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Toyota will take message to ‘buy American’ crowd through NASCAR strategy

Toyota knows that if it wants to sell its cars and trucks to NASCAR fans — and it clearly does, as evidenced by its ballyhooed entry into U.S. stock car racing — it must get past a long-standing "buy American" philosophy that runs deepest with the sport's core fan base.

It will start that push later this year as title sponsor of NASCAR's first-ever Toyota All-Star Showdown, a three-day event that will bring together 70 drivers from NASCAR's six regional touring series, the sport's grassroots equivalent of other sports' low minor leagues.

The event, which will deliver $500,000 in posted awards to the drivers, culminates with live coverage of the two-segment feature race from Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway on Speed Channel on Nov. 8.

Toyota will become the first import automaker to run on one of NASCAR's premier national circuits next year when it fields as many as six of its Toyota Tundras in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Toyota executives are quick to point out that the Tundra, like several other Toyota models, is manufactured exclusively in the United States — worth noting for those who are wondering why the manufacturer was so hot to get into a sport with a fan base known for its loyal buying habits.

"We hope [the All-Star Showdown] will help us sell cars by exposing the Toyota name, brand and image to a segment of the population — NASCAR viewers — that perhaps in the past would not have been predisposed to consider Toyota," said Les Unger, national motorsports manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA. "We want to get out the message that we have a heritage of racing. And that, oh, by the way, we build a lot of product in the United States. We have found during preliminary research that that isn't necessarily known."

The timing of the race also fit well into Toyota's NASCAR strategy. It comes one week before the final race of the Craftsman Truck season, which also airs on Speed Channel and is supported heavily by Toyota advertising. That dovetail should allow Toyota to build momentum for its 2004 on-track launch.

"The biggest single benefit we see is in terms of generating some exposure to the NASCAR fans who follow those regional series," Unger said. "We want to drive home the point that we're coming to NASCAR and that we're willing to work to be accepted. That's the big thing for us."

The All-Star Showdown will bring together drivers from the six regional NASCAR divisions that run on short tracks across the nation: Busch North, Winston West, Featherlite Southwest, International Truck and Engine Corp. Midwest, Kodak Southeast and Raybestos Brakes Northwest.

The event begins with practice Nov. 6, followed by a pair of 50-lap qualifying races Nov. 7 and the main event Nov. 8.

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