By Lindsey Young Staff Writer
CONCORD, N. C. If Jack Roush is anything, its persistent, and when the man who has built a racing empire targets an enemy, he refuses to let up.
For the past year current Enemy No. 1 hasnt raced a lap on the Nextel Cup circuit, but that hasnt stopped Roush from laying down the law. Wednesday, as part of the annual Lowes Motor Speedway Media Tour, Roush sounded as if he was preparing for an invasion. "Im preparing myself for a seige," Roush said when asked about Toyotas debut in Cup racing this year. "Toyota is going to bring about a change to the way were going to do business. They have the wherewithal to pay for personel and technology that sound business practices would suggest otherwise.
"If NASCAR lets the manufacturer come in and lets the spending get out of whack, then chaos will ensue. We just have to hope NASCAR wont let it stay out of balance too long."
Roush fears the Toyota invasion so much that he is negotiating with Boston Red Sox owner John Henry as a possible partner in order to bring in more revenue to fight the new threat.
"Anticipating the challenges of Toyota, we are looking for a business partner," Roush said. "John and the Red Sox have millions of sports fans in the Northeast who arent hard core race fans. That could bring us more fans, but part of that is to try to be able to compete financially with Toyota."
Roushs fears arent shared by everyone. In fact, most view Toyotas entrance as a positive for NASCAR.
"For me personally, any manufacturer who earns its way into NASCAR is fantastic for the sport," Joe Gibbs said. "It is very competitive, and I know what Jack is talking about. In this sport, if a guy is considered for another job by another team, he doesnt have to relocate, unlike other professions. That makes it easier for people to move.
"But NASCAR does a great job with all the manufacturers, and they will keep the playing field even and, as an owner, thats all you can ask for. To me, the more healthy teams you have in the sport, the better it is for everybody."
Unless youre Jack Roush, that is, who said last year upon hearing of Toyotas arrival that the group only cares about spending as much money as it takes to win. Roush was reminded Tuesday that Toyotas motorsports history, though successful in some arenas, has been spotty in recent years.
The manufacturer has had success in the Craftsman Truck Series, but it hasnt dominated as was feared. On the Formula One circuit, Toyota has pumped in hundreds of millions of dollars and has yet to win a single race. Given that fact, Roush was asked, what is he afraid of?
"I never said I was afraid of them," came a stern reply. "I love a feud, and I wont back down from a challenge."
A good part of Roushs problem with Toyota is the thought of a foreign company coming in and immediately jumping over teams that have helped build the sport.
"Look at the Wood Brothers, the Pettys and all the others who have made their names and livelihoods off this business," Roush said. "That wont be the case with Toyota. Theyre going to take their money and try to make the rest of us play catch up."
Roush does believe, though, that Toyota will be a marked organization for the better NASCAR teams at least he hopes so.
"Toyota will not find that the established teams in this series will be afraid of them," he said. "They should expect our best shot."
