Thieves made a fast getaway after taking three NASCAR racing engines from a well-known race shop in Mooresville. Police say someone broke into the Roush/Yates engine shop and got away with three of the big Ford engines used by the team in the Nationwide and Truck Series. The engines are worth $50,000 each. “These are not everyday engines, these are NASCAR specific engines, you can’t put them in a car, plus they are Roush Yates engines, very specific,” said Mooresville Police Lt. Joseph Cooke. The engines were taken sometime Monday night from the shop off Mazeppa Road. One of the workers said he knew it was going to be a bad day when he came to work and saw a big hole in the wall. The hole is big enough for thieves to get inside, then open the door. Each of the engines weigh more than 500 pounds. They’re kept on rollers and that made it easy for thieves to roll them into a cargo van they happened to steal from another race team. “They stole a Penske rental truck, like a cargo van and used the cargo van to load up the engines and take the engines away.” The thieves dumped the van, but made off with the engines. Unless they are in the racing business, they may find them tough to unload. “Those are specialty items you’d have to be in NASCAR or the racing business to use them, you can’t just put these engines in your car.” If you can help Mooresville Police, call them at 704-664-3311, or South Iredell Crime Stoppers at 704-658-9056. If your information leads to an arrest, you be eligible for a reward.(WBTV CBS 3 site)(9-18-2008) UPDATE: NASCAR team owner Doug Yates said it appears the thieves who broke into the Roush Yates Racing Engines facility in Mooresville, N.C., recently and stole three engines “knows the facility and knows the engines.” The break-in took place Monday at the shop located on Mazeppa Road. The engines, valued at $50,000 each, were built specifically for use in the NASCAR Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series. “We have security on the building,” Yates said. “But the area where they broke in, the motion sensor didn’t pick it up. If they had gone any further in the shop [it would have].” Yates said sheetmetal had been peeled away to allow the thieves to gain access to the shop.(SceneDaily) UPDATE 2: from the Mooresville NC Police – Case Number #2008004567 Issued: September 17, 2008 Issued by Lt. Cook: On the night of 09/15/08 suspect(s) broke into Roush Yates Engines and took three Ford 358 cubic inches Roush/Yates NASCAR racing engines valued at $50,000.00 each. If anyone has information related to the case or information leading to the recovery of the engines call Mooresville Police Department at 704-664-3311 or The Mooresville South Iredell Crime Stoppers at 704-658-9056 for a monetary reward. A photograph of a similar engine is on my Engines News/Rules page.(9-21-2008)
