Effort Working with ARCA Dodges
With all the fuss about open wheel aces such as Franchitti and Villenueve driving Dodges in NASCAR, it didn’t take Mopar Max too long to find out that they’re not the only established open wheel name to join up with stock cars. At a recent ARCA RE/MAX Super car race, we saw a familiar name on a few shirts and cars.
Ilmor Engineering, which is well known for developing winning engines for Formula One and the IndyCar Series with more than 200 open wheel victories to its credit, has shown its face in stock cars using ARCA RE/MAX Series Dodges as a platform.
Before their new effort in stock car auto racing, the company was most recognized for its involvement in open wheel racing. Ilmor-designed engines are credited with earning two consecutive Formula One World Championships in 1998 and 1999 with McLaren
Mercedes. The company has been successfully involved at just about every level of professional motorsports throughout the United States and Europe. To date, Ilmor engines have won more than 180 IndyCar Series races, 13 Indy 500s, 34 Formula One races, and have contributed to more than two dozen stock car successes.
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Ilmor Engineering, which has locations in both Brixworth, England, and Plymouth, Michigan, made its initial appearance in American stock car auto racing in 2004, posting a victory at Daytona with driver Mike Wallace piloting a Biagi Brothers Racing entry outfitted with Ilmor’s version of the PJE Ford Engine. Ilmor began supporting their entry into the ARCA RE/MAX Series with a participating manufacturer contingency program in 2007. The company made its inaugural appearance in the series at Daytona in February and posted their first top-10 when Damon Lusk finished ninth at Michigan International Speedway in June with Ilmor power under the hood.
