Engine work pays off for Toyota
A big reason for the Japanese manufacturer’s show of muscle was a retooled engine first used at LMS. Engineers tinkered with the Toyota power plant to make it more responsive off the corners, even though the overall horsepower figures, when tested by NASCAR, had been satisfactory.
“It was definitely a difference, and we knew that coming here," said Vickers. “It showed in qualifying with the number of Toyotas that made the race. It really shows what the engine is capable of when you can get the motor wound up and keep it wound up. We were able to show that when we ran up front and pulled away from the other guys."
“If you look at the 7500-rpm range, we were almost 75 horsepower off," said Vickers’ crew chief, Doug Richert. “Through carburetion, they took and redid the power curve." Gaston Gazette