ADVERTISEMENT
“We were involved in the Busch Series with some teams but decided the best path of action was to come to ARCA where we would have some better quality teams available to us,” said Dave Dixon, Technical Department Manager of Ilmor Engineering. “It’s incredibly difficult to break into any series, and the fact that we were able to supply our engines to some very good teams at Daytona at the beginning of the year led us to believe that ARCA was the best path to lead us into stock car racing. The reception we have received has been extremely warm and welcoming. It’s been a pleasure to work with everyone from the team principles to crew members to the ARCA officials.”
The importance of a company such as Ilmor joining up with ARCA is big –even to ARCA. “One of the day-in, day-out goals for our company is to grow our credibility in the professional motorsports industry,” said Ron Drager, President of ARCA. “Among the best methods to measure our progress in strengthening and elevating our position is to consider those partners who choose to make an investment in ARCA. Obviously, Ilmor Engineering’s reputation as a worldwide leader in racing engine construction is unparalleled. We are proud to have such an outstanding industry leader decide to establish a presence in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.”
And next year? “We are extremely excited to be involved with the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2008,” said Dixon. “We think it is an outstanding opportunity to showcase our engine services and the performance of our engines, especially with all of the different tracks that the series competes on.”
Now, Ilmor has a real challenge on their hands. The ARCA RE/MAX Series races on short tracks, NASCAR-style superspeedways and even dirt tracks.
But the other side of the coin is that companies such as Ilmor use ARCA as a test bed for NASCAR, often developing parts and assemblies that end up in NASCAR. We’ll keep you posted.