Midget racing superstar Dave Steele won the pole and the feature race for his 9 Racing team at the Copper
World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway last weekend, scoring a victory for Toyota’s new USAC Midget engine in
its competition debut.
Toyota Racing Development (TRD), with the support of Ed Pink Racing Engines, have
developed a new, four-cylinder 166-cubic-inch pushrod race engine for the 2006 USAC Midget race season. The new engine
uses the V-8 cylinder head developed by Toyota for its NASCAR Craftsman Truck engine. In recent years, Midget racing
has been dominated by Ford powerplants. Why does this matter? Details after the jump..
Why on earth would Toyota invest in this low profile, arcane, grass roots form of American motorsports? Well, it’s all
part of Toyota’s master plan for winning the hearts and minds of American racing fans at all levels, from the
superspeedways of NASCAR’s Nextel Cup to the dirt bullrings of the Midwest.
At the introduction of
Toyota’s USAC Midget program, Gary Reed, vice president special projects for TRD USA said, “This is our first step
into grass roots oval racing. I would like to see us in sprint cars, in Silver Crown and in regional NASCAR
programs.”
Toyota – coming soon to a short track near you…
[Source: Toyota]