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PPI Motorsports

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PPI Motorsports
Owner(s)Cal Wells
BaseCharlotte, North Carolina
SeriesWinston Cup Series, Nextel Cup Series
Race driversRicky Craven, Travis Kvapil, Andy Houston, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Scott Pruett, Ron Fellows
SponsorsTide, McDonald's
ManufacturerFord, Pontiac, Chevrolet
Opened1979
Closed2006
Career
Drivers' Championships0
Race victories2

PPI Motorsports was a race team which competed in CART, NASCAR and various off-road racing circuits. The team had one of the few remaining single car operations in NASCAR.

Early years

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PPI stood for Precision Preparation, Inc., a company founded by team owner Cal Wells in 1979. The company provided parts for off-road racing teams. Over time, PPI eventually began its own off-road team, with help with Toyota Motorsports. PPI fielded off-road trucks for Mickey Thompson's SCORE series and then later fielded trucks which competed in outdoor events such as the Baja 1000. Notable drivers for PPI include Ivan "Ironman" Stewart and a young Robby Gordon (who also drove in CART for the team in 1998).

CART years

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The car from PPI's winning CART effort

PPI's relationship with Toyota expanded into the open-wheel ranks in 1995, when Wells formed a CART team with good friend Frank Arciero. Their initial driver was Hiro Matsushita. Known as Arciero-Wells, the CART team lasted for 5 years but only a managed a best finish of 4th in 1999 with rookie Cristiano da Matta. In 1996, they began the CART season with Jeff Krosnoff driving, but he died in a tragic accident during the Toronto street race. All PPI cars subsequently carried a decal commemorating Krosnoff's memory.

After Arciero left in 2000, the team was rebranded as PPI Motorsports, and da Matta gave the team its first (and only) career victory in CART. During this time, the team also ran a program in the Toyota Atlantic series, and had success in 2000 with rookie of the year Dan Wheldon. Following the 2000 season, however, PPI shut down its open-wheel and off-road programs, ended its relationship with Toyota, and shifted its focus exclusively on NASCAR.

PPI also competed in Toyota Atlantic from 1998 to 2000, winning races with Anthony Lazzaro, Andrew Bordin, and Dan Wheldon. Lazzaro won the championship for the team in 1999.

NASCAR years

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PPI Motorsports was notable in being the first NASCAR team to require pit crew members to wear helmets before the series mandated wearing helmets starting with the 2002 season.

Car No. 32 history

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The No. 32 Tide-sponsored car in 2005

PPI Motorsports started its first Cup team during the 2000 season with open-wheel and Trans Am standout Scott Pruett behind the wheel of the No.32 Tide-sponsored Ford. The team was hardly a success in its first year, finishing in 37th place and failing to qualify for six races. Pruett was released at the end of the season and returned to Trans-Am.

With the team focusing exclusively on NASCAR in 2001, PPI fielded a two-car Winston Cup effort, with Ricky Craven taking over in the 32. Craven had a number of strong races, which he capped giving the team its first career victory at Martinsville in October. He finished 21st in the points standings that year.

Craven ran strong in 2002 and, although he failed to win a race for the team, he managed to improve his point championship standing and finishing 15th overall. This was the team's last season in a Ford, as they switched to Pontiac the next season.

Craven started 2003 the same way, with a strong Top 5 at Rockingham and a famous victory at Darlington, in which he beat Kurt Busch to the finish by just 0.002 seconds, which still stands today as one of the smallest margins of victory in NASCAR Cup Series history. It also turned out to be Pontiac's last win in the Winston Cup Series. However, a series of DNF's dropped Craven to 27th in points.

PPI showed clear signs of struggling in 2004 as Craven was unable to give the team a single Top 10 finish through the first 24 races. Wells and Craven parted ways due to lack of results and Busch Series driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. took Craven's place. Hamilton Jr. drove the car for the entire 2005 season. However, he failed to score a Top 10 during the year, and eventually finished 36th. Wells did have some success after replacing Hamilton with road course ringer Ron Fellows at Infineon, with Fellows giving the team an eighth-place finish. Hamilton was replaced by Travis Kvapil, who drove the car for the 2006 season, only to have five DNQ's. Ron Fellows competed in the two road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. After originally finishing 10th at the Glen, Fellows was penalised for skipping a portion of the track and dropped to 32nd.

