Loose in Turn Three: Is Anyone Else Driving These Toyotas?
June 6, 2008 by Tim Zaegel
Filed under Racing
Ahh, yes, it’s another Friday, and Spring is in the air (though it’s starting to feel a bit like Summer!). But, it’s the end of the week, nonetheless, and we all know what that means. I’m joined here by Bruce Simmons from Bruce’s NASCAR Bits & Pieces, and the infamous Charlie Turner from On Pit Row for our weekly rendition of “Loose in Turn Three”.
This week here at Do You NASCAR, we’re going to take a look at the Toyota lineup and determine if anyone other than Joe Gibbs Racing is going to win them some races this year. We’re also going to play Jury on Denny Hamlin’s involvement in the huge accident this past weekend at Dover over at Bruce’s website, and we’re going to reveal some of the most underrated drivers in NASCAR over at On Pit Row.
So, sit back and buckle up tight. Three questions, three voices, and three different answer … we’re about to get Loose in Turn Three!
Q: Joe Gibbs Racing has won four times in the Sprint Cup Series this season, but in two years, they are the only Toyota team to win a race in Cup racing. Will a non-JGR driver reach Victory Lane in 2008?
TZ: Ya know, with the way that Kyle Busch and the rest of the Gibbs cars have been running, sometimes I wonder if another team at all will win again this year! In all seriousness, though, I think the dominance of the JGR cars has really overshadowed just how much the rest of these guys have really improved as organizations. After failing to qualify for all of those races in 2007, now they’ve got a bunch of drivers up in the top-35 in owner points, and they’ve run strong at a bunch of tracks. There’s one guy that’s really caught my eye, though, and that of course is Brian Vickers. I do in fact think he’ll win this year, and I think it will happen at either Lowe’s or Talladega in the Fall.
Charlie: Probably not. JGR is Toyota’s “A” Team in Cup. Only Chevy has more than one “A” Team. Ford has only one. Dodge may not have even one. I think that Brian Vickers is capable of a win. Dave Blaney is fast enough if all the stars line up somewhere like Pocono or Michigan. But the odds are long. Waltrips teams are more worried about top 30 finishes than wins.
Bruce: I think JGR has the Toyota win column locked up. I like Vickers also for a win, but reasonably, I only think he’ll get there via a lucky stroke of the fuel mileage window or weather god. Toyota made a good deal, no matter what it was or how expensive it was to get their nameplate in the circle of winners.. Not to mention big name drivers associated with them now.
Follow the rest of this discussion:
- What happened with Denny Hamlin in the Dover wreck?
- Who is the most under-rated driver in NASCAR and how is he over-looked relative to his talent/value?
Hey Tim,
Keep up the kick ass articles! You sure do know your stuff… TZ = Knows his nascar
Thanks for the positive words there, Ron. Definitely very, very much appreciated!
I’ll take your question a bit farther Tim. Who besides JGR,Hendrick,RCR or Roush will serve up a winner the rest of the way? Ganassi? Doesn’t look like it. DEI? Nope. Yates? Possible but a big surprise. Petty? I wish. GEM? I think Kasey got his one for the year. Penske?This is the best possibility, in my humble….
Charlie, i could see martin truex getting a win this year for dei. I also could see kahne and some penske cars winning some races. no toyotas other than jgr will win tho, tim.
I don’t know, Charlie. I mean, I would have been quick to say the same thing last year … I mean, I never really thought Montoya or Truex would win last year, but they did.
I think Kahne’s a bit overrated, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him win another race or two. I’ve already stated that I think Vickers will win. A Montoya win at one of the road courses isn’t a huge stretch, I don’t think. And, yes, Penske will win one or two of these things in the second half before it’s all done with.
We’ll see. The series is very top-heavy right now.
Yeah, but it was pretty top-heavy last season, too, with Hendrick winning all those races. But, a few other guys managed to sneak some wins in then, and I don’t think anyone’s nearly as dominant as HMS was in 2007.