TRUCK RACING Huffman helping Japanese to make debut with Toyota

The driver finally got a chance to race from the Japanese manufacturer.
By MIKE BRUDENELL
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Robert Huffman is salt of the earth, a family man, whose only vice is driving fast.
Friday night, Huffman whipped a race truck around Daytona International Speedway -- a Toyota Tundra full-size pickup. He competed against the best Chevy, Ford and Dodge teams in the country in the season-opening event of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
If you think Huffman might fit the Chevy or Ford truck mold better than a foreign manufacturer, you're right. He grew up in North Carolina, drove local racetracks while in high school and went to church on Sundays. His friends drove pickups, all made in America.
Now 35, Huffman is climbing behind the wheel of a Toyota truck as the Japanese manufacturer makes its debut in the truck series, sending a warning to the competition and putting smiles on the faces of NASCAR officials.
In Huffman's case, joining Toyota Motorsports put food on the table for him and his wife, Ashley, and their two children, Landon and Brooke.
Only opportunity
"I've been racing for 20 years, and no other automaker wanted to have anything to do with me," said Huffman. "I find the Toyota people like part of the family. We eat together, visit each other's homes, and we'll pray before races together this season."
Huffman began racing Toyotas in the 2001 NASCAR Goodys Dash Series, a minor-league championship for compact sedans. Previously, he had driven a Pontiac, which he funded himself. Last year, Huffman won the Dash Series championship, the first-ever NASCAR title for Toyota.
"This is more than I ever hoped for," said Huffman, who drives the No. 12 Toyota Tundra for Innovative Motorsports this season. "I saw something in Toyota that led me to believe I'd make a good living driving one of their trucks."
Toyota's entry into Craftsman Trucks is thought to be a launching pad for a full-blown Nextel Cup effort as early as 2007. Right now, though, the plan at Toyota is to shake up the racing establishment. Toyota knows, however, crashing the party won't be easy.
View of rookie season
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports, is being cautious about the rookie season.
"We're really six months behind our competitors, and our engine program needs more development," said Aust.
He warned, however, that Toyota wasn't in the show to be a bit player.
"It's going to be tough, and we'll have to pay our dues," said Aust, also president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development. "But Toyota generally gets in it to win it, and that's what we want to do in trucks."
Of course, Toyota has a habit of catching on fast in race series. Toyota did in CART, winning championships after battling Ford and Chevrolet. Toyota captured last year's IRL championship, dominating the series in its first year. In Formula One, Toyota is expected to put more pressure on Ferrari, Williams-BMW and McLaren-Mercedes-Benz this season.
Toyota's field
Toyota will field four teams and seven drivers in Craftsman Truck; its ace in the hole is three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip, who will drive a Toyota at some of the short tracks on the circuit.
Waltrip is as American as apple pie and was named as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. He won the Daytona 500 in a Chevrolet in 1989.
Last year, veteran owner Jack Roush expressed his dissatisfaction at NASCAR allowing Toyota into the Craftsman Series. Roush, who lives in Northville and runs his Ford team from Charlotte, N.C., would now prefer to beat Toyota up on the track.
"Come on in, the water is fine," Roush said. "There's more involved than just throwing technology and money at a truck series."
Will challenge Toyota
Roush will field two truck teams this season. His drivers, Carl Edwards and Jon Wood, are young and fast. Roush expects them to give Toyota as much, if not more, than it bargained for.
"I've got a couple of the most-promising drivers I've ever seen," Roush said. "Toyota will probably bring in more fans, which, I guess, is good for the series, but if they think they can sweep the championship in their first year, I'll be surprised."
Ford Racing boss Dan Davis welcomes Toyota into Craftsman Truck, but you get a sense it's an ambush.
"Ford likes to compete against the best," Davis said. "We do that against Dodge and Chevrolet. Toyota might find stock car racing different to CART, which was really about spending big budgets. NASCAR takes a lot of finessing and tender loving care to succeed in. I think they'll work hard, but it's going to take them time, I believe, to win."
Glad Toyota in field
Dodge's John Fernandez can't wait for a crack at Toyota at Daytona. Fernandez, a top-flight SCCA racer, is director of Dodge Motorsports Operations. He likes the idea of Toyota mixing it up with the big boys, including Dodge, which won the Craftsman manufacturer's championship in 2003.
"Toyota will bring a lot of excitement to the series," Fernandez said. "We view them as another competitor we'd like to beat on the racetrack. I think they bring some energy with them. They've certainly encouraged Ford and Chevrolet to step up their truck programs."