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Los Angeles, CA. - More PIR-CWC Notes: Two
press conferences during the 29th Copper World Classic at Phoenix
International Raceway (Jan. 21-22) deserve more ink. The first press
conference of the weekend was the Toyota/Steve Lewis Nine Racing/Ed
Pink Racing Engines conference in the infield media center Saturday,
Jan. 21 from noon to 12:30 p.m as NASCAR Grand National West cars
practiced at speed in the background. The final media conference of
the weekend from 5:45-6:10 p.m Sunday, Jan. 22 involved the first
three finishers in the GNW 125-lap feature. This column will cover
highlights from both of these conferences.
TOYOTA: Gary Reed, Vice President, Toyota Special
Racing Programs, opened the conference by saying 65% of Toyota
vehicles sold in the USA are made in the USA. Toyota Tundra trucks
are manufactured at a plant in Princeton, IN. Toyota engineers
worked with Ed Pink, who built the first Toyota midget engines in
his Van Nuys, CA racing engine plant. Toyota TRD cylinder block,
heads and camshaft core were used in the Toyota engine Pink
developed. "Toyota midget engines are not super-trick. They
were on the dyno in less than two months. Toyota engine cars were on
a race-track only one-time, here at PIR on Jan. 10 with Dave Steele
the test driver," Reed stated. He continued and revealed Toyota
will sell Toyota midget engine parts starting April 1, 2006 through
two
distributors-Ed Pink in California and a yet to be selected
distributor in the Indianapolis area. All engine builders will be
using their own choices for after-market components, camshaft, etc.
Quality of components will be the choice of individual engine
builders, so Toyota engine costs will vary by builders. Each builder
will set his own engine price.
Next speaker was car owner and USAC National
Midget Series ten-time car owner champion Lewis. Steve thanked
Toyota for getting into grass roots racing. He also thanked Pink,
the recent builder of his Ford midget engines, for developing the
brand new Toyota midget engine in such a short time. Lewis endorsed
his team concept and said his new sponsor is Oakley Eye Glasses. He
said he'll continue to run the Bob East-built Beast chassis because
"it is a proven entity." The two Beasts he used at PIR
were 2005 models that J. J. Yeley and Bobby East raced in 2005 at
PIR. Steve has not sold any of his 2005 Beasts.
Ed Pink then addressed the media and said
"it was an honor to do this engine with Steve Lewis and Toyota
TRD." He thanked his staff and said, "They started with
the cylinder head and valve train components and then the rest of
the engine." Pink praised "the two excellent Lewis
drivers"-Steele and Dave Darland-and the Lewis crew headed by
Kelly Drake. Pink said the Ford block is quite a bit different from
the Ford engine and they only got the block from Ford and developed
the Yates head. Pink added, "This Toyota engine is an aluminum
block and has a unique oiling system."
Questions to the two Daves (Steele and Darland)
concerned the feel of the new engine. Steele said, "The Toyota
has a higher pitch and has a wider power band coming off the
corners." Darland added, "The Toyota has a different tone
tot he engine. I don't have enough laps in it yet, but so far so
good." He had not driven the Toyota engine midget until Jan. 21
at PIR. David Curriyer, a top Toyota engineer, is assigned to the
new Toyota midget engine program.
Lewis said midgets are fun to drive and year
after year midgets provide the best race at the PIR-CWC. When asked
about testing on dirt, Lewis said they haven't done so yet, but hope
to do so before the Belleville, KS Nationals in July. "It's
hard to test on dirt. You need the track prepared right. We'll do
more paved track tests at Irwindale Speedway," Lewis said.
Steele will race paved track events and Darland will race on dirt
and paved tracks to win the 2006 USAC National Midget Championship.
The subject of Toyota engine cost compared to
current midget engines arose. Reed said Toyota will be competitive
and there will not be increased costs. Toyota is still working on
pricing and on April 1 they will start selling to engine builders.
When asked about where the new engines are made, Reed said.
"Some castings/heads are made in Japan and the blocks are made
in the USA." Alcohol fuel runs a higher compression ratio.
