Not broke yet

“I still live in a nice house, so I don’t guess I’m broke.” – Michael Waltrip in the latest issue of NASCAR Illustrated.

There’s been speculation that Mikey’s team troubles have been taking a financial toll on him personally. Granted, Toyota hasn’t exactly been burning up the pavement, and Michael Waltrip Racing hasn’t had a lot of face time on the track.

Did we really expect Toyota to come in to the Cup Series like gangbusters?

No. Take a look at other sports and their expansion teams. In the first three or four years, they aren’t generally contenders.

Success is not an overnight thing, no matter who is the driver and how talented they are or have been.

Toyota drivers are not new names to NASCAR fans. David Reutimann, Dale Jarrett and Brian Vickers, Dave Blaney, Mike Waltrip, AJ Almendinger and Jeremy Mayfield.

DJ burned up his champion’s provisionals fast this season to help Waltrip Racing get a jump start. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

Was Mikey’s top-10 finish in the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway June 17 a fluke? Probably not. In the same race, Reutimann and Blaney finished 15th and 18th respectively. Almendinger was 31st and Vickers 41st. They were firing on all cylinders that day.

So it won’t make them the most-talked-about or dominant car. But it was a good showing for the automaker.

And there must be something to fear from Toyota. Roush Racing scrambled to take on an investor to keep up with and/or beat what was happening in the Toyota shops. Other owners are doing the same.

Was the Citizens Bank 400 a turning point for Toyota? Probably not, but it shows promise for the new kid on the block.

Thanks to Autostock Images and www.michaelwaltrip.com for the charicature of Mikey.