At the end of the 2006 season, Tide left NASCAR as a full-time sponsor. Unable to find a new sponsor, Wells shut down the team before the 2007 season and sold his owner points to Michael Waltrip Racing.

Car No. 96 history

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Later in 2000, PPI started a second Cup Series team with backing from Ronald McDonald House Charities. Truck Series driver Andy Houston was to drive the #96 Ford for five races toward the end of the 2000 season, with the intent being for the team to run the full 2001 schedule.

Houston finished no better than 26th in his five starts, but the team still entered the 2001 season having picked up sponsorship from McDonald's, which had been sponsoring Bill Elliott for the previous several years in his owner-driver venture.

The #96 struggled to find its footing. After qualifying ninth for the Daytona 500, Houston fell two laps down before being collected in a massive wreck on lap 175. He then failed to qualify for the next two races at Rockingham and Las Vegas.

Houston would record his best finish at Martinsville in April, where he finished 17th and was the last car running on the lead lap. Two races later he recorded his second top twenty finish, a 19th place run at California Speedway.

After that, Houston's performance declined significantly. He failed to qualify for the races at Michigan, Pocono, and Sears Point in June, and the #96 was entered in neither the July New Hampshire or Pocono races nor the road course event at Watkins Glen. Houston also missed the Southern 500 at Darlington, having failed to qualify for either event there, and the fall race at Richmond.

In the races he did manage to qualify for, Houston also struggled to perform. Although he qualified well again at Daytona in July, he was again collected in a crash. He qualified in the top 15 at both Chicagoland and Indianapolis, but Houston's engine blew three laps into the former event and he crashed on the opening lap in the latter. In all three of these races, Houston finished 43rd and last. In fact, after his top 20 run at California, Houston finished 40th or worse seven times.

McDonald's eventually cooled to the idea of continuing to sponsor Houston because of his poor performances and during the week leading up to the race at Indianapolis, they announced that they would be dropping their full-time sponsorship of the #96 after the inaugural race at Kansas in the fall. Houston finished eighteenth in that race, failing to finish on the lead lap. He was released following the event as no sponsor signed on to replace McDonald's, resulting in the team being shut down.

Driver history

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CART

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NASCAR

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(key)

