Toyota's NASCAR engine was designed by their TRD operation in California, but parts for it are made around the world. The block, for instance, is cast by a foundry in Japan. "It's cast there," one TRD engineer told us, "because they do the best castings in the world." The only stock component shown on the engine trimmed for the Craftsman series was a Tundra pickup power steering pump.
Toyota has been testing this engine with an 850-cfm Holley carb, which is the specification for the Nextel Cup series, even though Craftsman trucks are limited to a 390-cfm specification. You can fill in the blanks.
Blatant Sexism[Photos 116-0403.SCUP 9 on disc]On November 6, 2003, Regis Philbin and former Survivor competitor Elisabeth Hasselbeck (just to Philbin's right-and for some reason not wearing lingerie) hosted a fashion show inside a former New York City bank. The show was to launch a new line of Hanes "intimate apparel."
We knew you wanted to know this.
Indy On The Side[Photos 116-0403.SCUP 10 on disc]At this year's Indy 500, all the Firestone Firehawk tires on the cars will feature the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's "wing and wheel" official logo beside the Firestone logo.
Now you'll know what to look for after the race when these tires end up on eBay.
Putting The Factory Back In Racing[Photos 116-0403.SCUP 9 on disc]With Toyota fully committed to running NASCAR's Craftsman Truck series with overt factory support, how should Chevy (and Dodge and Ford for that matter) react? Well, Chevy will be there with factory trucks itself.
During 2004, the #46 Silverado prepared by Morgan-Dollar Motorsports and driven by Dennis Setzer will carry "Silverado" as its primary sponsor. Beyond that, the #16 Xpress Motorsports Silverado driven by Jack Sprague in the series will be sponsored by "Chevy Trucks." These become the first vehicles to campaign in NASCAR with sponsorship from a GM vehicle line since ... well, since ever. GM's traditional Goodwrench will wind up on a new truck for driver Matt Crafton, and the Spears Motorsports #75 will also get substantial support-but neither will feature vehicle-line sponsorship.
"Chevrolet is committed to NASCAR and the Craftsman Truck series for the long term," said Jim Campbell, marketing director for Chevy Racing in a press release. "We know from our research that racing fans are extremely loyal and passionate in their support of racing, and we want to reinforce our commitment to making the Chevy Silverado the 'Right Truck' for their needs. The Craftsman Truck series continues to provide us with a strong platform for making that connection of dependability and performance between Silverado, Chevy trucks and consumers."
With Toyota headed to Nextel Cup by probably 2006, the pressure on traditional Detroit makers to increase their support will only increase. Who knows what this could lead to?
A Dash Of Rainbow[Photos 116-0403.SCUP 12A through 12C on disc]The all-new '05 Mustang will be here shortly, and while most of the car is still under wraps, Ford has leaked out photos of the multicolor dashboard with which it will be equipped.
Mustang owners will be able to choose exactly the color of instrumentation lighting, ranging from flat white to vivid blue, green, or red. Also note the throwback instrumentation including the gauges clustered between the tach and speedometer.
It's just a glimpse of the production car, but it's a tantalizing one.
0404 H/OBy John Pearley Huffman[Photos 116-0402.SCUP 3 color transparency - from February. This one didn't run in February so I assume the art is still at Car Craft.]
Racecar of the MonthThe Parnelli Jones and Bill Stroppe "Big Oly" BroncoOff-road racing was a purely funky affair in the '60s and early '70s. A driver could enter everything from crusted-over Edsels to motorhomes in races like the Baja 1000, and the winners would often be driving some homebuilt machine. Then came the Big Oly Bronco-a real race machine that revolutionized off-roading.