Toyota to join circuits

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Stock car racing found a new ally when it needed one Monday, when Toyota announced its plans to join the NASCAR Busch and Nextel Cup circuits next year.

The announcement came hours after Ford Motor Co. announced it was closing 14 North American assembly plants and firing as many as 30,000 employees.

Unlike its current effort in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Toyota said it won't sponsor any of its stock car teams or be responsible for building cars and engines.

Toyota will race the Camry, the top-selling car in the U.S. eight of the past nine years. The car company hopes to have four teams in the Busch Series and as many as seven in Nextel Cup.

While Toyota's lineup won't be announced until today, it's expected that Bill Davis Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing will field two cars each, while Kevin Harvick, Inc., could have as many as two cars as well.

"If you want to compete against the best in America, that means NASCAR," said Dave Illingworth, senior vice president for Toyota Motor Sales.

The manufacturer is responsible for engine construction and all engineering in the trucks series, but Illingworth said individual teams will build and maintain their own fleet of cars in Busch and Nextel Cup.

"Like it or not, Toyota is a very important part of our economy," said Ford car owner Jack Roush. "They have every right to be here. NASCAR will have to think about what they are allowed to do technically. I knew it was inevitable. They will be good for the sport."

With Toyota headed to NASCAR, many wonder how long it will that company's biggest rivals - Honda and Nissan - to follow. NASCAR chairman Brian France said both of those companies already has talked to NASCAR about someday playing a role in the sport.

Toyota's announcement came on the same day NASCAR unveiled more details on its Car of Tomorrow. That car will be used in 16 of 36 races next year. NASCAR said they will be debuted at Bristol Motor Speedway in 13 months.