Toyota holds Waltrip relationship in high regard - FOXSports.com
(AP) Toyota has a strong appreciation for its long relationship with Michael Waltrip and was committed to backing the team long into the future. Michael Waltrip Racing was Toyota's flagship team when the manufacturer entered the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2007, and the relationship actually went back three years prior to when Darrell Waltrip fielded Toyotas in the Truck Series. MWR will cease operations at the end of the season, ending Waltrip's nine-year effort to build a top race team. ''When Michael put his name on Toyotas, and DW in the trucks before that, it was a big deal,'' said Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing, performance and guest experience at Toyota Motor Sales USA. Midway through the season, Waltrip sold half his stake in the organization to Rob Kauffman, who has spent his own money the last eight years to build MWR. MWR was in its final year with Toyota, and although the manufacturer has been courting Furniture Row Racing, executives insist they wanted MWR back in 2016. ''We have been very clear with Michael and Rob: `Because you guys have stood with us from... Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, U. S. A. , said Waltrip has built strong. Source: www.foxsports.com
