Anyone else surprised by this? Here a story that is a good read if you are a Nascar and Michael Waltrip fan. I hope that Michael can get things rolling, since he is a good asset for Nascar.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/columns/story?seriesId=2&columnist=newton_david&id=2802401

3/18/2007 6:59:54 PM

Quote :

"Anyone else surprised by this?"

No, this is sports talk

3/18/2007 7:04:07 PM

I think it's hilarious and I'm lovin' every minute of it.

3/18/2007 7:05:40 PM

i lewl'd

3/18/2007 7:06:54 PM

am i the only one who thinks michael waltrip sounds really gay?

3/18/2007 7:10:57 PM

i think its amusing how many rednecks hate that toyota is part of nascar when the camry is the only cup car made in america

3/18/2007 7:44:52 PM

nascar needs to step up and kill this top 35 locked in shit....

3/18/2007 7:47:26 PM

I don't like the idea of the top 35 locked in either. I think it discourages new teams from competing in nextel cup.

About Mikey, I hope NAPA, UPS, and Domino's stays with him throughout his struggles. I imagine Toyota thought they would dominate like they do in Indy racing.

3/18/2007 7:55:42 PM

they are not in indy racing and have not been since 2005, and they didn't dominate then either.......


in 2003 and 2004 they did

3/18/2007 8:10:13 PM

Quote :

"am i the only one who thinks michael waltrip sounds really gay?"

no, you really aren't.

3/18/2007 9:51:46 PM

I enjoy the fact that Toyota sucks.

3/19/2007 8:42:06 AM

does anyone find michael waltrip a bit feminine

3/19/2007 9:20:34 AM

Quote :

"i think its amusing how many rednecks hate that toyota is part of nascar when the camry is the only cup car made in america"

you mean the camry as in what we drive right? and fusions, impalas, and stratus's are all not made in america?

beacause Fusions are "made" at Ford's Dearborn assembly plant in America
http://www.greenroofs.org/img/grhc2004_ford2_medium.jpg

Impalas are "made at Oshawa ssembly plant in Canada
http://www.mygmcanada.com/inm/gmcanada/english/about/Overview/images/CarAssembly.jpg

and the Stratus is "made" at the Sterling Heights assembly plant in america
http://www.ipl.org.ar/autou/images/linewrk4.JPG

The Toyota assembly plant in Georgetown does indeed produce the Camry but come one man. All you have to do is look a little bit before you write down what your daddy thinks

[Edited on March 19, 2007 at 9:59 AM. Reason : .]

3/19/2007 9:58:58 AM

maybe you should stop listening to your daddy

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=119971?imw=Y

Quote :

"Georgetown, Kentucky In nine of the past 10 years, the Toyota Camry has been America's best-selling car. Some 400,000 Camrys each year come from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK), a 7.5-million-square-foot plant that lies in Georgetown, just north of Lexington. In place since 1988, TMMK has been the template for the six other Toyota plants in the U.S. — seven, when the $1.3-billion plant is completed in Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Twenty-five states fought for that plant. We figure this mostly anonymous factory built from beige brick is the place to find someone to defend Toyota's entry into the NASCAR Nextel Cup series, and we're right. "I think it's high time for an American-made car to compete in Nextel Cup," says Steve St. Angelo, the cheerful president of TMMK. D'oh! St. Angelo, a 30-year General Motors employee before moving to Toyota in April 2005, is referring to one of Toyota's most popular talking points. The civilian versions of the three cars that compete in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series — the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Dodge Charger and Ford Fusion — are built either in Canada (the Charger and the Monte Carlo) or Mexico (the Fusion). Meanwhile more than 75 percent of the parts used here by Toyota (and 98 percent of the steel) comes from U.S. suppliers."

http://aol.businessweek.com/autos/content/feb2007/bw20070213_308730.htm

Quote :

"Who's American? There have been some vitriolic comments at media events about Toyota, and a couple of outspoken NASCAR team owners. Bordering on the xenophobic, the tone was so vituperative and offensive, one blogger suggested that the most vocal, Ford team owner, Jack Roush, who runs five Ford teams, "Just shut up! Let the drivers decide who is best." Yes, NASCAR is a true American sport, but put in the "made in America" spin machine, some facts are clear. Chevrolet's Monte Carlo, on which the racer is fashioned, is built in Canada; the Ford Fusion in Mexico. Dodge's entry is owned by a German company, DaimlerChrysler (DCX). Gee, Toyota builds the Camry in the U.S. "

to summarize
monte carlo/impala- Oshawa Car Assembly in Canada (not america)
charger- Brampton Assembly in Canada (not america)
fusion- Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly plant in Mexico (not america)
camry- Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (america)

[Edited on March 19, 2007 at 10:29 AM. Reason : .]

3/19/2007 10:06:46 AM

I've been a Chevy fan all my life. Only vehicles I've ever owned have been Chevy's. But I appreciate what Toyota has done. They've excelled in the market by building good cars and now have taken away the biggest complaint by the Big 3 fans....they are made in the US.

