Chevrolet will persevere, but so will Gibbs at Toyota (cont'd)

In the next eight years of full-time competition after his switch, Johnson's teams won 14 races and with Bill Elliott at the wheel, came within 10 points of winning the 1992 championship, which was claimed by another Ford team, Alan Kulwicki's.

But in the last 18 seasons, not ironically since Johnson announced his switch, GM brands have won 14 championships: 10 by Chevrolet and four by Pontiac.

Moving forward

In announcing its move to Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing identified itself as a team that was ready, is willing, and will be able to carry the manufacturer's banner in the Cup Series.

• Complete story, click here
• Gibbs switching to Toyota
• Caraviello: Tracing its past
• Message Board: Your thoughts
• Video: Watch news conference

That Gibbs should make a seamless transition is borne out by the fact that in its relatively short 16-year history the team, which now numbers three Nextel Cup cars and two full-time Busch programs -- which will also feature Toyota Camrys next season -- has switched nameplates twice before.

Gibbs Racing began life as a Chevrolet team in 1992 and, after winning six races with future champion drivers Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte; converted to Pontiacs in 1997. With Pontiac's Grand Prix, JGR won 30 races and two championships during the next six seasons, courtesy Labonte and 1999 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart.

After switching back to Chevrolets in 2003, JGR's impact didn't lessen as it won 22 races and the 2005 championship, with Labonte, Stewart and Denny Hamlin in its Monte Carlos and Impalas.

Johnson said Toyota's finances would help, as NASCAR moves into 2008's inaugural year of full Car of Tomorrow implementation.

"The parts and pieces are by and large the same, so that's exactly right -- it comes down to getting all the money you can from wherever you can," Johnson said. "It's come down to the motors are the only thing different in any of them cars."

But the bottom line, as Johnson confirmed, is that JGR, through its history, has proven it can produce and as such, it would elevate to the top of Toyota's totem pole, and he used Michael Waltrip's operation as an example.

"There's no way in the world Michael would get the money that Joe Gibbs will, and that's always been the very base of things," Johnson said. "It's not based on whether you could produce or not. With the drivers they have, it's not a case of whether they're going to produce or not.

"It's just the fact that the whole Joe Gibbs team is a top-notch team, they've had success and there's no question that will continue. It's a no-brainer for Toyota because he's already produced; he's got three good drivers and the teams that have already been successful."

And judging by the comments Wednesday across the board in the Gibbs camp, the feeling's totally mutual -- so let the games begin, in 2008, of course.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.