Filed under: Motorsports, Trends
Toyota's race to be all-American
Last month, Toyota Motor Corp. joined NASCAR to compete in both the
Nextel and Busch series next year. Reaction to the company’s participation in the “Great American
Sport”, especially in the Nextel race, has been decidingly mixed among drivers and NASCAR fans, according to
Steve Lannen of the Lexington Herald-Leader. "I'm not going to root for the cars,” said fan Al High when asked about Toyota’s entry. “I'm going to root for the drivers." Another fan, Glen Barber, said "it doesn't bother me they're in racing. ... It's just another nose piece (front of car) and a brand name.”
But fan Glen Wilkinson was definitely not accommodating. “It won’t be NASCAR,” he stated. “It will be ‘Japanese car’.” And while he’s aware that Toyota has plants in the U.S. building vehicles (called 'transplants') he added, "I know we got a plant up there (in Georgetown), but it's not American. I think they ought to just ship it out of here, anything that's not American-made."
[Continued after the jump]
"I'm not going to root for the cars,” said fan Al High when asked about Toyota’s entry. “I'm
going to root for the drivers." Another fan, Glen Barber, said "it doesn't bother me they're in racing. ...
It's just another nose piece (front of car) and a brand name.”
But fan Glen Wilkinson was definitely not accommodating. “It won’t be NASCAR,” he stated. “It will be ‘Japanese car’.” And while he’s aware that Toyota has plants in the U.S. building vehicles (called 'transplants') he added, "I know we got a plant up there (in Georgetown), but it's not American. I think they ought to just ship it out of here, anything that's not American-made."
Toyota is apparently aware of the situation and sees participation in NASCAR as a further extension to its American factories, employment, and reputation. Said said Jim Farley, vice president of marketing for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., "we (Toyota) hope, if we do it right, it's a way to be seen as a part of America, not just a company with a big check.
To be truly an American company, we can't just employ Americans, we can't just help the economy. We have to be a part of the culture of America."
[Lexington Herald-Leader via Mercury News]
But fan Glen Wilkinson was definitely not accommodating. “It won’t be NASCAR,” he stated. “It will be ‘Japanese car’.” And while he’s aware that Toyota has plants in the U.S. building vehicles (called 'transplants') he added, "I know we got a plant up there (in Georgetown), but it's not American. I think they ought to just ship it out of here, anything that's not American-made."
Toyota is apparently aware of the situation and sees participation in NASCAR as a further extension to its American factories, employment, and reputation. Said said Jim Farley, vice president of marketing for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., "we (Toyota) hope, if we do it right, it's a way to be seen as a part of America, not just a company with a big check.
To be truly an American company, we can't just employ Americans, we can't just help the economy. We have to be a part of the culture of America."
[Lexington Herald-Leader via Mercury News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Stone 10:44AM (2/13/2006)
Toyota: Hiring American workers, building new factories, giving factory workers bonuses up to $10,000
GM, Ford, Chrysler: laying off American workers, shutting down factories, etc...
I think Toyota may be doing more for Americans than most NASCAR fans realize
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Finished.Law.School 10:57AM (2/13/2006)
The UAW is going to hate this...
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KBS 11:31AM (2/13/2006)
when is hyundai going to have a nascar team? they have a factory down south. either way i'd root for the drivers not the brands.
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mpeng 11:45AM (2/13/2006)
you can't even cut and paste correctly...two paragraphs are repeated!
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bernie 11:53AM (2/13/2006)
NASCAR fan Glen Wilkerson is an ignorant goober. i hope Toyota forces all the rebel flag waving trailor trash to drag racing where they belong.
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Noah 12:00PM (2/13/2006)
I hate NASCAR but I've gotta say, this is entertaining atleast in some way ;)
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Nathan B 12:04PM (2/13/2006)
Ford is racing the Fusion this year. The Fusion is a re-branded Mazda 6 built in Mexico. How is that American.
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Takeo 12:10PM (2/13/2006)
Yeah well like NASCAR fans are the height of intellectual analysis right? Give me a break who gives a frack what the flyover populations thing?
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Noah 12:12PM (2/13/2006)
Bernie;
It's safer to have "the rebel flag waving trailor trash" at the oval, atleast theit contained in a big bucket with lots of washrooms and level floors. They don't like drag racing because EFI is scarry and technology "kill the sport"
Drivers shmivers, racing should be about the cars!
If I wanted to see man against man I'd watch the Olympics.
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Rodrigo 12:32PM (2/13/2006)
Disclaimer: I'm not from Mexico or the USA.
"6. Ford is racing the Fusion this year. The Fusion is a re-branded Mazda 6 built in Mexico. How is that American."
Maybe because Mexico is part of America, the continent?
( http://www.countriesandcities.com/continents/america/countries.htm )
( http://www.mapsofworld.com/northamerica-outline-map.htm )
So, once more, kids:
- USA (the country) America (the continent).
- Both USA (the country) and Mexico (the country) are part of America (the continent).
So, yes, a Mexican built car sold in the US is 100% american.
Have a nice day.
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Dan 12:51PM (2/13/2006)
Hey #10, before you start instructing people on world history lessons you might want to "cram" for the test yourself.
( http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=4368 )
I look forward to your astute rebuttal.
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RickDom12 12:57PM (2/13/2006)
NASCAR is a joke anyway. The only "stock car" currently in the series that's actually rear wheel drive is the Charger, and it's built in Canada by a German car maker, all be it, it's North American branch. And the Monte Carlo is the only car in it that's actually two door. It's not racing, it's entertainment and marketing. Nothing about those cars is stock anymore. When they allowed the Taurus as car, that's really what killed it.