Year Chassis Engine Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Pts Pos Pos
Arciero Racing
1982 PHX ATL MIL CLE MCH MIL POC RIV ROA MCH PHX
Eagle 81 Chevy V8 United States Pete Halsmer (R) 66 24 19 24 43 2
1983 ATL INDY MIL CLE MCH ROA POC RIV MDO MCH CPL LAG PHX
Penske PC-10/82 Cosworth DFX United States Pete Halsmer 66 4 DNQ 9 2 33 14 14 27 24 14 5 20 7 11th 48
United States Johnny Parsons Jr. 22 50th 0
1984 LBH PHX INDY MIL POR MEA CLE MCH ROA POC MDO SAN MCH PHX LAG CPL
Penske PC-10/82 Cosworth DFX United States Pete Halsmer 11 8 14 DNQ DNQ 9 29th 9
March 84C 22 26 14 18 13 24 18 18 26
1985 LBH INDY MIL POR MEA CLE MCH ROA POC MDO SAN MCH LAG PHX MIA
Lola T900 Cosworth DFX United States Bill Whittington 12 16 DNS 26 16 24 DNQ 21st 15
March 85C 14 24 5 17 8
Lola T900 United States Randy Lanier 17 41st 0
57 24 DNQ 22 22 20 14 20 13 15
1986 PHX LBH INDY MIL POR MEA CLE TOR MCH POC MDO SAN MCH ROA LAG PHX MIA
March 86C Cosworth DFX United States Randy Lanier 12 11 13 10 20 9 6 9 21 19 20th 21
United States Jeff MacPherson 22 15 13 DNQ 37th 0
United States Steve Chassey 17 44th 0
United States Eddie Cheever 27 49th 0
1987 LBH PHX INDY MIL POR MEA CLE TOR MCH POC ROA MDO NAZ LAG MIA
March 87C Cosworth DFX Italy Fabrizio Barbazza (R) 12 17 12 3 14 4 16 24 11 6 14 8 24 13 12th 42
Canada Ludwig Heimrath 23 DNQ 34th 5
1988 PHX LBH INDY MIL POR CLE TOR MEA MCH POC MDO ROA NAZ LAG MIA
March 88C Cosworth DFX Canada John Jones (R) 12 20 12 DNQ 14 8 7 7 7 8 8 7 13 11 11 16 11th 44
United States Johnny Parsons Jr. DNQ NC
March 87C United States Steve Bren 43 17 40th 0
1989 PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE MEA TOR MCH POC MDO ROA NAZ LAG
Penske PC-17/88 Cosworth DFX Belgium Didier Theys 12 20 23 20 17 21st 9
Italy Fabrizio Barbazza 20 21 26 24 8 20 12 21 24th 6
United States Rich Vogler 28 25th 5
1990 PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE MEA TOR MCH DEN VAN MDO ROA NAZ LAG
Penske PC-17/88 Buick 3300 V6 tc United States Randy Lewis 12 21 22 14 14 12 16 21 22 17 12 16 17 28 21 20 28th 2
Cosworth DFX 22
Buick 3300 V6 tc United States Rich Vogler DNQ NC
8 DNQ
Cosworth DFX United States Steve Bren 24 25 42nd 0
Buick 3300 V6 tc United States Buddy Lazier (R) 26 30th 1
1991 SFR LBH PHX INDY MIL DET POR CLE MEA TOR MCH DEN VAN MDO ROA NAZ LAG
Penske PC-17/88 Buick 3300 V6 tc United States Mark Dismore (R) 12 20 21 15 DNQ 38th 0
United States Jeff Wood 24 20 31st 0
United States Pancho Carter 14 26th 3
Lola T89/00 21
Canada John Jones 21 19 10 8 11 15 21 21 13 21 18th 10
1992 SFR PHX LBH INDY DET POR MIL NHA TOR MCH CLE ROA VAN MDO NAZ LAG
Lola T90/00 Buick 3300 V6 tc Italy Fabrizio Barbazza 30 12 20 21 DNQ 35th 1
United States Johnny Parsons Jr. DNQ NC
Lola T91/00 United States Jeff Wood 34 DNQ 34th 1
30 13 19 19 15 13 12
Canada Jacques Villeneuve, Sr. 22 22 52nd 0
Canada John Jones 12 23 22 36th 1
