Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery from Kobalt Tools 500

When the clocks ticked over to 2008, Toyota Motorsports VP Jim Aust declared that the Camry would not go winless this season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup like it did during its inaugural season last year. Things got off to a good start during qualifying for the Daytona 500 when Toyota went 1-2 in the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race. This past weekend, history repeated itself when Joe Gibbs Racing had a pair of Camry cars go 1-2 again, but this time on race day at the Kobalt Tools 500. Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Camry won last weekend's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with teammate Tony Stewart taking silver, both driving Cup cars festooned with Camry stickers. Not only did Kyle Busch win the race, but he remains atop the points standing after previous points leader Carl Edwards got penalized for something to do with his oil tank lid at last week's race in Las Vegas. Many of the drivers also complained after the race about their tires that were supplied by Goodyear, with Tony Stewart, always ready to give a good quote, saying, "If I were Goodyear, I'd be really embarrassed about this weekend and what they brought us here." Nevertheless, he and teammate Busch pulled out the win for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. Looks like it's gonna be a good year for the imports in NASCAR.


[Source: MSN.foxsports.com, Photos by John Harrelson, Chris McGrath, Chris Gaythen, Chris Trotman/Getty]]

Remember when Joe Gibbs Racing dropped Chevy for Toyota last September? Not only did Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin trade in their bow tie stickers for an adhesive Camry grille, but Toyota gained some serious driving talent. The move has paid off quickly for Toyota, which just scored its first NASCAR win thanks to Denny Hamlin, who won the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race in Daytona yesterday thanks to his teammate Tony Stewart, who finished in Second Place. Stewart was able to both give Hamlin push and hold off a charging Jeff Gordon to give Hamlin the win. It's not a points race, but with Hamlin taking the checkered flag and Stewart the No. 2 spot, it means there'll be three Toyotas in the first three rows of the Daytona 500 this weekend.

In other NASCAR news, Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued his comeback by winning the first Gatorade Duel qualifying race yesterday. Add that to his victory in the Bud Shootout earlier this week, and it's clear that Junior has regained an edge he lost during his many year driving for DEI. Jaqcues Villeneuve, meanwhile, who made his NASCAR debut in trucks late last year, crashed his Toyota during the second Gatorade Duel yesterday and took out three other cars. You know what they say, rubbin's racing!

[Source: Autosport via Winding Road, Photo by Nick Laham/Getty]

Embattled NASCAR star Michael Waltrip has some new problems on his plate. According to Yahoo Sports, he has been charged with reckless driving and failing to report an accident. The charges resulted from an incident over the weekend where Waltrip's Toyota Land Cruiser hit a telephone pole and rolled over about a mile from his house. He apparently fell asleep at the wheel, crashed and then walked home early Saturday morning.

Police discovered the wrecked SUV and then tracked down the two-time Daytona 500 winner at his home, where he was quoted as saying he was embarrassed but glad he was unhurt in the incident. Police reported finding blood at the scene, but Waltrip apparently suffered only minor cuts and abrasions. Accordint to the authorities, they saw the SUV on its side, traced the plates and realized it was Waltrip's vehicle.

Waltrip's first season as a car owner running Toyotas in NASCAR has been a difficult one, to say the least. Illegal fuel additives found in his engine during the Daytona 500 led to a record fine of $100,000 and 100 drivers points in the championship standings. He hasn't even managed to qualify for any of the other five races since the 500. Driver Dale Jarrett has only made the field on provisionals for 5 of those 6 races and is currently 37th in the points. Teammate David Reutimann failed to make two races and is 43rd in the standings. And now, Waltrip has this matter to contend with. It simply hasn't been his year so far.

Thanks for the tip, TGM3!

[Source: Yahoo! Sports]