Monday Rundown: It's time to take Toyota seriously - ESPN
That afternoon, Jarrett's Toyota Camry failed to qualify for the Southern 500. So did his boss and teammate. Michael Waltrip Racing was charged with ushering Toyota, the Japanese-based global auto maker, into the top level of American stock car racing. It wasn't going well on the track -- Jarrett and Waltrip combined for a whopping 31 DNQs that season. Despite having already had success in the Truck Series and despite having manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, Toyota's foray into the realm of the good ol' boys was met with plenty of jingoistic resistance. They were greeted by panic, a concern fueled by Toyota's previous entries into everything from off-road racing to Formula One. In their first three seasons among the Trucks, they started slow but then by Year 3 had earned all but three spots in the series' top 10 and won a championship with Todd Bodine. Track mogul Bruton Smith claimed, "If they want to buy their way to a championship, they have the money to do it. ". Jack Roush, Ford legend and then among NASCAR's two most powerful team owners, spoke of "going to war" and said Toyota "will upset... Source: espn.go.com
