Roush Yates Engines Recognized with award: The prestigious AVA Digital Awards recognized Roush Yates Engines for their outstanding accomplishments in the area of video and web-based production. Roush Yates Engines was presented with a pair of awards highlighting their excellence in marketing and creativity. The team was awarded Platinum in the category of Web-Based Production related to the newly created Roush Yates Engines website, which is focused on building brand, product and partner awareness. In addition, the organization was awarded a Gold award for outstanding achievement in the category of Video Production, Creativity & Editing for the production of the Building for Le Mans | Roush Yates Engines video. This video celebrated Ford Motor Company's 50th Anniversary return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The video inspired the Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines team on their way to building the 2016 Le Mans winning twin-turbo Ford EcoBoost V6 race engine. AVA Digital Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP).(RYE)(1-14-2017)

Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown underway: Hendrick Motorsports is hosting the 15th annual Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 8-9. The event pairs 12 Hendrick Certified Master Technicians from Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships with 12 Hendrick Motorsports engine department team members. In two rounds of competition over the two days, each team will assemble a 358-cubic-inch Chevrolet engine similar to the fuel-injected engine that runs every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend, with the fastest two teams competing for the win in the final round on Wednesday afternoon. Bowman will be on hand to support the competitors and speak with a group of approximately 150 tech students and instructors from 15 states who will be visiting Hendrick Motorsports to watch the competition and learn more about both the race team and the Hendrick Automotive Group.(HMS)(11-9-2016)

Robert Yates battling liver cancer: Doug Yates tweeted Monday afternoon, "My dad @robertyates28 was diagnosed w liver cancer, treatment starts today. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers!"
Robert Yates started in NASCAR as an engine builder before becoming a Sprint Cup team owner from 1989-2007. He was a 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee.(10-31-2016)

Roush Yates Engines preparing for Stewart Haas switch to Ford: One of the biggest stories of the 2016 NASCAR season played out early in the year with the announcement that Stewart-Haas Racing would switch from Chevrolet to Ford in 2017 - a move that caught most everyone off-guard. Now, with the season winding down, the countdown is on for that switch to become a reality and Roush Yates Engines is working behind the scenes to ensure it is up to the task of putting power under the SHR hoods. "Roush Yates Engines, right now, is in the process of increasing inventory and getting prepared," said Jeff Clark, Vice President of Sales for Roush Yates Engines. "We don't build the engines yet because technology is always changing but we are reviewing applications and potential employees - that will be more of a November/December item. And then acquiring the inventory, a lot of the parts in these engines require long lead-times. There are three, four, five or six months of lead time on these items, so we're trying to get the hard parts together and just prepare as much as possible for when it is go-time." Clark doesn't have an exact number of people the organization will need to bring on to fulfill the new workload but he knows they will be choosing from the best-of-the-best in the sport. He said they have received a lot of interest from engine experts looking to fill the void and that have led to numerous applications and resumes. He said management is poring over stats to determine how much the workload will increase to be ready for 2017.(Kickin the Tires)(10-17-2016)

ECR Technologies Now a Division of RCR Enterprises: ECR Technologies (ECR), the high-performance research, development and engine production company located on the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) campus in Welcome, NC, is now a wholly owned division of RCR Enterprises, LLC. With the strong brand equity that ECR has built in worldwide motorsports since 2007, the company will continue to use the name ECR Engines. The state-of-the-art company has grown over the past nine years to provide engines for NASCAR teams such as RCR, Germain Racing, JTG Daugherty Racing, Circle Sport - Leavine Family Racing, and others in the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. Beyond NASCAR, ECR also produces engines for the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototypes competing in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, SCCA, dirt and asphalt short track, and sprint car racing.
ECR was formed in 2007 when Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. combined their engine development and production efforts. The subsidiary of RCR Enterprises has earned more than 250 victories, including two Daytona 500s, three Brickyard 400 championships, and championships in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. ECR Engines won the 2014 and 2015 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype. With a focus on leading-edge development and world-class engine production, ECR Engines enjoys technical partnerships with market leaders in innovation, including Chevrolet, WIX Filters, Lucas Oil, Zeiss, PTC, Cometic Gasket, Bosch, Clevite, ARP, Smith Brothers, Spring Technologies, Total Seal and others.(RCR)(8-6-2016)

