Toyota's situation is better by miles

Big difference in just 1 year

Jimmie Johnson (right) and Michael Waltrip had plenty to talk about after the two drove away with the front-row spots during qualifying for the Daytona 500. (Rob Davis/Reuters)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Jim Aust pursed his lips then smiled the smile of a contented man when he was asked to reflect on Toyota's stunning reversal of fortune at Daytona International Speedway.

A year ago, Toyota's good name was sullied when Michael Waltrip's fledgling three-car stable, Michael Waltrip Racing, was devastated by a blatant rules violation during pole qualifications that resulted in confiscation of Waltrip's No. 55 NAPA-sponsored Toyota, a record $100,000 fine, the loss of 100 car owner and 100 driver points, and the indefinite suspension and ejection of crew chief David Hyder and vice president of competition Bobby Kennedy. NASCAR inspectors discovered a foreign fuel additive in the air intake manifold of Waltrip's car.

"I remember standing in front of TV cameras and having to answer the question: 'Are you going to continue to stand behind Michael?' " recalled Aust, CEO of Toyota Racing Development and vice president of Motorsports for Toyota USA. "Well, there was never any doubt."

That patience paid dividends yesterday when Waltrip earned a spot on the front row for the 50th running of the Daytona 500 - and, more importantly, passed inspection - after capturing the outside pole with a lap of 186.734 miles per hour. It was the fastest lap by the five Toyota drivers who qualified among the top 12.

What most heartened Aust, though, was the manufacturer's overall improved performance in the first weekend of Speedweeks. Aust cited the victory of 21-year-old Toyota driver Michael Annett in Saturday afternoon's ARCA Re/Max Series race at Daytona, the strong run and runner-up finish by Tony Stewart in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout, and the Daytona 500 pole qualifications as reasons for optimism.

"The real feeling of happiness comes from the fact that now when you put your cars out on the track, you feel like you can give your teams the ability to be competitive," Aust said.

No ordinary Joe

They don't call Joe Nemechek "Front Row Joe" for nothing. Yesterday, the Lakeland, Fla., native looked as though he was going to have a pretty decent view of the start of the Daytona 500 when he grabbed the provisional pole with a lap of 186.498 m.p.h., but he was bounced by Jimmie Johnson's pole-winning lap of 187.075.

Waltrip came along and pushed Nemechek from front-row status when he qualified second fastest, 186.734. It did little to dampen Nemechek's spirit, though. He posted the second-fastest speed among those drivers outside the top 35 in the owners points, who needed to qualify on their time, and third-fastest overall.

"Awesome day," said Nemechek, driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet. "Anybody not locked in the top 35, this is an awesome day. To end up third, that is what we are sitting around here talking about; what could we have done differently just to go a little bit faster?"

Nemechek, though, clearly benefited from engine support from Hendrick Motorsports.

"This team is based out of Denver, so logistics are tough," Nemechek said. "There are a lot of challenges they have to overcome. But the team is good; we have some good people in place. Good leadership, and that is what it is about. You look at it and we're a single-car team and you look at some of the teams we beat today, multi-car teams. It just says a lot for these guys. They work hard."

A dream sequence

David Reutimann, driver of the No. 00 Toyota fielded by Michael Waltrip Racing, guaranteed himself a spot in the 43-car field by posting the third-fastest speed among those drivers outside the top 35 in owner points and fourth-fastest overall with a run of 186.463. It came as a huge relief for Reutimann who, like his car owner, had to race his way into the field last year. "It's just a different mentality around our shop and a different feel than what we had in the past," said Reutimann, who failed to qualify for eight races in his rookie Cup campaign last season. "All that is a part of the people that we have and the work ethic that they have. Being affiliated with Toyota and the fact that they haven't given up on us - I'm a firm believer in Toyota and the way they do things. Sometimes it takes us a little while to get there, but when we get there we reap the rewards and it only gets better." . . . Patrick Carpentier was the fastest rookie and fastest Dodge qualifier in his No. 10 Valvoline machine after he toured the 2 1/2-mile trioval in 185.766 m.p.h. . . . David Ragan was the fastest Roush Fenway Racing qualifier in his No. 6 Ford (185.594 m.p.h.).