Toyota & Roush Fenway Racing

[Don]

Source: AutoWeek.com

Toyota officials on Wednesday (March 27) identified the Roush Fenway Racing part--a spring--that team owner Jack Roush said was found in a Toyota team's (supposedly Michael Waltrip Racing) possession during a Sprint Cup post-race teardown.

Jim Aust, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Racing Development, said that the part was returned to RFR once it was found to belong to that team. He was uncertain how the part, discovered on a table with other Toyota parts, got there or from which team it came.

"I don't understand the whole procedure when a teardown happens," said Aust, referring to a post-race process in which NASCAR inspectors disassemble several cars. "The only thing I know is it wound up with parts we had and [we returned it] to Roush. It's unfortunate it happened the way it did. It wasn't anything intentional. There's no reason to be done intentional. I have no idea how it happened to begin with."

Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith said the part in question was not a spring, but he would not elaborate. No one at RFR has identified which Toyota team had the part.

"Jack is the only one to talk to at this time and he presently doesn't want to make any additional comments," Smith said.