Sheila Elliott back in jail: The wife of famed NASCAR engine builder Ernie Elliott is back in Dawson County Sheriff's Office custody. Sheila G. Elliott, 63, was arrested June 2 for violating her court ordered conditions of release. The initial arrest stems from an incident in which she reportedly attempted to run over her husband with a car on March 18. Initially taken into custody on March 24, she appeared before Northeastern Judicial Circuit Judge Jason Deal on May 12, the same day he signed a consent bond and ordered her release on her "own recognizance," provided she check into and reside at a residential treatment facility. According to court records, on June 1 she notified authorities of her intent to leave the residential treatment facility in Atlanta where she was ordered to remain as a condition of her release from jail on an aggravated assault charge. "...defendant notified the district attorney's office and the Dawson County Sheriff's Office she was leaving said treatment facility and returning to Dawson County," the motion to revoke bond read. "Defendant did so without consent of all parties and did so with the knowledge she would be in direct violation of her bond agreement."(Dawson Community News)(6-10-2015)

Ernie Elliott's wife charged with aggravated assault UPDATE: The wife of famed NASCAR engine builder Ernie Elliott was arrested early Tuesday morning. Sheila G. Elliott, 63, was charged with felony aggravated assault in connection with an incident that occurred on March 18 at the family's racing compound on Elliott Family Parkway. According to the arrest warrant, the suspect over revved the engine of her 2004 Mercedes Benz sedan and attempted to run her husband over with the vehicle, forcing him to climb "underneath a trailer for safety." He was not injured during the incident, which was reported to local authorities on March 24, the same day a warrant was secured for Sheila Elliott's arrest. Officers attempted to make an arrest that day, but were not able to do so due to a health concern. "Cpl. Ethan Taffar investigated and was about to take her into custody for aggravated assault under family violence when a medical condition arose, which had to be dealt with at that particular moment," said Capt. Tony Wooten, sheriff's spokesman. The nature of the argument that led to the alleged assault on March 18 was not publically revealed. Revered as one of NASCAR's top engine builders, Ernie Elliott helped power brother Bill Elliott to numerous victories over the family's 20-year collaboration, including his 1988 championship. He also built the engine that holds NASCAR's Sprint Cup qualifying record. His engines have 39 wins, 148 top five's, 291 top 10's and 51 poles. As of Tuesday afternoon, she remained in police custody without bond. A hearing before a judge is set for today.(Dawson News)(4-1-2015)
UPDATE: The wife of famed NASCAR engine builder Ernie Elliott remained in custody Tuesday, nearly a week after she was arrested for reportedly trying to run him over. Magistrate Judge Tony Tarnacki set Sheila G. Elliott's bond at $10,000 during her first appearance hearing on April 1. The 63-year-old Dawsonville woman may have no contact with her husband, according to the conditions of bond. Court records show that she also is required to stay away from business property on Elliott Family Parkway, where the alleged incident occurred.A preliminary hearing in Magistrate Court is set for April 29.(Dawson News)(4-8-2015)

Gilmore named president at ECR Engines: ECR Engines has promoted longtime Chief Operating Officer Richie Gilmore to the position of President. The championship winning engine builder will assume his new role effective immediately. Gilmore, 50, is a native of Rochester, N.H. and has been part of ECR Engines since it was formed in 2007 when Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. combined their engine development and production efforts. His responsibilities will still include overseeing the daily operations of ECR Engines, business operations and the engine lease programs currently in place. Since its inception with Gilmore at the helm, ECR Engines has won more than 200 races on various levels, multiple championships and continues to be a leader in engine development and production through innovative technology. Gilmore has been part of the NASCAR landscape since 1988 as an employee of Bob Whitcomb Racing before he went to work at Hendrick Motorsports as an assistant engine builder in 1990. Since then, he has been part of six Daytona 500 victories, numerous championships on all three NASCAR national series levels, Tudor United SportsCar Championship series, and various short track teams who use ECR horsepower.(ECR Engines)(2-5-2015)

Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown winners named: A technician trained to service Hondas helped assemble a Chevy NASCAR engine in record time and also won the 13th annual Randy Dorton Hendrick Engine Builder Showdown. Elmer Javier, a Master Certified Technician from Hendrick Honda in Charleston, South Carolina, teamed with Van Nguyen of Hendrick Motorsports to assemble the 358ci Chevy R07.2 engine in a winning time of 21 minutes, 48 seconds. Earlier in qualifying the duo assembled their engine in 21:40, which set a new record for the fuel-injected engines. When the competition featured earlier earlier generation race engines that were carbureted, assembly time was around 17 minutes - an indication that NASCAR engines are getting more complicated. The first time fuel-injected engines were used in competition, winning time was 27:46. Taking second in the competition were Dan Ryan of Gwinnett Place Honda in Duluth, Georgia, who teamed with Scott Vester of Hendrick Motorsports to assemble their engine in 22:53. That was quicker than last year's winning time of 24:38. The showdown pairs 12 master technicians from the Hendrick Automotive Group - which encompasses 94 dealerships around the country - with 12 members of the Hendrick Motorsports engine department. Qualifying rounds are held over two days at the Hendrick Motorsports facilities in Concord, North Carolina. Teams with two best qualifying times then go head-to-head in the final. Teams can be penalized for errors, such as loose bolts. Although the competition has been staged for 13 years, it was renamed a few years ago to honor Randy Dorton, the chief engine builder for Hendrick Motorsports who died in a 2004 plane crash. The engines are similar to but not exact replications of the 900-plus-horsepower versions raced in NASCAR competition. They do start with GM blocks, heads and intakes and work with most of the supporting accessories, such as the water pump and fuel system.(Engine Labs)(10-22-2014)

Fact Sheet 2015 Rules Package: Nearly 60 different enhancements / updates have been made to the NASCAR national series rules packages for 2015 in the following areas:
· New Rules, with one or more of the following goals in mind: enriched competition, improved safety, reduced cost, enhanced product relevance and environmental (green) improvements.
Enhanced Enforcement of Existing Rules
· New Officiating Processes
· Newly Approved Parts
· Updated Business Processes
The following are among the significant updates to the competition package.
Testing
There will be a NASCAR-mandated ban on all team-initiated private testing in 2015
· Teams will be invited to participate in NASCAR / Goodyear tests
· NASCAR will not conduct a test at Daytona International Speedway prior to the Daytona 500
Rules
· 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Package includes:
-- Reduction of horsepower to 725 via tapered spacer
-- Roller valve lifters to replace flat valve lifter
-- Lower rear differential gear ratios targeting 9,000 RPM
-- Rear spoiler adjustment to 6 inches high (2014 height: 8 inches)
-- Optional driver adjustable track bar
-- 38-inch wide radiator pan
-- Minimum vehicle weight drops 50 lbs. via ballast reduction (2014 weight: 3,300 w/o driver)
-- Updated qualifying formats for all tracks
· Rain tires on road courses, similar to rules in place for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; mandatory wipers, defogger and rear flashing rain light installed for the event weekend New Officiating Processes
· Data Log and Capture System for pre-race inspections
· Automated pit road officiating at race events
Newly Approved Parts
· Revised brake calipers
Updated Business Processes
· Electronic rule book
· New parts approval process
(NASCAR)(9-23-2014)

Toyota looks to increase power in engines: Toyota Racing Development is continuing to look at ways to produce more horsepower as President David Wilson acknowledged that the Toyotas are behind Hendrick Motorsports in that department. Wilson said the TRD engines are not as far down in horsepower as Joe Gibbs Racing driver #11-Denny Hamlin indicated after the race Sunday at Michigan when Hamlin in frustration said he had 50 less horsepower. "We need to be better," Wilson said Tuesday. "Hands down, the folks over at the Hendrick shop have done a great job this year, and they've got an edge, not just on us but the others as well. We're happy with our reliability. The funny thing about the sports, we finished second, third and fourth at the Brickyard (three weeks ago) no less. The past couple of races have been frustrating for us and for the drivers." JGR and Michael Waltrip Racing, the two primary Toyota teams, use TRD engines in Cup. "We all work (together) on every single part of the race team and the cars," JGR owner Joe Gibbs said about his team's effort with TRD and the lack of horsepower. "For whatever reason, we got off to a bad start this year. ... We're trying to close hard and trying to put ourselves in a good position. We've got some good updates coming in the motor, and so hopefully we get hot at the right time. We've been behind."(Sporting News and FoxSports)(8-20-2014)

