Toyota helping NASCAR teams at track

Michael Waltrip says he is pleased with the progress of his three-car NASCAR Nextel Cup operation and thinks his Toyota team is ready to beat up on Ford, Chevy and Dodge.

"It's been challenging, but it's been really fun and at times rewarding with all the hurdles we've cleared," he said. "The on-track testing that we've conducted so far [has been] very positive. Obviously getting Dale [Jarrett] and [sponsors] UPS and Domino's and NAPA and everybody signed up to go, it just made you smile that those people trusted their marketing dollars with our organization to say, 'We think you can go race with those guys.' That meant the world to me."

Waltrip says the team has close to 200 employees and that Toyota Racing Development has 20 people dedicated to the teams at the track with four or five focusing on Waltrip's cars.

"Toyota has been a huge support, obviously. I think that the media and people in general just missed the whole key to what Toyota did for me. They brought me credibility. They allowed me to go to NAPA [and] say, 'Toyota is going to be my manufacturer. They're going to provide me with technology and equipment that will allow me to go race these other guys.' Scenedaily.com