When Toyota, and eventually Honda, get into it, I guarantee you'll see engine leasing and a lot of control over cars and engines by TRD. Why? Because that's what every other major motorsport does. And Toyota and Honda did the same thing to the IRL. NASCAR really needs to get with the times as far as engines go. I think it's make a way better series if it was more the Assie V8 Super Cars.
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JW 1:02PM (2/13/2006)
Nascar is not american anymore! The japs have taken over everything! No offense to them, they are smart, but its not right for them to invade everything we have that WAS American! People need to have some pride in this country! The soldiers arent fighting in Iraq so we can drive or buy imported stuff... they are fighting to keep America Alive!
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J T 1:05PM (2/13/2006)
Come on, when's the last time NASCAR was about the cars anyway? It's certainly been quite some time. It's been all about the drivers for the last couple of decades (perhaps even longer). The old adage "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is about as outdated as "Buy American".
Used to be you could buy a near-spitting image of your favorite NASCAR car at your local dealer, but can you buy a 2-door Dodge Intrepid or Ford Taurus (or whatever they're racing nowadays?) The NASCAR versions aren't even CLOSE to the real thing anymore (Chevy has the closest you can get with the Monte Carlo, but that's still V6 FWD - ugh).
The glory days of Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and A.J. Foyt are long gone, never to return. Now it's all about the drivers and the sponsors. Guess that's the way it'll always be now.
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AR 1:26PM (2/13/2006)
>>>Nascar is not american anymore! The japs have taken over everything! No offense to them, they are smart, but its not right for them to invade everything we have that WAS American! People need to have some pride in this country! The soldiers arent fighting in Iraq so we can drive or buy imported stuff... they are fighting to keep America Alive!
Okay then. Let's have Toyota and the Japanese close their U.S. factories and build all their cars in Japan. With the domestics shutting down their U.S. plants left and right, there won't be jobs left here for anyone. You might not like Japanese cars but you had better show them some respect. At a time when GM and Ford are cutting 25K and 30K jobs respectively, Toyota and the Japs are providing employment to thousands of Americans. Sometimes, you need to swallow your pride and face facts...
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DT 1:45PM (2/13/2006)
JW, if you are so proud of your country wouldn't you want to see your great domestic products beat the other guy's products? Unless of course, Ford and GM are out classed...would that then equate to Americans as being outclassed? I don't think a company's success in motorsports has anything to do with a country's success. In fact, US policies of being open has allowed it to succeed as a country. If you are truely proud of your country, be proud of what it's really good at. Don't be a coward and hide behind protectionistic ideals.
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Jayson W 2:29PM (2/13/2006)
#10 says, "As someone who has supported NASCAR for last 40 years I now will boycott them and all of their sponsors."
Here's a hand in your boycott: NASCAR sponsors. This list is only the NASCAR list, if you include the driver sponsors, it would be quite longer. I think it's funny that you scream "American" but are willing to boycott Ford and Chevy (and that would be all brands by Ford and GM), just because there's a Japanese car maker in NASCAR. Where do you buy you're next car? Hope you can afford a Saleen. Who's left for gas? BP? British. Shell? Dutch. Want a snack? There goes anything from KraftNabisco. AOL is a TimeWarner company, there goes a bunch of cable networks, many magazines and newspapers, and a slew of other entertainment companies. And, oh, AOL owns Weblogs, which hosts Autoblog. You may want to rethink this boycott.
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Jayson W 2:44PM (2/13/2006)
Looks like the link didn't go, here it is http://www.nascar.com/guides/sponsorship/
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Andy 3:08PM (2/13/2006)
I'm an Asian male and although I am not Japanese, I always find it dissapointing when I see such blantly racist posts such as the ones above.
If you TRUELY were American and intellegent enough to look around you:
- The Earth is not flat.
- We now recieve exotic spices and fabric from India with ease
- We finally defeated the British in the Revolutionary War
- We had a great industrial revolution in the late 1800's
- Asian people are no longer only doing just laundry
- We fought many Wars
- Black People are no longer picking cotton and hanging from trees by a rope
- AND FINALLY: cars are high tech enough to turn RIGHT as well as left when racing.
So look around you, see how the world has changed. See the diversity. Are we better off? Are we the ones blowing up government buildings and shooting up schools? Are we REALLY that virus of America? I reckon, you won't done notice from your barn.
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Team ZR-1 3:38PM (2/13/2006)
12. Hey #10, before you start instructing people on world history lessons you might want to "cram" for the test yourself.
( http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=4368 )
I look forward to your astute rebuttal.
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BS, give the con job to someone else which is most of the people who never even heard of WW-II, I suspect those of us real Americans know what the jap motto is
"we cannot beat you in war so will steal, trick or simply buy your country.
Interesting try and live in japan and buy an American car with a V8, yet come here and now they are big V8 builders. Let them take their junk cars and build them in their country, we then place the same import taxes they do to our products and see how many they sell.
Its sickening to hear all you non loyal folks defend a fricking island to this day that considers us lessors to them.
For Nascar to play big business games in the end will have the same results as CART, IRL or F1 in this country.
I assure you the japs will spend 100's of millions of dollars to force NASCAR to play by their rules and its clear they already are attempting to change NASCAR rules to their favor.
Bill France and company should retire and let the good ole boys take over and leave us Americans with the orginal concept of letting American power race on Sundays and letting Dodge stay was the 1st knive in our back but this is the deathblow of American racing.
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