Yates talks about horsepower reduction: Doug Yates from Roush Yates Racing Engines talks about what's coming in regards to reduced horsepower for Cup teams:
Yates: So where we are today is reducing RPM, talking about taking 500 RPM away. Effectively, that reduces speed on the racetrack and goes along with making the parts last longer. Talking about roller cams. The Cup series is the only series that has a flat tappet cam. It is a really hard application and it is probably the only series in the world that has a flat tappet cam. It gets it more like Nationwide and Truck so the parts could be passed down and they would last longer. If we need to reduce power more, we'd do it through a reduced throttle body size, reducing the air flow through the throttle body. Those are the mechanisms that will be utilized to reduce power.
They are [also] looking at [limiting RPM] through gear ratios. We crossed that bridge years ago when we decided to limit the RPMs and they did it with the final drive ratio. It was a really good way to do it. If the engine will achieve more RPM because it is making more power or the driver gets off of the corner better and he achieves more RPM, then so be it. I think the final drive ratio is a good, easy-to-police way to get there. That is the adjustment they'll make. They do the same thing today in Nationwide and Trucks based on the RPM range they want to run. That has been a good, effective way to run.
NASCAR has had more engagement with the engine building community than they ever have before. We've had five meetings now and Gene Stefanyshyn has done a great job leading those meetings. At first, it was a little bit of going through a process to get everyone to talk and open up. Our lives are about competition so those meetings, at first, were a bit of "I can outdo you on this." Everybody has now settled in to try and achieve Brian France and NASCAR's two initiatives of trying to improve racing through a reduction of horsepower and to try and figure out how to save some cost for the teams."(Frontstretch)(5-7-2014)

GM Starts Work on New Performance and Racing Center: Last week General Motors began construction of a state-of-the-art facility for race engine design and development, as well as an electric motor laboratory and gear center. GM's continued investment in motorsports comes from the time-tested belief that racing is the ultimate proving ground for much of the technology that applies to the vehicles GM sells. Engineers and technicians from GM's race engineering center in Wixom, Mich. will move to the new facility in mid-2015. The relocation will centralize North American powertrain engineering expertise for production engines as well as advanced and racing propulsion programs. Condensing the engineering to one large space is an excellent way to develop race-bred engineers whether they work on production or performance vehicles. The move will include about 100 employees who work on powertrain racing development, electric motors and in the gear center. The new building is expected to be opened and in use by mid-2015 and completed by early 2016. The GMPRC is part of a $200 million investment GM announced last January to build a new 138,000 sq.-ft. test wing. At that time, the company announced work at four remote locations would consolidate on the Pontiac campus, helping to reduce development timing for GM's next-generation advanced propulsion technologies. When the moves are complete, about 400 jobs will be added to the Pontiac campus. Engineers at the GMPRC will work on powertrain-related projects for GM's involvement in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Verizon IndyCar Series, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Pirelli World Challenge, NHRA (COPO Camaro Program) and Global Rally Cross.(in part from a GM PR)(5-6-2014)

