Busch says Gibbs move to Toyota in '08 is a done deal

FONTANA, Calif. -- Tony Stewart received a telephone call recently asking him to be at the Joe Gibbs Racing shop on Wednesday morning, in preparation for a noon announcement. His future teammate Kyle Busch gave everyone an idea of what that announcement will be about.

Busch said Friday at California Speedway that team officials have told him the organization's long-awaited move from Chevrolet to Toyota is official. "They finally made their decision, and they called me," said the current Hendrick Motorsports driver, who is moving into Gibbs' No. 18 car next season.

A Gibbs spokesman was adamant Friday that no deal had been signed between the Gibbs team and the Japanese carmaker, which has struggled mightily in its first season on NASCAR's premier circuit. But the marriage seemed a foregone conclusion inside the Nextel Cup garage area, especially after Busch essentially confirmed it.

"I feel fine with it," he said. "I think it's something that's going to take Joe Gibbs Racing a step forward in the right direction. They have a great reputation for being able to produce winning racecars year in and year out, and championship teams. I think they're going to be just fine. This is a business decision that they felt was right. I guess now I have to talk to Five Star Race Bodies to make me a late model that's a Camry."

Toyota's move into Nextel Cup has been fraught with difficulty, beginning even before the season-opening Daytona 500 when Michael Waltrip's team was busted for an illegal fuel additive. While there have been a few bright spots -- Dave Blaney's pole at New Hampshire and Brian Vickers' fifth-place finish at Charlotte foremost among them -- the manufacturer's first season in Cup has been defined by struggles just to make races on Friday.

Enter the Gibbs program, which has won three of the last seven Cup-level championships, and will place two drivers in the season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup.

"They're a strong, strong company, Gibbs is," Chevy driver Jimmie Johnson said. "I think Toyota's commitment to the sport, and what they're willing to do to get competitive and compete for race wins and championships, will force all the other manufacturers to spend more money. It will force all the other teams to get more money to be able to compete. I think [Gibbs] may have some type of learning curve if they do go, but it would be great for Toyota and terrible for Chevrolet for us to lose those guys. That combination together, I would think, over a period of time, would be very, very tough to beat."

Stewart and Denny Hamlin weren't quite as forthcoming as their future teammate. "I've got a feeling some big stuff is going to happen," Stewart said of Wednesday's expected announcement. Hamlin toed the line: "I'm not going to say we're not going to be with Chevrolet next year," he said. "It's definitely a possibility."

So is the chance of Gibbs taking a competitive step back in its first season under the Toyota banner. For a Gibbs car to make the Chase next year in a Camry, it would require a dramatic leap in performance. The highest-ranking Toyota driver this year is Blaney, who sits 33rd in points.

"They're a strong organization, a strong team, good drivers," Chevy driver Jeff Gordon said. "I think that would be a good move for Toyota, and it could possibly work out well for Gibbs too, we'll just have to see. Everybody talks about the engineering and the technology Toyota can bring, yet they haven't seen the results so far this year. You put them with a top organization like Gibbs, and I think they'll finally start seeing the results they're looking for. But is that going to take Gibbs to the next level, or hold them back is probably the real question."

Busch cites the carmaker's strides in North American open-wheel series and the Craftsman Truck circuit as proof that it can be done. Hamlin said any move would be about positioning the Gibbs team for long-term success.

"What's dominant now, is it going to be dominant down the road? That's an option everyone's looking at, what's going to be good five or six years down the road?" said Hamlin, who added that Gibbs is still working on extending his contract, to bring it in line with that of car sponsor FedEx. "I think that's why there tend to be people looking around for different options. We've got a great relationship with Chevrolet. We've always had a great relationship with Chevrolet, and I couldn't be prouder to be with them. If there's no change at all, I'll be happy."

But all indications are there will be a change, and one of NASCAR's top organizations will be tasked with bringing its newest manufacturer up to a more competitive level. Kurt Busch, who moved from a Ford team to a Dodge outfit two years ago, can relate to some of what his little brother is about to go through.

"I wish them all the luck," he said. "It's different, I think, with the way the fans have absorbed Toyota. But when you look at the bottom-line numbers, I think they're the No. 2 auto manufacturer as far as sales in the U.S. now. They deserve to be in our sport, and fans deserve to give them credit."