Crew Chief Mike Beam has left Richard Childress Racing and the #30 AOL Chevy team to become the team manager for car owner Cal Wells operation.( PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show )(11-19-2003) UPDATE: PPI Motorsports today announced it has hired former Tide Racing crew chief Mike Beam as competition director for its racing programs. Beam is joined by David Charpentier, who will serve as crew chief for the #32 Tide Chevrolet driven by Ricky Craven. Scott Miller, crew chief for the #32 Tide Pontiac in 2003, is exploring options both within and outside of the team’s engineering group. Beam, a veteran NASCAR Winston Cup Series crew chief, returns to PPI Motorsports after serving as crew chief for Richard Childress Racing’s #30 AOL Chevrolet in 2003. As competition director, Beam will help focus the organization’s in-house operations toward increased performance. He will also work with Charpentier and the crew of the #32 Tide Chevrolet to ensure the team’s at-track competition needs are met. Beam served as crew chief for PPI Motorsports’ #32 Tide Racing program from 2001-2002 and helped lead the team to its first NASCAR Winston Cup Series win (Martinsville, October 2001), three pole positions, and seven top-five finishes. Charpentier, former engineering manager for Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), entered the professional motorsports ranks after seven years in the Navy’s nuclear power program and consulted for several teams, including Sabco Racing, Rudd Performance Motorsports, Butch Mock Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports. In 1999, Charpentier joined DEI and was instrumental in the team’s growth from one to three successful Winston Cup teams.( PPI Motorsports PR )(11-24-2003)