NASCAR to announce engine changes by All-Star race: NASCAR's senior vice president of racing operations has said that a formal announcement on engine changes for the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season will come before next month's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. At a sponsor summit for Iowa Speedway, Steve O'Donnell said that the final overall racing package for 2015 would also see changes involving downforce, aerodynamics, and tires. In additional comments to The Des Moines Register, O'Donnell said that teams have already been notified of where NASCAR was going with the changes and that the process of finalizing the 2015 engine package was underway. O'Donnell wouldn't divulge exact details of the package, but did perhaps show a glimpse of how drivers would have to adapt to it. "If you combine the aero package with that [reduction of] horsepower [and] allow some aero changes with the engines going into the corner, drivers have to get off the gas and they're able to maneuver around a little bit more," O'Donnell said according to the Register's Chad Leistikow. "Combine that with Goodyear and a little softer tire, now you're able to move around a little bit more."(NBC Sports)(4-25-2014)

Jack Roush discusses possible engine changes: With NASCAR officials focusing on engine changes in the Sprint Cup Series for 2015 that will result in a reduction of horsepower, such a move should involve "a restriction on the intake side," according to Sprint Cup Series team co-owner [#16, #17, #99] Jack Roush. Roush, an owner in the series since 1988, isn't suggesting the use of restrictor plates similar to those used at Daytona and Talladega. Instead, he said, a reduction of the throttle bore size "without a plate underneath" would accomplish the objective. "(It is) straightforward and it is easily reversible if you decided that the quality of the racing was hurt by it," Roush said. "If they want to take 100 horsepower off ... reduce horsepower significantly, the least expensive and most palatable way to do that is with a restriction on the intake side." Today's Cup engines, limited to 358 cubic inches, produce approximately 850 horsepower. Speeds have increased, in part due to a new rules package and the continued development of the Generation-6 car, now in its second year. While officials with the three auto manufacturers currently involved at the series' top level, Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, have been a part of the discussions, they say it is too early in the process to respond to potential engine changes. "From an owner's standpoint, NASCAR has got to be mindful of ... what it costs," Roush said. "The race teams can only afford to change so many things at a time. With the expanding technology and the engineering costs that everybody has with the pressure for sponsorship and investment in the sport, a dramatic or unnecessary engine change would not be welcome in my world."(see full article at NASCAR.com)(4-20-2014)

France says 'significant' engine changes coming: NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that modifications to the engines -- which would likely bring a reduction in horsepower -- are the next step in further enhancing the sport's on-track product, although he was unsure if such changes would be in place for next season. "We're going to make that happen, and that's part of the overall rules packages that we design that hopefully control costs, hopefully make the racing better," France said. "The engine is an integral part of that. We also have to be in step as much as possible with the car manufacturers and where they're going with technology and different things. It all has to come together, and that's the next significant part of the rules package. ... The engine will get a significant change. I'm not going to say (for) '15, but we are certainly sizing that up. It's very important for us to get that right." According to representatives of NASCAR's three manufacturer partners, who took part in a conference call with reporters Tuesday, a potential reduction in engine horsepower is still in the very early stages. Sprint Cup Series engines generate 850 horsepower, and are built by five manufacturer-specific companies -- TRD and Triad Racing Technologies (Toyota), Roush-Yates Engines (Ford) and Earnhardt Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet). Most of the changes made in recent years have focused on the cars, beginning with the rollout of the more brand-identifiable Generation-6 vehicle for the 2013 season, and an aerodynamic package that was further refined before this year.(NASCAR.com)(4-2-2014)

