Toyota teams struggle to get into gear

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Everyone expected Toyota to storm into NASCAR and quickly buy its way to the top of the Nextel Cup series.

Top drivers explored Toyota's opportunities, and many top crew members eagerly switched camps. It left rival car owners quivering, scared they wouldn't be able to compete.

Forget about winning races, the Japanese automaker barely can get into them. Heading into Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Toyota entries are a humbling 10-for-22 through three events this season.

Jeremy Mayfield is 0-for-3, as is rookie A.J. Allmendinger.

Michael Waltrip hasn't raced since the season-opening Daytona 500, and teammate Dale Jarrett has used three of his six allotted provisionals to make the fields.

Dave Blaney, the one guy to solidly make all three races, has failed to finish any of them.

It's a terrible start after such a ballyhooed entrance into NASCAR's premier series, leaving Toyota's top officials somewhat frustrated.

"When we are three races into the season, and the percentages of the cars that have run have been as low as they are, you've got to be concerned about it," said Jim Aust, president of Toyota Racing Development. "But I think the teams can rally, and they have the wherewithal that they can pull their organizations together and get the job done.

"We would have liked to have a much better showing the last couple of weeks, but it shows what the competition is like and I don't think it's going to get any easier."

It will only get harder as all seven Toyota teams slip deeper into a hole that will prove extremely difficult to climb out of. Because of NASCAR's complicated qualifying process that guarantees teams in the top 35 in points a spot in the field each week, the Toyota bunch could be looking at an entire year of qualifying nightmares.

Only Jarrett is currently in the top 35, but once his six past champion provisionals are up, he could join Waltrip and rookie teammate David Reutimann on the sideline.

Mayfield and Allmendinger are in terrible holes -- their zero points put them behind 49 other drivers in the standings.

"We know this is going to go on for another eight, nine, 10 races until hopefully we can crack into the top 35," said Tommy Baldwin, team director for Mayfield and Blaney at Bill Davis Racing. "Missing three races, we know it's going to be pretty hard to even crack into that top 35. We might have to do it all year, that's unfortunately where we are at right now."

Mayfield never had a chance to make the Las Vegas race because of a loose plug, which frustrated him even more.

"There are over 50 full-time teams that show up every weekend now, and it's tough enough when you get beat fair and square by them," Mayfield said. "But when you show up and beat yourselves, that's when you can't help but get angry and disappointed in yourselves."

Waltrip understands the frustration. He was humiliated in Daytona when his team was caught using a fuel additive. After missing the last two races, he's currently -27 in driver points.

"We've just got to look at every piece and part of our team to see how to improve, because Dale running last [at California] was just more than I can stand," Waltrip said. "And David not qualifying -- we just have to adjust what we are doing as a team. There's no question: We've got to have better cars."