Four teams sign up to run Toyota trucks in 2004

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Toyota announced Friday that it has reached agreements with Bang Racing, Bill Davis Racing, Innovative Motorsports Inc., and Waltrip Racing Inc. to campaign Toyota Tundra race trucks in the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The four teams will debut Tundra race trucks in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13, 2004. All four organizations will be new additions to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and will provide up to eight Toyotas to compete in the series.

Bang Racing is a new operation founded by Internet entrepreneur Alex Meshkin and Larry McReynolds, a former NASCAR crew chief and current FOX TV analyst. Bill Davis Racing currently fields teams in the NASCAR Busch and NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

Innovative Motorsports Inc., owned by George deBidart, currently operates a car in the NASCAR Busch Series. Waltrip Racing Inc. is a new team operated by NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip, who is also a TV analyst with FOX.

In addition to running Tundra trucks in 2004, Davis will be assisting Toyota Racing Development (TRD) U.S.A. in the construction of the Toyota Tundra race trucks and the building of the NASCAR-spec Tundra Racing V8 engines.

"We are extremely excited to be entering the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next year with these four quality teams, all of which will be significant new additions to the series," said Jim Aust, vice president of Motorsports at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., and president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) U.S.A. "Each of them brings a wealth of racing experience and knowledge that will be invaluable to our program."

Toyota announced its entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last February at the Chicago Auto Show. The Toyota Tundra race-truck body and chassis were submitted to NASCAR in July, and the first track test was conducted in August at Caraway Speedway. TRD

U.S.A. has designed and developed the Tundra Racing V8 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in its Costa Mesa, Calif., facility. The engine was unveiled on Nov. 5 at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.