Toyota off to a great start in '08

By Staff
Jeff Findley
Franklin County Times
What a difference a year makes. Last February at Daytona, Toyota was making its initial NASCAR Cup appearance. Of the four entries in the 2007 Daytona 500, Dale Jarrett was the highest finishing Toyota in 22nd place. The three other teams finished 30th or worse. Those disappointing performances combined with Michael Waltrip's mysterious fluid in his motor, which led to a record fine and points penalty, started a tailspin for Toyota that lasted the entire season.
With a year of experience and the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing, the scene was much different last weekend. Toyota Camrys accounted for eight of the top 30 finishes, including two in the top five with Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. You had to know that the miserable 2007 season would be repeated this season.
Congrats to the Rocket Man, Ryan Newman, for winning his first Daytona 500. To me, the race was as entertaining as any race in recent memory. That win was big for Newman, Penske, and Dodge. In fact, Penske finished 1-2 with Kurt Busch finishing second. Newman also picked up a cool $1 million bonus from Dodge for winning the race.
Even though you didn't see the "Big One," which disappoints many fans, these new cars can do things the old car only dreamt of doing. The three and four wide racing during the last 50 laps or so was unbelievable. Kyle Busch displayed his unbelievable talent during those laps and made moves that only a handful of drivers could pull off. That guy will win many races his season.
Kudos also to Dale Jarrett for a solid 16th place finish in his last Daytona 500. Did you get a chance to catch DJ during the Nationwide Series broadcast on ESPN on Saturday? He will be a tremendous addition to the broadcast booth when ESPN takes over the Cup races later in the summer. Even though he won 32 career races, he will end up being successful as a broadcaster, just like his father, Ned Jarrett.
How cool was it to see all the former winners of the 500 during ceremonies before the race? Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough, AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Bobby Allison and Richard Petty were some of the many legendary drivers. There's a ton of history and countless stories among that bunch.
Hopefully, the great racing will continue this week as the series moves to California Speedway. In what will be many firsts for the COT, the new car will make its debut at a 2-mile track. However, NASCAR held extensive testing here in the weeks leading up to speed weeks at Daytona, so the teams have some experience on this track.
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with three career wins in the 15 races that have been run at this track. Roush Fenway Racing drivers have also had good success here with five wins. Matt Kenseth has two of those wins to go along with eight Top 10 finishes. In fact, he is my pick to win this weekend.
Jeff Findley is a guest columnist for the Franklin County Times. Findley is the publisher of the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald.