Toyota won’t sponsor Homestead race

UPDATE This rumor is downgraded to 'false.' Preparations are already underway by Toyota for the 2006 IRL TOYOTA INDY 300 at Homestead, and yes that is what it will be called AutoRacing1.com has learned. And as we reported earlier, rumors that Toyota will pull out of their IRL contract a year early are probably also unfounded based on this news. The fact that Toyota has delayed a year (until 2007) their entry into Winston Cup means they have plenty of racing budget to stay in the IRL for 2006. Whether they can beat Honda is another story, but recently they appear to have caught up. 09/26/05 Word in Florida is that Toyota, who gave away the lions share of free tickets, won't be returning as sponsor of next year's IRL race at Homestead. We also hear that the new lights at Homestead also illuminate the infield road course. Sources tell us that track officials have talked to Champ Car recently, and Champ Car would like to be back in the Miami market, but Homestead may be too far from downtown to meet Champ Car's business objectives.