NASCAR considering reducing horsepower to Cup cars next season UPDATE: NASCAR is planning on making significant engine package changes in 2015 to extend the life of Sprint Cup powerplants and reduce horsepower. And along with engine changes, there likely will be aerodynamic and tire changes for the Cup cars in 2015 as well. That's the word from NASCAR Vice President of Competition and Racing Development Robin Pemberton. Pemberton said the sanctioning body has had four meetings so far with representatives from Chevy, Ford and Toyota and race teams about how to implement those changes. No consensus has been reached yet, according to Pemberton, but discussions are ongoing in advance of making the changes for next year. Although Pemberton declined to specify how many horsepower NASCAR is looking to cut, sources familiar with the discussions said the reduction would be in the neighborhood of 75 to 100 horsepower. Currently, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series engines make about 860-900 horsepower at most tracks. Discussions are still in the early stages, Pemberton said, but given the fact that there are so few engine suppliers now, they will need plenty of lead-time to make changes for next year.
Among the options being discussed are reduction in engine displacement and changes to throttle body size. Sources familiar with the discussions say that Chevy and Toyota are pushing for a reduction to 5.0-liter engines, while the Ford camp is pushing for the use of tapered spacers, such as are used in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series engines. Pemberton said any change in the engine package likely would necessitate other changes as well.
"It's not fully appreciated the fact that we've had the same engine for basically 25 or 30 years and it's at 850 or 860 horsepower, where it used to be 500," Pemberton said. "And we are at the same race tracks where we used to run 160 (miles per hour) we're now qualifying at 190 and running 213 going into the corners. There's been a lot of engineering and gains made across the board. Goodyear ... we have the same tire patch as when we started.(FoxSports)(3-23-2014)
UPDATE: NASCAR has another meeting scheduled in April with Sprint Cup engine builders to determine possible changes to the engine for next year, said Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR vice president of innovation and racing development. NASCAR has talked with teams since late last year about engine changes for 2015 that would reduce horsepower. "We're all working together to find the solution,'' Stefanyshyn told Motor Racing Network on Friday at Martinsville Speedway. "We have to make sure that the little guys, the smaller engine builders are OK with this and we don't hurt them financially. It's a balance, and we've probably got six different alternatives we're looking at. We're going to be needing to get to a decision here pretty soon.'' Engine builders expect NASCAR to reduce horsepower by about 100 or so for next year.(Motor Racing Network)(3-29-2014)

Ernie Elliott restructures engine business: Power by Ernie Elliott announced the company has officially restructured and is offering full service leasing programs to NASCAR'S top-3 divisions, ARCA Racing Series, and other motorsport divisions. The company develops and builds high performance Chevrolet and Toyota engines with legendary engine builder Ernie Elliott at the helm. Ernie Elliott's accomplishments include holding the NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying record of 212.809mph, 1 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, 51 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series poles, 39 wins, 148-top 5's and 291-top 10's. His engine building expertise has also earned him three ARCA Championships including 37 wins. Located in Dawsonville, GA, the Power by Ernie Elliott facility is a fully equipped engine shop with the latest technology utilized to achieve top results.(Power by Ernie Elliott)(1-17-2014)

Dodge considering engine changes: UPDATE: With the Roush Fenway Racing Fords showing greatly increased pace this year, rival manufacturers are starting to make noise about horsepower. Ford's purpose-built FR9 NASCAR Sprint Cup engine was designed with a lower center of gravity and greatly improved cooling, the latter of which allows Ford teams to run more tape on the nose of their cars. The more tape added, the more front downforce, although too much tape can block the radiator and cause overheating. Sources at Dodge confirmed to SPEED.com that the automaker is looking at revisions to its existing - and still relatively new - P6 engine. NASCAR would need to approve any engine mods, and a Dodge official said they automaker "could have something toward end of season." As for now, the source said, "All talk now is premature."(SPEED)(6-4-2011)
UPDATE: Tony Stewart may believe everyone is "bringing a knife to a gun fight right now" when it comes to competing with Ford engines, but that is not necessarily the view of Chevy officials. "I have seen the (chassis) dyno numbers and we are pleased with them," said Alba Colon, the GM Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup series program manager. "We have seen the numbers. We have discussed the numbers with our teams. I am pleased so far; we just have to keep working on it."(Charlotte Observer)(6-5-2011)

