Toyota will begin its Nextel Cup quest in 2007.

Conversation: Jim Aust

Toyota V.P. on how things are shaping up for Cup debut

Since Toyota, the giant Japanese auto manufacturer announced its intention to compete in the Nextel Cup Series in 2007 each announcement of the company's next step has seemed to be a lightning rod for several directions of public opinion.

At Dover International Speedway last weekend, Jim Aust, vice president of motorsports for Toyota U.S.A. and president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development visited with the media to discuss several aspects of the manufacturer's car and truck racing programs.

Q: As far as Toyota's Car of Tomorrow project for 2007, do you plan to do something similar to what Toyota does in the Craftsman Truck Series, that is, supply all the cars and engines?

TOYOTA TO CUP NASCAR and Toyota announced in January the manufacturer's plans to expand its racing program by competing in the Nextel Cup and Busch series starting in 2007, fielding the Camry model.  •   Complete story, click here REACTIONS Toyota's decision to go Nextel Cup racing will fire up the competitive juices of teams representing the other three makes.   •   Complete story, click here

Aust: That's something we're looking at right now. We've had success in the Truck Series with the common chassis, if you will, and that's something that, with the Car of Tomorrow, is perhaps an opportunity to do the same thing.

We've got a lot of things that are on our plate right now. We're still trying to sort out the 'car of today,' because we changed the nose on it since the production Camry changed from 2006 to 2007.

So that's our primary target right now, is to make sure we get that car up and running. It's about to the point where we're completing it, but at the same time we're working on the chassis for the Car of Tomorrow that we're working with NASCAR on, as the other manufacturers have.

We haven't completed it yet, but it would be great if we can and get some similarity on that car with all of the [Toyota] teams. But whether we're going to be able to do that or not I think is a decision that we still have to make.

Q: Through the summer and into the fall NASCAR has tests scheduled for the Car of Tomorrow, so do you have a target of where you'd like to get your COT on track?

Aust: We'd like to be able to make the Michigan test [in August]. Certainly, the earlier we can get it on the track, the better, so that's our hope. We missed the one down in Charlotte because we didn't have the car ready to go, so our hope is to make the very next one and I think we'll probably be ready for that.

Of course, we have to go through the submission process with NASCAR and they have to take a look at it and get it templated and so on, so there is a lot of work that has to be done, yet.

But our intention is certainly to be at Michigan and we're hoping we can be at that one.

Q: As far as the regular 2007 Camry nose, is it still in the design phase, has it been submitted and what are your targets as far as that's concerned?

Aust: Templating of it is taking place this week [after Dover]. NASCAR will template the car and assuming we don't have any issues, then we'll be ready to submit it to NASCAR for their wind tunnel testing.

So we're real close on that. Our target is obviously the end of the month [to meet NASCAR's 2007 submission deadline of July 1], but we'd like to get it done sooner than that and it looks like we may be on target or may be able to shave a few days off that.

Q: What's the status of the 2007 Toyota stock car engine package? Is it already submitted, approved, or where is that at right now?

Aust: It's not yet totally been submitted. We've been working with NASCAR and we've been making changes, looking for their guidance as we've gone along. So we're not totally complete with that engine at this particular point, but we're very close.

We have, I think, a deadline of Sept. 1 on that engine [so we have time]. But it's always been our goal not to wait until the deadline. We want to get with them and the sooner we can get it approved the quicker we can get some parts ordered and start testing.

So any way we can move it forward, we're obviously going to be moving in that regard, but we are carrying some additional parts to NASCAR in the next seven to 10 days so assuming we don't have any problems there, that's always great.

We can at least get the orders in for making hard parts because you've got lead-time before you can get those pieces in. And so the only thing we've been able to do at this point is we've taken a truck motor and made some modifications to it to kind of assimilate what our car motor is going to look like.

It's not anything that is final, by any chance, but we've been able to see where we are without having the actual parts themselves.

So you never want to be behind and certainly you want to be competitive, and so it looks as though the changes that we're making are going to keep us where we're hopefully not going to give up anything.

