BengalszoneBilly Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 I guess Jack Roush doesn't like the competion from the Japanese auto maker, and intends to show his displeasure by whipping up on them on the track! From Yahoo Sports:Roush takes combative stance against Toyota By CHRIS JENKINS, AP Sports WriterJanuary 24, 2007CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- With Toyota poised to enter NASCAR's Nextel Cup series this season, Ford team owner Jack Roush is revving up the combative rhetoric. Roush, the loudest critic of NASCAR's decision to allow the Japanese automaker to enter the Nextel Cup series this season, said he's ``preparing myself for siege'' on the track and in the boardroom this year. ``I expect to hand Toyota their head over the short term,'' Roush said on Wednesday during NASCAR's preseason media tour. Roush, who has said in the past that Americans shouldn't buy foreign cars because it hurts the economy, believes that Toyota's entry will hurt NASCAR because the automaker will outspend teams affiliated with domestic automakers. But he's ready for a fight. ``Nobody's frightened,'' Roush said. ``We're going to go to war with them, and they should give us their best shot.'' Given current events, this might not be the most sensitive time for Roush -- a war history buff who owns a World War II-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane -- to compare sports to war. But at times on Wednesday, Roush seemed to be channeling Winston Churchill. ``Toyota will not find that the established teams and manufacturers will wither in their path, as has been the case where they have tried to engage elsewhere,'' he said. But Roush's preparations to take on Toyota go beyond tough talk. He is negotiating to sell a significant stake of his team to an investment group headed by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry to raise more money to race. And Roush somehow prodded financially troubled Ford Motor Company to help him meet the extra $10 million he said he had to spend in research and development in the offseason. ``In their time of greatest need, they're standing shoulder to shoulder with us,'' Roush said. Toyota will field three Nextel Cup teams this season, and is going to great lengths to remind fans that they build cars in the U.S. New Toyota driver Dale Jarrett recently said that Toyotas aren't any more foreign than some Fords or Chevys. ``We could get into the argument about where the Ford Fusion is built; every one of them are built in Mexico,'' Jarrett said. ``The Monte Carlos are built in Canada. So we could go through all that stuff and see who is right and who is wrong. But there are a lot of Toyotas that are built in the United States. They employ a lot of people.'' Asked if this was a legitimate point or simply spin, Roush turned a pirouette on stage. Roush and other team owners aren't necessarily worried that Toyota will dominate right away. After all, Toyota is believed to have the biggest budget in the elite Formula One racing series but isn't winning. ``I don't see them spanking the Ferraris in Formula One,'' Chevrolet team owner Rick Hendrick said. Hendrick said that because NASCAR places such strict limits on technology, winning in NASCAR is more about hiring the right people. And Hendrick figures it will take Toyota a while to figure that out. ``Yeah, Toyota will probably win a race here or there,'' Hendrick said. ``But until they get the human capital side of it straight, they're not going to be running for the championship.'' But even if Toyota doesn't win, it could change the sport by driving up costs. ``They've got the deep pockets and the wherewithal to be able to step outside the box and to pay more for a service or a technology than sound business practices would otherwise justify,'' Roush said. That's why Roush is preparing to sell up to 50 percent of his team to Henry and the Fenway Sports Group. Roush said he expected the sale, if it happens, to be completed in the first quarter of this year. Beyond the partnership with Henry, Roush also leaned on Ford to provide more technical and engineering resources. Is Ford really in any position to increase its NASCAR budget? ``Obviously, the situation at Ford is tough right now,'' Roush said. ``But they're committed to NASCAR, they're committed to me, and the other Ford teams, and they want to be competitive against everybody that's out there.'' So does Roush, who bristled when he was asked why he was so scared of Toyota. ``Did I say I was scared?,'' Roush said. ``I don't back away from a fight.'' Updated on Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 7:23 pm EST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMC Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Give 'em hell Jack.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkendall Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Let's examine some things.1. Toyota is rumored to be putting in more money than any auto manufacture -- parts, fab guys, engine guys and crew chiefs. 2. Ford just announced they posted record losses of $12.7 billion in 2006.Makes ya wonder if Jack knows his time is coming to an end when he's negotiating a large portion of his stock to his company to the Fenway Group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMC Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Let's examine some things.1. Toyota is rumored to be putting in more money than any auto manufacture -- parts, fab guys, engine guys and crew chiefs. 2. Ford just announced they posted record losses of $12.7 billion in 2006.Makes ya wonder if Jack knows his time is coming to an end when he's negotiating a large portion of his stock to his company to the Fenway Group.Even the Dodge people said Ford is possibly out....The exodus of drivers and ownership (if jack sells to Fenway) from Ford is a tell-tale sign...Hate to hear it because I am a Ford guy, but...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted January 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 Even the Dodge people said Ford is possibly out....The exodus of drivers and ownership (if jack sells to Fenway) from Ford is a tell-tale sign...Hate to hear it because I am a Ford guy, but......I highly doubt Ford will drop out of Nascar. Dodge is just hoping for more wins which will be easier with the Blue Oval boys outta the way, that's all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crttylr Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Even the Dodge people said Ford is possibly out....The exodus of drivers and ownership (if jack sells to Fenway) from Ford is a tell-tale sign...Hate to hear it because I am a Ford guy, but......I highly doubt Ford will drop out of Nascar. Dodge is just hoping for more wins which will be easier with the Blue Oval boys outta the way, that's all.Ummm actually its the Chevy boys who own the most wins if im not mistaken!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacD BengalFan Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Even the Dodge people said Ford is possibly out....The exodus of drivers and ownership (if jack sells to Fenway) from Ford is a tell-tale sign...Hate to hear it because I am a Ford guy, but......I highly doubt Ford will drop out of Nascar. Dodge is just hoping for more wins which will be easier with the Blue Oval boys outta the way, that's all.Ummm actually its the Chevy boys who own the most wins if im not mistaken!!!I do believe Billybroome is refering to Dodge hoping for more wins this season verses last. Not overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semiotter Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 All I got to say is"TOYOTA" Oh what a feeling....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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