Doug Yates speaks about changes: On Saturday, the sanctioning body requested teams disconnect air hoses to the radiator and air cooler. On Sunday, Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's Vice President of Competition, said that teams will be required to have an opening maximum size 2.5 inches tall by 20 inches wide on the front grille opening and install a pressure-relief valve on the water system that will be set at 33 psi before they return to Daytona on Wednesday. Doug Yates, head engine builder for Roush Yates Engines, spoke with Ford Racing about the change ramifications for his operation and his lack of surprise if more changes are on the way.
DOUG YATES, HEAD ENGINE BUILDER, ROUSH YATES ENGINES
Q) HOW MUCH WORK IS INVOLVED WITH THESE CHANGES TO GET READY FOR THIS WEEK?
"The Daytona 500 is an historic event, it's our Super Bowl, and with a new track and new noses on the cars, I think everybody did their best to try to set the rules so when we got there we would have a good, competitive race.
"Obviously, as we ran practice and the Bud Shootout those speeds are too high, which is a big concern. Second, NASCAR doesn't like the way the guys can push other cars for many laps. So, I think the first objective with these rules changes is it looks like NASCAR is trying to break the cars up and they're trying to limit how hot we can run these engines. As a result, they're gonna limit the front-end opening and put a pressure release valve at 33 psi, which is gonna bring down the operating limits of the engine.
"What we've done this morning, probably like other shops, is we've gone to work on the dynamometer and understanding the system and we're working to optimize what we can, so when we go back we can have a safe, reliable race. The engines are turning more RPM than we had planned and what we feel comfortable with, and they're also gonna run hotter, so with this rule change it's gonna bring down how hot we can run them and it is concerning."
Q) HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS THIS FOR YOU AND YOUR GROUP?
"It is a very big deal. We've worked for a long time, especially on the water systems, to be able to run the temperatures that we do today. What's concerning about this is it's mainly a driver-driven decision. If the driver is pushing somebody, he has to pay attention not only to what's in front of him, but also to his water temperature gauge. He has to know when to get air to the nose, so whenever you put that much emphasis on the driver watching the gauges, you open yourself up to some potential failures just because it's not easy to do. As an engine builder, this is a big change for a big race, so we're gonna do a lot of homework today and tomorrow and, hopefully, be prepared when we go back there on Wednesday and Thursday. If we need to do some more research before the 500, then we will."
ROBIN SAID THEY CAN STILL GO TO THE PLATE AND MAKE A CHANGE, IF NECESSARY. SO IS THIS A WEEK WHERE YOU PLAN FOR ALL POSSIBILITIES?
"Absolutely. I wouldn't be surprised from the speeds that I've seen that we could have a plate change, so we are preparing as if that might come. The guys are working on that right now, and the one thing we can do today is work on the car as far as better jetting and the tune-up because the components are already built and at the track, so we can work on the things around them and try to make the best decisions, or have our notebook full of data so if we need to make a decision based on a plate change, we will."
WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN YOU SAW THE RPM's BEING TURNED AND THE KIND OF RACING THAT WENT ON IN THE SHOOTOUT?
"First, I was a bit surprised that there weren't more failures, but it is a short race. We'll obviously get those parts back and do our post-race analysis like we normally do and are likely to see more distress in those parts, but it's concerning. For years, NASCAR has wanted to have more gear in the car so the guys have more throttle response, but the engines are really over where normal operating range would be for a plate engine. We're turning almost as much RPM at Daytona as we turn at Michigan with an engine that's designed to turn 1,000 RPM less. It's a little bit of an odd situation, but everybody is in the same boat, and I feel like our guys and our team have done a good job reacting. I was quite pleased with qualifying yesterday. Obviously, we would like to be on the front row, but the Wood Brothers did a really good job with their effort and, for the most part, most of our cars were in the top 20, so I think we've made some good strides from Talladega to now."
Q) ROBIN ALSO SAID THAT EVERYONE HAS DONE A GOOD JOB-FROM THE TRACK TO THE TEAMS AND NASCAR. IS IT A CASE NOW OF JUST CONTINUING TO TWEAK THINGS UNTIL THE RIGHT PACKAGE IS FOUND?
"That's exactly right. Robin Pemberton and John Darby do a great job and it's challenging because as competitors we're looking to build as much speed in the car. Whatever situation we're given, it's our job to try to take those rules and win races with it. No matter how much data you have, when everybody got back down there for the race with their best cars and their best efforts, it was faster than we were at the test. The track is beautiful. I think a little bit of the feedback I heard from the fans is that they were really excited about the racing. It came down to the finish line for the win, so it's different. As a guy that's been around this sport for a long time, it was unconventional to what I've ever seen, but it was actually pretty interesting how two cars could hook up and chase down another two-car combination and pass them. At the end, there were three groups of two racing for the win, so it's different, but it was actually quite interesting." (Ford Racing)(2-15-2011)

