Camry was built at Toyota's facility in Georgetown, Ky. NASCAR star Denny Hamlin (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/driver?seriesId=2&driverId=747) was to introduce the car during a test drive Tuesday at Lowe's.
NASCAR used a Ford Fusion Hybrid at the start of last November's season-finale at Homestead, but it was replaced by a traditional pace car for the rest of the race.

[moreHP]

Thats pretty lame. They should stick with a performance car. :wedgie:

[Samckitt]

:barf:

[claytonisbob]

Could have been a Prius.

[nicks67camaro]

The pace car is only a marketing tool.

[martZ]

What a bunch of crap!

[vp23271]

I hope it breaks down and catches fire after turn 2 :drive2:

[twosaturns]

guys, settle down. NASCAR is just a marketing tool. w/o sponsors, there isn't ANY racing at all. just be glad Toyota still wants to support the program.

[mc84_zz4]

I am embarrassed of what NASCAR has become. Sell outs!
Next things they will be racing on recycled swap water, and have a top speed of 65mph, Oh! and 3 tires only; to further reduce the use of petroleum products.
:machine:

[poormans69]

I think that wouls actually make Nascar more interesting. I might watch it then.

[poormans69]

Except the 65 mph. 200 mph on three wheels, then I'd watch.

[CHRIS67]

The crowd will probably give the car the Jeff Gordon treatment.

[JEFFTATE]

Marketing....
Nothing wrong with marketing to the masses.
It's the dumb masses that keep industries going..
Not the few smart people.

[shortrack]

Well!............................................. ..never mind:bsjerk:

[DaviRotten]

Im not a fan of nascar. And I realize that a pace car is a marketing tool. But this is still going to far.

[MonzaRacer]

Never knock one of the hybrids as I have driven them and most will blow you away at how torquey they are.
May also get to realign a Tesla Roadster next month so Ill let ya know how it runs.

[Derek69SS]

Marketing....
Nothing wrong with marketing to the masses.
It's the dumb masses that keep industries going..
Not the few smart people.
Yes, but I think they've miscalculated their target-audience... NASCAR fans aren't much for hybrids.

[twosaturns]

Yes, but I think they've miscalculated their target-audience... NASCAR fans aren't much for hybrids.
I would say don't underestimate the 'typical' NASCAR fan; there are way too many of them to say they are all the same; I'd be willing to bet there are plenty of tundra P/U's in the parking lot of a NASCAR race. I doubt many of them will give a F about what the pace car is.

[Fuelie Fan]

Yeah! Like the good old days! When they'd use a pace car like the Chevy Beretta!

Oh wait...


Thats pretty lame. They should stick with a performance car. :wedgie:

[martZ]

Resist the eco-sissy fascism!

[Damn True]

Yes, but I think they've miscalculated their target-audience... NASCAR fans aren't much for hybrids.

You are missing the point.

The guy with the #3 shaved into his back hair and the redneck morons that boo Toyota and Juan Pablo Montoya are probably not into hybrids. But, those dolts are not the majority, and they don't have money anyway.

The move is aimed at getting the attention of 2-3 other groups beyond the hayseeds that combined are a majority, are influential and do have money.

a) The casual fan and that persons significant other
b) The marketing organizations of potential sponsors
c) Congress

[trapin]

I used to really love NASCAR; was a big Dale Earnhardt fan. Now today I don't pay a lick of attention to it.

I liken it almost to professional heavyweight boxing; another sport that used to be great before greed and corruption screwed it up.

A NASCAR with Japanese sedans buzzing around a track and every car virtually being the same car save for different stickers and non-production engines is not the NASCAR I remember. I don't know what the hell you would call it, but it ain't "stock car" racing.

[Damn True]

I used to really love NASCAR; was a big Dale Earnhardt fan. Now today I don't pay a lick of attention to it.

I liken it almost to professional heavyweight boxing; another sport that used to be great before greed and corruption screwed it up.

