Isn’t the idea in racing to come up with the fastest engine and car? Joe Gibbs Racing did just that during the offseason with their switch to Toyota power, and they have gotten off to an amazing start this season with 13 wins in the first 21 races (which means 14 wins in total for Toyota).
How have they been rewarded for their hard work? NASCAR changed the rules starting this week with a smaller tapered spacer for the Toyota engines. This sets a dangerous precedent for NASCAR's future.
Rating Engines Is a Tough Science
Total power in an engine is not the best way to test which engine is better or worse. There is more to racing than just how much power the engine generates when it is flat out.
The torque available off the corners can be a big edge on some tracks. Being able to pull the car faster through the entire range of RPMs is huge. Can the car transfer all that power efficiently to the back wheels?
It takes more than just horsepower to win, but everyone seems to love to throw numbers at the fans to show how much they are getting screwed by the competition! Rating engines is a tough science.
All Toyotas Are Not Equal
Some teams are naturally more equal than others, but this year has been crazy!
While Joe Gibbs Racing has won a lot of races in the Nationwide Series, those wins have been mainly by the No. 20 car. Even more amazing is that the car has won with four different drivers! But NASCAR has penalized all of the Toyota teams for one team being dominant.
David Reutimann has driven a Toyota all season and has seven top five finishes in 21 starts. This average is almost identical to those of Chevy drivers Clint Bowyer and Brad Kesolowski.
If engine power is responsible for the No. 20's winning, wouldn’t Reutimann have grabbed one of those wins by now? Not all Toyotas are equal.
No Change in Cup Last Year
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