Frank Honsowetz, general manager at Ed Pink, later gave me details
of the Toyota midget engine. STATS-four cylinders, 166 maximum cubic
inches, bore & stroke-whatever individual engine builders want,
horsepower-more than 340 HP, top speed-155 mph entering turn one at
PIR.
Drivers were asked how it felt being a
development driver. Darland replied, "There are great people
behind it. I'M excited to be part of it." I asked Reed if the
new Toyota midget engine is successful will Toyota follow the Mopar
example and build engines for the sprint car and Silver Crown
circuits. Reed responded, "It's something we'd like to do,
especially with the Silver Crown engine being similar to our truck
engine, but not with an aluminum sprint car engine though." The
media conference adjourned to one on one questioning by
media with the five panelists. So how did the new Toyota midget
engine perform in its first competition on the track?
Steele set fastest qualifying time and Darland
was eighth fastest in a 32-car field. In the 25-lap (25-mile) race
Steele battled closely for 13 laps with fellow front row starter
Bobby East, who drove a Beast/Ed Pink Ford. On lap 14 leader East
had something from the air cleaner cause the throttle to stick wide
open, sending his car into the third turn wall, ending his strong
run. Steele's Lewis No. 91 led laps 14-25 and gave Toyota victory in
its first race. Darland, getting use to the new Toyota engine during
the race, started the Lewis No. 9 eighth and finished seventh, 5.788
seconds behind winner Steele. Obviously, everyone connected with the
new Toyota engine project was pleased with the outcome.
Steele ran the second fastest lap of the race at
26.666. Only East's 26.654 was faster. The next fastest lap was
runner-up Michael Lewis' 26.772. Darland's best lap time of 25 was
27.058, the eighth fastest lap of the 32 drivers in the race. The
top ten engines in finishing order were Toyota, Esslinger, Fontana,
Esslinger, Gaerte, Esslinger, Toyota, Stanton Mopar, Fontana and Ed
Pink Ford. So you can see that engine variety is here and the battle
for engine supremacy is on this season in USAC midget racing.
GNW TOP THREE: The top three drivers Ken Schrader
(P 1), Eric Holmes (P 2) and Matt Kobyluck (P 3) sat behind the head
table in the media room and fielded questions after the GNW 125.
Schrader received most questions and relished the spotlight. He
answered questions forthrightly and embellished his responses with
revealing and interesting comments. Samples follow. "I really
like this track. It's the first big track I ever raced. I towed out
from St. Louis and wondered what I was doing here. Second place is
my best finish here at PIR in a Cup car. Spencer Clark (the fastest
qualifier) is a really good driver. He has a few things to learn
yet. There are a lot of really good young drivers out west
here."
When asked why NASCAR's Elite Division and
Southwest Series are ending after 2006, Schrader replied he didn't
know why. He finished second to Matt Crafton (the ninth finisher in
2005 NCTS points) in PIR's SW Series race earlier in the day.
Schrader said his new Nextel Cup ride in the No. 21 Wood Bros. Ford
"is working out wonderful. We had a good Daytona test and it's
been really enjoyable so far. I'm having as much fun racing cars as
I ever have. I'll do it until I can't crawl through the window. I
even came out last weekend and raced my dirt car at Casa Grande
(AZ)." A question about how drivers should advance from
NASCAR's Elite Division touring series car brought this Schrader
response. "I'd rather run one of these Grand National West cars
instead of racing a truck. You can learn more in these cars. They'll
get the cost down and you can build a turnkey car for a reasonable
amount of money to showcase your talent."
Runner-up Holmes (who also placed third in PIR's
SW Series race) said lapped cars held him up some. "I was
closing in on him (Schrader) and wish I had one more lap. I think I
could've got by him. You can run with Schrader and feel safe and
really respect each other." Third place Kobyluck, a GN North
Series (now GN East) star, said, "I race mostly on the eastern
seaboard. We race on mile to three-eights mile tracks. I don't
really expect to go to Daytona. The first time I came out here to
PIR I loved the track. It has lots of grooves and you can get past
other cars. I could finish higher if Schrader stopped coming out
here." Schrader piped up, "There's not much chance of that
happening Slick." So look for Schrader to keep coming back to
PIR for future CWC races and add to his all-time PIR-leading 16
feature victories.
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