PPI Racing to do their own engines? UPDATE: NASCAR.com’s The Buzz has learned that Cal Wells III and his #32 PPI Motorsports team will do their own engines beginning in 2003, when the team — with driver Ricky Craven — plans to switch from the Ford Tauruses it currently runs to the newly designed 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix. Wells’ team currently employs Ford engines from Robert Yates Racing, and is extremely pleased with the power output. However, unlike Roush Racing — which has heavy Ford involvement but has built GM engines for the NASCAR Busch Series — Yates does no GM engines. Wells plans to announce the head of his engine program this week.(NASCAR.com)(9-1-2002) UPDATE: Having recently made the decision to switch to Pontiacs for 2003, PPI Motorsports has announced that they will build their own engines for the #32 Tide entry. Longtime engine partner, Robert Yates Racing Engines, only builds Ford powerplants-thus leaving the Cal Wells’ operation searching for a replacement to compliment their new program next year. “A lot of thought and decision-making went into this process,” said team owner Cal Wells. “Certainly we benefited an enormous amount from the relationship with Robert and Doug Yates. With the power and reliability provided by Yates, we didn’t have to think about what was under the hood. We ultimately realized that if we were going to be as competitive as they are week to week, we had to build our own motors. So as we move forward with our new friends at Pontiac, we will take on this responsibility directly,” he added. Historically, PPI has managed every aspect of their motorsports operations. From building their own cars to developmental engineering, all facets of the successful racing program have been under PPI’s performance umbrella.(PPI PR)(9-7-2002)