I'm not sure if I'll ever own Toyota but I will test drive one next time I look for a new car. The main reason is toyota is non-union. I heard somewhere that on average $2k-3k is tacked on to the price of a Big 3 car b/c of health care and pensions for retired autoworkers. That's absurd.

3/19/2007 10:59:56 AM

I have an uncle that is a hardcore "buy American" guy, and he bought his wife a Camry.

3/19/2007 11:16:16 AM

^^^ Consumer Reports covers this same topic in their 2007 Car Buyer Guide that came out last month. More or less, Toyotas are as American as most of the Big Three's vehicles.




[Edited on March 19, 2007 at 2:56 PM. Reason : k]

3/19/2007 2:56:17 PM

75% of parts and the only one manufactured in the us

3/19/2007 2:57:21 PM

I'm not hating on Toyota b/c of their consumer products. I think they make fine cars and trucks and I know that they make them in America to a large extent. I am celebrating b/c I think that perhaps there was the sense that the Big 3 manufacturers in NASCAR are just a bunch of stupid rednecks and that with the best funding and engineers in the world Toyota could easily waltz into the sport and be competitive. That is clearly not the case.

3/19/2007 3:58:21 PM

Since I recently bought a Toyota pickup I kinda hope that Toyota picks it up a bit in Nextel Cup.

3/19/2007 7:35:19 PM

not surprised at all, and loving the shit out of it. i hope it it gets even worse. can't see how that is possible, but here's to hopin'

Quote :

"nascar needs to step up and kill this top 35 locked in shit.... "

agreed

[Edited on March 19, 2007 at 7:39 PM. Reason : .]

3/19/2007 7:38:15 PM

Quote :

"I am celebrating b/c I think that perhaps there was the sense that the Big 3 manufacturers in NASCAR are just a bunch of stupid rednecks and that with the best funding and engineers in the world Toyota could easily waltz into the sport and be competitive. That is clearly not the case."

you mean like how they've struggled in the truck series? Give them a couple more years before you go making that assumption.

3/19/2007 7:51:26 PM

If it takes them a "couple more years" to figure this shit out then my assertion that they can't "easily waltz into the sport and be competitive" will have been proven correct.

3/19/2007 8:18:13 PM

Quote :

"I hope that Michael can get things rolling, since he is a good asset for Nascar."

I'm not really sure what asset you are talking about. He only wins restrictor plate races (and only a handful), cheats by using a fuel additive, and fails to make races

He is quite popular, is in 75% of all NASCAR commercials, and will probably be a good owner/commentator, but I doubt NASCAR is hurting by him not making races

Quote :

"i think its amusing how many rednecks hate that toyota is part of nascar when the camry is the only cup car made in america"

I'm not so much concerned with where the cars are made as I am with where the corporate money is going, which for Toyota is straight to Japan

3/19/2007 8:45:54 PM

yeah, toyota doesnt spend any money in the us

in fact their production here is all based on mercantilism

3/19/2007 10:16:45 PM

yeah, cause I said that they dont spend money here

I said their profits go to Japan, to the major shareholders of Toyota, who are Japanese

3/20/2007 12:10:47 AM

no you just said money, completely ignoring the money they spend and invest here

3/20/2007 6:35:41 AM

Quote :

"I said their profits go to Japan, to the major shareholders of Toyota, who are Japanese"

So you think it better that :

Typical American has his job outsourced to Mexico, with the big money in that company going to guys living in Manhatten penthouses .

than:

Typical American having a job at a Kentucky plant, with the big money in that company going to guys living in Tokyo penthouses.

?

At the end of the day, neither you nor I get money in the first case. Middle-class starts to disappear and becomes poorer because we don't have any work, which is how 99% of the people in this country have money, and the mega-rich people, people who can pay cash for a Porsche and not think twice about it, become richer.

3/20/2007 10:01:34 AM

yes, I would rather the money go to rich Americans because they are the ones that reinvest in the US economy

the jobs are gonna go to Mexicans, whether they are in Kentucky or in Mexico

3/20/2007 12:05:22 PM

consider Toyota has been a bottom feeder in Formula One for years I'm not the least big surprised that they can't hack it in NASCAR (as of yet). Of course, it'll be an easier task than F1

3/20/2007 12:10:05 PM

Quote :

"yes, I would rather the money go to rich Americans because they are the ones that reinvest in the US economy"

Bulls***. Hedge funds and Wall Street firms are right now investing all their money overseas.

What's your job?

[Edited on March 20, 2007 at 12:44 PM. Reason : .]

3/20/2007 12:43:36 PM

Quote :

"Toyota has been a bottom feeder in Formula One for years "

toyota has only been in F1 since 2002. they've struggled, but they've improved just about every year. i don't think they've won a grand prix yet. they've been close a number of times, but with schumi's dominance and the other drivers they've been up against in the last 5 years, that's not a big suprise.

[Edited on March 20, 2007 at 12:54 PM. Reason : .]

3/20/2007 12:53:26 PM