Finland Tero Palmroth 28 58th 0
1993 SFR PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH NHA ROA VAN MDO NAZ LAG
Penske 21/92 Chevrolet 265B United States Mark Smith (R) 25 18 9 10 DNQ 27 29 15 23 24 22 19 12 17 22nd 8
1994 SFR PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO NHA VAN ROA NAZ LAG
Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8t Brazil Marco Greco 25 DNQ 16 23 27 20 24 20 26 15 11 DNQ 16 16 21 17 24 29th 2
Arciero-Wells Racing
1995 MIA SFR PHX LBH NAZ INDY MIL DET POR ROA TOR CLE MCH MDO NHA VAN LAG
Reynard 94i Ford XB Japan Hiro Matsushita 25 26 11 22 19 DNS 10 19 14 17 13 19 13 20 15 22 17 22 28th 5
1996 MIA RIO SFR LBH NAZ 500 MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO ROA VAN LAG
Reynard 96i Toyota United States Jeff Krosnoff (R) 25 22 26 18 26 18 18 18 15 17 16 161 35th 0
Italy Max Papis 24 9 22 27th 4
1997 MIA SFR LBH NAZ RIO GAT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO ROA VAN LAG FON
Reynard 97i Toyota Japan Hiro Matsushita 24 21 25 20 25 23 15 17 19 15 20 22 9 19 24 14 28 23 27th 4
Italy Max Papis 25 19 14 25 22 13 26 19 11 28 27 15 8 14 15 20 14 12 24th 8
1998 MIA MOT LBH NAZ RIO GAT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO ROA VAN LAG HOU SFR FON
Reynard 98i Toyota Japan Hiro Matsushita 24 23 16 19 15 30th 0
United States Robby Gordon 7 13 20 14 23 23 13 27 11 12 23 13 13 16 9 23rd 13
Italy Max Papis 25 26 13 24 14 28 22 16 18 11 12 8 19 14 11 9 12 5 17 16 21st 25
1999 MIA MOT LBH NAZ RIO GAT MIL POR CLE ROA TOR MCH DET MDO CHI VAN LAG HOU SRF FON
Reynard 99i Toyota United States Scott Pruett 24 22 21 15 10 24 14 17 24 17 25 7 14 8 17 20 13 7 10 9 22 19th 28
Brazil Cristiano da Matta (R) 25 14 25 20 4 21 17 11 11 20 21 24 17 19 9 14 5 22 11 13 23 18th 32
PPI/Wells Racing
2000 MIA LBH RIO MOT NAZ MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH CHI MDO ROA VAN LAG GAT HOU SRF FON
Reynard 2Ki Toyota RVA Spain Oriol Servià (R) 96 19 6 25 24 9 19 3 8 23 11 8 15 10 10 11 17 5 9 92 20 15th 60
Brazil Cristiano da Matta 97 12 25 4 4 13 14 23 5 3 4* 17 1 17 13 7 15 4 14 4 25 10th 112
Arciero-Blair Racing
2000 MIA LBH RIO MOT NAZ MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH CHI MDO ROA VAN LAG GAT HOU SRF FON
Reynard 2Ki Mercedes-Benz IC108E V8t Brazil Luiz Garcia Jr. 25 17 12 12 23 15 21 22 14 20 12 11 17 25 24 15 20 25 22 12 DNS 27th 6
2001 MTY LBH TEX NAZ MOT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH CHI MDO ROA VAN LAU ROC HOU LAG SRF FON
Lola B2K/00 Phoenix Brazil Max Wilson 25 28 21 C3 17 25th 12
Ford XF V8t 23 23 4 19 25 15 25 25 18 21 16 24
United States Alex Barron 13 9 29th 4
  1. ^ Jeff Krosnoff died in an accident at the Molson Indy Toronto.
  2. ^ Oriol Servià was penalized 4 points for rough driving in Surfers Paradise.
  3. ^ The Firestone Firehawk 600 was canceled after qualifying due to excessive g-forces on the drivers.

