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CUP: Gibbs Readying Toyota Effort
Written by: Tom Jensen   
01/01/2008
Harrisburg, N.C.
 
Changes at JGR include driver Kyle Busch, pictured here last October in New York City, along with a manufacturer switch from Chevrolet to Toyota. (Jonathan Fickies/Getty Images for NASCAR Photo) ยป More Photos


Of all the off-season moves made by NASCAR Sprint Cup teams this winter, none was more audacious then the decision by Joe Gibbs Racing to end a 15-year relationship with General Motors and switch its allegiance to Toyota for a long-term deal beginning in 2008.

For the JGR squad, which has seen its drivers win three Cup titles since 2000, the move is a high-risk, potentially high-reward proposition. On one hand, JGR unquestionably will be the lead Toyota team, something it never was or would be with GM, and it should benefit handsomely from the technological investment Toyota will bring to the sport.

On the other hand, GM is a proven winner, while Toyota's Sprint Cup program is still in its infancy. Since 1990, GM drivers have won 14 of 18 Cup championships, including the last three, and in 2007, Chevrolets won 26 of 36 points races, while Toyota's best finishes were a third by Dave Blaney in the fall Talladega race and a fifth by Brian Vickers at the Coca-Cola 600 in May.

Without question, Chevrolet has been the brand to beat in recent years, but the principals of the Gibbs organization are confident the team can switch to Toyota without missing a beat and immediately contend for race victories and championships with drivers Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and newcomer Kyle Busch.

"For 2008, I expect us to go out there and really run well and run for a championship. I think all our guys would be disappointed if anything else less than that happened," said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. "Obviously, it's a big change going from GM
to Toyota, but all of our key guys here said it was the right decision. So, it makes me feel good and we don't expect any drop off at all, even though it will be a difficult change."

For JGR, there are three major pieces to the changeover from Chevrolet to Toyota. The first two are mechanical, developing a new engine and rebodying the team's fleet of cars. Longer term, the team will have to learn the specific processes, development tools and engineering methods used by Toyota's racing arm, TRD, as well as its corporate culture, which is very different than that of GM.

A more immediate issue is simply getting ready for the new season. The good news for JGR is that NASCAR's new-generation race car, which will be used exclusively in the Cup Series in 2008, mandates that the bodies are virtually identical, regardless of manufacturer. That means the team won't have to totally relearn the aerodynamic tendencies of its cars, something it went through when it changed from Pontiac to Chevy a few years back.

Building an all-new engine could prove to be a more daunting challenge for JGR's engine department boss Mark Cronquist and his minions, although they've already done it once in the last year, as GM phased out its venerable SB2 motor and replaced it with the all-new R07 in 2007. Still, these are new variables in the equation for one of NASCAR's most successful teams, a squad that's used to being one of the favorites at nearly every track it goes to. So the question is, how steep will the team's learning curve be? Only time will answer that one.
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