| [ News Index ][ SpeedCenter Homepage ][ Copyright Info ][ SpeedCenter Galleries ] |
©1999 SpeedCenter Publishing Tide Racing announced it has entered into a three-year agreement with PPI Motorsports to field the No. 32 Tide Ford, driven by racing veteran Scott Pruett, in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The Tide Racing team will debut its new 2000 Ford Taurus, with engines built by Robert Yates, at next year's season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. The announcement was made today at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. "This is a very exciting day for Tide and the Tide Racing Family," said Patricia DiMichele, Tide marketing manager. "PPI Motorsports and Scott Pruett bring a wealth of talent, energy and experience to our program as we embark on the 2000 racing season." "We're eager to take this step into Winston Cup alongside an outstanding partner, Tide Racing," said Cal Wells, founder and owner of PPI. "This is a tremendous opportunity for us to realize one of our longtime goals, competition in the Winston Cup series, while also enabling us to diversify PPI's overall motorsports program in a very exciting and dynamic way. We've undoubtedly got a big job ahead of us, but we're confident we're identifying the right people and resources to build a strong and sound NASCAR program for Tide Racing." Scott Pruett, a ten-year veteran on the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) circuit, has signed a multi-year agreement to drive the No. 32 Tide Ford for PPI Motorsports. Pruett, 39, currently competes in the FedEx Championship Series for Wells' CART team, Arciero-Wells. Pruett will contest CART's two remaining races this season (in Australia on Oct. 17 and the season finale in Fontana on Oct. 31) before turning his attention full time to the Tide Racing effort. "Scott is a very talented athlete with outstanding credentials," said Wells. "We have had the pleasure of working with him this past year on the CART side, and we're incredibly excited to have him join our Winston Cup effort. Scott is highly regarded in the racing community as an astute development driver, one who is no stranger to new programs and hard work. His immense experience will be crucial for us as we build our team next year and into the future." Pruett began his career in karts before collecting two IMSA GTO championship titles, the 1986 IMSA GT Endurance title, the 1987 and 1994 SCCA Trans-Am championship titles and three 24 Hours of Daytona wins. In CART competition, Pruett earned four pole positions, two wins (including Firestone's historic first win at Michigan Speedway upon their return to Champ car racing in 1995) and consistent placements within the top ten in series point standings. Pruett has also posted several years in the International Race of Champions (IROC) series, most recently finishing third in 1995. "The opportunity to begin a whole new chapter of my career in NASCAR alongside Tide Racing and PPI is one I couldn't pass up," Pruett said. "I've had a wonderful ten years in CART. This is a chance to expand my career in an exciting and challenging new direction, one I'd always thought about but never dreamed would be possible. I can't wait to get started." "We are happy to welcome Scott and his family to the Tide Racing program," said DiMichele. "Scott is a serious athlete who is not only an excellent sportsman, but also a wonderful representative for Tide Racing both on and off the track. We look forward to many years of working together toward shared success in NASCAR." Pruett, a native Californian, resides in Lake Tahoe, Nev., with wife Judy and daughters Lauren (11) and Taylor (1). The Pruetts are currently expecting their third child and plan to relocate to the Hickory, N.C., area this winter. In addition to PPI's Winston Cup partnership, Tide Racing will participate in the recently announced McDonald's/PPI NASCAR Busch Series effort as an associate sponsor. Likewise, McDonald's will reciprocate the associate sponsor relationship with similar involvement in the Tide Racing program. Both teams are operated from the PPI Motorsports shop in Hickory, N.C. "We believe very strongly in the one team, two car concept at PPI Motorsports," Wells explained. "We will share resources and develop partnerships wherever possible, be it on the racing side or the business side, to build a multidisciplinary motorsports platform that not only succeeds on the track, but also fulfills the big-picture expectations of all our partners."
|
|
|||
|
|
|||