That's our goal, of course.

Q: In relatively simple terms, how will the Camry car engine compare to the Tundra truck engine, which obviously has had some success, particularly in the last two seasons?

Aust: It's similar, but we are having to make some changes in the [cylinder] head. The valve rotation is being changed and some other minor changes are being done.

So it's not insignificant but at the same time it's not a major modification. It's some things that NASCAR obviously felt needed to be done because the truck motor that we have was just slightly out of where the [other] garage engines were.

What do you think of Toyota's decision to go Nextel Cup racing in 2007? I like it I don't like it Don't care either way

So we understood that when we submitted our truck motor that there may be some reason for them wanting [us] to change it. And [NASCAR] came to us and said 'we'd like you to make a few changes.'

And so that's part of it, and that comes back to being ahead of the game. We're here to be a competitor the way that NASCAR wants us to be and changes are the name of the game when you're in NASCAR.

Q: In the Craftsman Truck Series, how thrilled are you with the way the Germain Racing team has performed, and almost as well, Darrell Waltrip's third-place team with David Reutimann?

Aust: The teams have really put a great effort into the truck program. We feel that the hardware is competitive, both on the truck side and the engine side but the real key is the teams have really stepped up.

There's a tremendous amount of competition with the Germains. They got into the series thinking they wanted to take a look at it and to see if they liked it. The early results that they had, I think, really encouraged them -- especially when they got Todd [Bodine] back as their driver for the second time.

With Mike Hillman Sr. and Jr. coming on, well, they [all] really enjoy winning. So that's got their juices really flowing. And then bringing Ted Musgrave in as a part of their program [this season] really solidified that team.

It's the same way with Jeff Wyler and his son, David. They came in and they wanted to give it a try. They weren't sure it was something they wanted to do -- but once again, once they got into the series and picked up Jack Sprague from the Chevy camp, they got themselves in a very competitive position.

So adding Ted Musgrave and Jack Sprague to the drivers that were a part of our program already, really just solidified the whole operation. And so, if you have competitive hardware, the teams can go out and get these kinds of drivers.

So it's great to have the success that we've had but we understand it's not anything that's going to be long-term, mainly because there are always new drivers coming up and everybody else is striving to win, as well.

Unfortunately, Bobby Hamilton, who is a great driver for the Dodge side is going through the medical situation that he is, or Dodge, I'm sure, would be running up there. So that changes the picture, as well.

And you see what happens when Mark Martin runs, and Terry Cook is doing a great job; as well for the Ford guys so there is a lot of competition there. Dennis Setzer -- everybody keeps waiting for him to break out -- but fortunately for Toyota we're doing quite well.

We like what we see, but we've got a long way to go before the season is over, so things have got to change. You take Dover for an example, [in qualifying] where the Toyotas weren't running one-two-three-four like they have been at some of the other tracks.

That's to be expected and that's the way it should be.

Q: In the Craftsman Truck Series Toyota's been successful using a model of cooperation among the teams. Do you see that plan working out among the Nextel Cup Series teams, as well?

Aust: We hope that it works well over there [in Nextel Cup]. I think right now the teams that we have; their attitude is that that's the way they want to approach it.

They've got a big, steep learning curve coming in as new organizations -- Michael Waltrip's team as well as the Red Bull team. Bill Davis, of course, has been around for a long time and his team has certainly got the experience.

But having to put together new teams is always going to be of some value, if you can find a partner that is willing to say, 'OK, let's work together.' And Bill [Davis] has joined in on that effort.

So right now the attitude is for everybody to work together as we move forward.

With the all of the things that we've got going on, it's really probably the only way that we can hopefully come out and hopefully make the grid at the Daytona 500 next year.

If everybody tries to do everything on their own, I mean, some of these guys are moving into new facilities and they're just getting their programs up and running, hiring personnel and getting all the equipment and machinery in place.

Trying to do it all yourself, we would need more time than what we've got from now until February to get that done. So we have to pull together and it's great that that's the attitude of the teams that we have.