Honda rule out NASCAR switch

President of Honda Performance Development Robert Clarke confirmed that, despite having historically been joined by Toyota in whatever series they have been racing in, they are not looking to join their main competitor when they enter the Nextel Cup and Busch series in 2007.

Toyota and Honda have a long-standing rivalry in American motorsport. This will be the first season since 1995 where they haven't directly competed against each other in a top flight American motorsport category, having battled against each other in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.

Toyota have withdrawn from the IRL earlier than planned to put their resources into a six-car NASCAR Nextel Cup programme for next season.

Instead of racing against Toyota for the meantime, Clarke says, Honda's North American motorsport programme will focus on supplying the entire IRL grid, with their current commitment with the series lasting until the end of 2009.

Clarke refused to say that Honda's would never be involved in NASCAR, but was definite that there were no plans currently in existence for a stock car assault.

"Will we follow Toyota to NASCAR? I never say never. I've learned that in this business," Clarke said. "But we have no immediate or near term plans to get into NASCAR. We are quite occupied with our activity in the IRL and no plans for NASCAR.

"We're arch-rivals and we particularly enjoy fighting each other. But we are continuing to support the IRL.

"We believe strongly in open-wheel racing as a form of racing that Honda has historically competed in, and particularly in Formula One and CART and now the IRL.

"We very much enjoy that style of racing at the premiere level, and we are showing our commitment to the sport and to the IRL in particular, by making our commitment through 2009."

"Honda's racing historically has been focused on technology. Having not been directly involved with NASCAR, I think it's probably unfair for us to say that their technology is dumbed-down or at a lower level, but it's clearly a different kind of technology."

With Honda's buyout of BAR, this season will be the first time both have competed against each other as constructors in Formula One.