IndyCar win

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# Season Date Sanction Track / Race No. Winning Driver Chassis Engine Tire Grid Laps Led
1 2000 July 30 CART Chicago Motor Speedway (O) 97 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Reynard 2Ki Toyota RVA Firestone 5 51

Complete NASCAR Results

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No. 32 Car

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NASCAR Nextel Cup Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NSCC Pts!
2000 Scott Pruett 32 Ford DAY
19
CAR
DNQ
LVS
42
ATL
41
DAR
DNQ
BRI
DNQ
TEX
27
MAR
32
TAL
20
CAL
34
RCH
27
CLT
41
DOV
38
MCH
19
POC
31
SON
39
DAY
40
NHA
30
POC
36
IND
10
GLN
DNQ
MCH
17
BRI
38
DAR
24
RCH
16
NHA
41
DOV
42
MAR
DNQ
CLT
DNQ
TAL
39
CAR
30
PHO
34
HOM
43
ATL
32
37th 1929
2001 Ricky Craven DAY
23
CAR
5
LVS
41
ATL
13
DAR
27
BRI
23
TEX
27
MAR
28
TAL
15
CAL
41
RCH
43
CLT
31
DOV
4
MCH
35
POC
43
SON
16
DAY
33
CHI
21
NHA
38
POC
10
IND
9
GLN
35
MCH
2
BRI
38
DAR
18
RCH
11
DOV
26
KAN
21
CLT
35
MAR
1*
TAL
24
PHO
8
CAR
12
HOM
30
ATL
38
NHA
38
21st 3379
2002 DAY
17
CAR
5
LVS
31
ATL
5
DAR
41
BRI
13
TEX
14
MAR
30
TAL
18
CAL
37
RCH
9
CLT
3
DOV
7
POC
14
MCH
15
SON
19
DAY
23
CHI
20
NHA
21
POC
17
IND
33
GLN
34
MCH
17
BRI
16
DAR
14
RCH
21
NHA
6
DOV
9
KAN
38
TAL
15
CLT
36
MAR
7
ATL
21
CAR
9
PHO
34
HOM
24
15th 3888
2003 Pontiac DAY
26
CAR
4
LVS
36
ATL
12
DAR
1
BRI
15
TEX
21
TAL
4
MAR
27
CAL
15
RCH
38
CLT
38
DOV
8
POC
10
MCH
15
SON
21
DAY
43
CHI
25
NHA
21
POC
40
IND
17
GLN
28
MCH
40
BRI
8
DAR
8
RCH
30
NHA
38
DOV
40
TAL
8
KAN
41
CLT
19
MAR
32
ATL
35
PHO
38
CAR
39
HOM
29
27th 3334
2004 Chevy DAY
23
CAR
35
LVS
25
ATL
22
DAR
36
BRI
22
TEX
28
MAR
16
TAL
43
CAL
18
RCH
26
CLT
24
DOV
16
POC
34
MCH
29
SON
16
DAY
38
CHI
38
NHA
38
POC
20
IND
24
GLN
32
MCH
35
BRI
34
NHA
17
34th 2309
Bobby Hamilton Jr. CAL
38
RCH
11
DOV
29
TAL
43
KAN
23
CLT
15
MAR
36
ATL
38
PHO
16
DAR
31
HOM
21
2005 DAY
35
CAL
20
LVS
11
ATL
38
BRI
39
MAR
40
TEX
39
PHO
35
TAL
40
DAR
30
RCH
36
CLT
DNQ
DOV
21
POC
23
MCH
31
DAY
38
CHI
21
NHA
28
POC
23
IND
39
MCH
35
BRI
35
CAL
23
RCH
43
NHA
29
DOV
33
TAL
DNQ
KAN
43
CLT
41
MAR
30
ATL
DNQ
TEX
38
PHO
35
HOM
36
37th 2348
Ron Fellows SON
8
GLN
25
2006 Travis Kvapil DAY
27
CAL
DNQ
LVS
39
ATL
DNQ
BRI
40
MAR
34
TEX
27
PHO
21
TAL
19
RCH
27
DAR
30
CLT
22
DOV
29
POC
19
MCH
21
DAY
30
CHI
37
NHA
35
POC
27
IND
25
MCH
21
BRI
20
CAL
34
RCH
28
NHA
27
DOV
39
KAN
19
TAL
DNQ
CLT
20
MAR
40
ATL
32
TEX
28
PHO
30
HOM
27
37th 2648
Ron Fellows SON
37
GLN
32

No. 96 Car

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NASCAR Nextel Cup Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NWCC Pts
2000 Andy Houston 96 Ford DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH
35
BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT
26
TAL CAR
28
PHO
36
HOM
42
ATL 55th 314
2001 DAY
38
CAR
DNQ
LVS
DNQ
ATL
21
DAR
DNQ
BRI
39
TEX
32
MAR
17
TAL
21
CAL
19
RCH
42
CLT
41
DOV
23
MCH
DNQ
POC
DNQ
SON
DNQ
DAY
43
CHI
43
NHA POC IND
43
GLN MCH
31
BRI
40
DAR
DNQ
RCH
DNQ
DOV
40
KAN
18
CLT MAR TAL PHO CAR HOM ATL NHA 46th 1187
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