A NASCAR with Japanese sedans buzzing around a track and every car virtually being the same car save for different stickers and non-production engines is not the NASCAR I remember. I don't know what the hell you would call it, but it ain't "stock car" racing.


It's a SPEC series. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different. The interest is in tactics and driver skill.

I would prefer it if the rulebook were based more on production tubs, but it isn't and frankly at the speeds they are going it would be awfully tough to make production based cars safe enough.

[6'9"Witha69]

It's a SPEC series. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different. The interest is in tactics and driver skill.

I would prefer it if the rulebook were based more on production tubs, but it isn't and frankly at the speeds they are going it would be awfully tough to make production based cars safe enough.
The need started back with the Superbirds and Daytonas. Over 200 MPH and just about nothing more than a roll bar welded in. Safety has come a long way, and part of that kis regulating how the inner structure is built for maximum security and strength.

Now, the argument that other suspension designs and EFI would make it imposiible for smaller teams to compete, BS. As it is only those with $$$$$$$ make it to the winner's circle. Start phasing in current technology one year at a time.

\Oh well
\\Rant (file://\\Rant) off
\\\Off topic anyways

[shortrack]

You are missing the point.

The guy with the #3 shaved into his back hair and the redneck morons that boo Toyota and Juan Pablo Montoya are probably not into hybrids. But, those dolts are not the majority, and they don't have money anyway.

The move is aimed at getting the attention of 2-3 other groups beyond the hayseeds that combined are a majority, are influential and do have money.

a) The casual fan and that persons significant other
b) The marketing organizations of potential sponsors
c) Congress


even before this current economic downturn but after Toyota was allowed to join attendance and TV ratings were down.....It was at its highest just before the death of Dale sr when the sport was "hayseed" central......they keep trying to fix something that wasn't broke......all their (Brian France's) "fresh" efforts to broaden the exposure of the sport to other car makes and other races of fans have failed and have resulted in lower TV ratings and some empty seats that hasn't been seen in decades......

IMO they should have left it alone.....so what if its a redneck sport, embrace it.....no matter how hard you try you wont get everybody and your alienating your core fan base.

[shortrack]

Now, the argument that other suspension designs and EFI would make it imposiible for smaller teams to compete, BS. As it is only those with $$$$$$$ make it to the winner's circle. Start phasing in current technology one year at a time.

\Oh well
\\Rant (file://\\Rant) off
\\\Off topic anyways

Not BS.....It is SO much more complicated that that.....did you know that before the change to the COT top teams had front running cars that were 4 and 5 yrs old!....the ability to run an existing chassis is key to keeping costs down......new $$$ technology will mean more speed....they already go too fast at Daytona and Talledega and need a restrictor plate to garantee the cars will stay out of the stands in a crash.....and before the slower COT was introduced there was serious talk of a restrictor plate at Atlanta....

Also, that old truck arm chassis is also used in the Bush / Nationwide series, Winston West, Busch North and West, Arca and Hooters Cup among others....this gives the Cup teams a market for used race cars to offset costs but the big picture (and part of Nascar's genious) is it gives small teams in lower series some experience and feel for the chassis they will run in the big time (Cup) thus giving them added confidence to step up another rung on the racing ladder (eg from Hooters Cup to Arca, from Arca to Busch) and eventually to Cup......just like Nascar wants it.

remember when Busch ran V6's?.....the reason they went back to V8s was because the v6 cars were so much slower than the V8 cup cars it was too much of a change in performance for the teams to comfortably and confidently move up from Busch to Cup.


there was talk of making the Busch (Nationwide) series go to the COT......Dale Jr and several other teams with cars in the series said if they went through with it they would pull their teams from the series.....they didnt want to junk a dozen race cars each.

[dadto2jays]

Toyota is "KING" they pretty much can do whatever they want they have the $$$$$ and the REST dont....