hearing that Scott Pruett and PPI Motorsports may part ways and that Kevin Lepage is a possible candidate for the driver of the #32 Tide Ford. ALSO hearing that Mike Beam, who recently left the #21 Wood Brothers team as a crew chief to take the #75 Galaxy Motorsports Team Manager job will be the new crew chief of the #32 Tide Ford. No word on what would happen to Scott Houston who was named as the crew chief of the 32 a few months ago, but the #96 McDonald’s Ford of PPI Motorsports could be a possibility since Andy Houston, Scott’s brother is the driver for that car(12-13-2000) UPDATE: hear it is true, that is/was the sponsor’s decision. Beam is now with PPI Motorsports but it may be as a Team/General Mgr or/and crew chief UPDATE 2: hearing now that Beam has come aboard PPI in an unspecified capacity, but that Pruett has NOT been released and is still with the team but that the team is “looking at everything”, including driver, to improve in 2001 UPDATE 3 – Beamed named: Mike Beam has joined Hickory-based PPI Racing, which will field two Winston Cup teams next season. Team spokesperson Amy Riley said Beam’s role for now is to work with team manager Joe Garone through an off-season evaluation of the Cal Wells-owned team’s first year in NASCAR, in which Scott Pruett drove the #32 Fords. Rookie Andy Houston will join the team as driver of the #96 Fords next season(That’s Racin’), no word on why Beam left the #75 Galaxy Motorsports team only a month after leaving the #21 Wood Brothers team to go there. No comment on if Pruett will drive the #32 car in 2001(12-14-2000) UPDATE 4: Beam was hired away from Galaxy Motorsports to join PPI, not as a crew chief, but as a senior consultant to team manager Joe Garone as well as crew chiefs Scott Houston (32 car) and Pat Smith, who moves up from the Busch car to lead the No. 96 team. The team made no statements about the future of Scott Pruett as the driver of the #32 car except to say that he is still under contract through the year 2001, and is planing to be the driver of the Tide-sponsored Ford(SpeedVision)(12-15-2000)
