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Can Toyota Win The Great American Race?

So far at Daytona this weekend, wins have come for Toyota in the Craftsman Truck Series with Todd Bodine and the Nationwide Series with Tony Stewart. With a year of experience under their belt in the Cup Series and a new team joining the fold, a Toyota could be in victory lane at the end of the 50th running of the Daytona 500.

Last year, teams that were not in the upper echelon of the Cup Series flew the Toyota flag. This year, with the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota now looks to have something to bring to the table in the Sprint Cup Series. JGR is widely recognized as one of the few teams that can compete with Hendrick Motorsports. The star-studded line up of JGR has topped the practice charts in preseason testing and has also visited victory lane when Denny Hamlin won in the Gatorade Shootout.

The pole position for the Daytona 500 was within grasp as Michael Waltrip lost out to Jimmie Johnson by .088 seconds. The starting line up of the race will have three Toyotas in the top six. The start of 2008 is a far cry from last year when only four Toyotas made the race. The highest starting position went to Waltrip in 15th while the rest of the Toyotas were in provisional land.

A year of experience is important, but the biggest reason that Toyota has a shot at the win goes to the addition of JGR. Adding the names of Stewart, Hamlin and Kyle Busch not only gives Toyota a shot at winning races each and every week, it should put the manufacturer in the all important 2008 Chase for the Championship.

A look at Toyota?s top drivers in the Daytona 500:

Michael Waltrip (qualified 2nd): While he struggled with Toyota last year, Waltrip is a past winner of the Daytona 500 in 2001 and 2003. Waltrip really showed his strength in the Gatorade Duel when he dropped to the back of the pack and pushed teammate Dale Jarrett up to the front and into the Daytona 500. The speedway expertise of Waltrip makes him a contender for the win.

Denny Hamlin (starting 4th): Hamlin won the his Gatorade Duel race, putting his car in the outside of the second row to start the race. While not faring well in previous Daytona 500s, Hamlin is always a threat to win a race.

Tony Stewart (starting 6th): Tony crossed the finish line right behind Hamlin in the 2nd Gatorade Duel. He also crossed the finish line right behind Dale Earnhardt Jr in the Bud Shootout a week ago. Stewart won the Nationwide Series race on Saturday in convincing fashion after starting on the pole position. Stewart crashed out of both Cup Series Daytona races last year while at the front of the pack. If he keeps it clean, look for the rest of the field to follow him to the finish line.

Kyle Busch (starting 24th): Busch hasn?t won a Daytona 500?yet. While he still is a bit unsettled on the track, he is always fast. A look at his run in the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night shows that he can run the track. Kyle took an ill handling truck to a finish of second and a shot at the win. Busch also ran strong in the Nationwide Series, crossing the line in second place behind teammate Stewart.

Dave Blaney (starting 34th): This team won the Daytona 500 with Ward Burton back in 2002. Blaney drove up to the front and led laps in the Budweiser Shootout, finishing seventh. He also ran up front in the Gatorade Duel before his engine let go.

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