NASCAR Tweaks rules to limit drafting: NASCAR officials announced two technical changes Sunday evening aimed at preventing the sustained two-car drafts that dominated Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said the body issued a bulletin to race teams with the following specifications:
" The maximum size for the air inlet for the cooling system will be 2½ inches tall by 20 inches wide.
" The pressure release valve on the water system will be set at 33 pounds per square inch.
The intent is to set up the cars so they can't push each other in two-car tandems for extended runs without overheating. Teams try to line up drafting partners at Daytona and Talladega so they can overcome the limitations of the restrictor plates used to keep speeds down at those two tracks. "That will bring down the temperatures so the teams can't run at 290 or 300 degrees [without overheating] on the extended push of 30 or 40 laps," Pemberton said. "This will put [the water temperature in the engines] back in the 250-degree range." Several drivers, crew chiefs and team executives expected NASCAR to control the pressure relief valve. Jamie McMurray, who finished second to Kurt Busch in the Shootout, said many cars had valves that allowed the temperature up to 300 degrees before boiling over. That allowed the second car in the two-car draft to push longer without overheating -- some for more than a dozen laps -- under Saturday's cooler outdoor temperatures. The weather is expected to be warmer for Thursday's qualifying races and the Daytona 500.(see full story at ESPN.com)(2-13-2011)

No restrictor plate change for Bud Shootout BUT air hose change: NASCAR will NOT change the restrictor plate size for tonight's Budweiser Shootout, Cup Series Director John Darby said Saturday morning but NASCAR is making a change in hopes of slowing the cars. Ten drivers hit 200 mph or more _ led by Joey Logano's lap of 203.087 _ in Friday night's practice session at Daytona International Speedway. Drivers were aided by cooler evening temperatures, a resurfaced race track and the ability to run several laps in a row stuck in a two-car track, building momentum and speed around the 2.5-mile speedwday.
Here's what NASCAR will do, according to Darby: "There's a couple of fresh air hoses that a lot of the teams added _ that are OK, it's not something that they did outside of us knowing about it _ and we're just taking them back off,'' Darby said. "If the cars can heat up a little quicker to where we can limit the amount of laps that they push each other for all the reasons we'll probably have a little better race out of the deal. At tracks other than Daytona and Talladega you would have a brake duct installed and run air hoses to the brakes. Nobody uses brake cooling here, so in the same real estate, we said, all right, go ahead and put a couple of hoses in here to help to get some extra air to your radiator and oil coolers. We don't believe it's needed for a normal, functioning race car on the race track, so we're going to take it off.''
Asked about concerns with laps exceeding 200 mph, Darby said: "It's all relative. The only way they get that fast is to do multiple laps of two-car pushes to where the momentum continues to build. The exact same race cars with no change, no plate change anything else in a conventional drafting pack are currently running about 193 mph. So, that's what you've got to watch and look for.''(Virginian Pilot)(2-12-2011)
But another Change Typically when speeds cross the 200-mph barrier at Daytona or Talladega, NASCAR goes to a different restrictor plate that causes less air flow to the engines and slows the cars down. NASCAR officials elected not to in this situation but did make a small change. Air hoses that were added to the cars this week will not be allowed. Teams have reached higher speeds by lining up in two-car breakaways in which the rear car pushes the front car. That move quickly causes the rear car to overheat after a few laps, so teams were allowed to add additional air hoses to help cool the engines. Those hoses will be removed, which NASCAR hopes will cause the rear car to back off after a couple of laps. But no one knows for sure how it will work or whether it will limit the two-car breakaway runs. Restrictor-plate changes or other rule adjustments still could come before the Daytona 500 next weekend, depending on what happens in Saturday night's race and how fast the cars go next week in practice and the qualifying races.(ESPN)(2-12-2011)

Robert Yates Racing Engines to be exclusive provider of Spec engines: NASCAR has announced that Robert Yates Racing Engines has been named the exclusive supplier of the NASCAR-Approved Spec Engine. The engine, which was introduced in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in 2006 as an optional means for managing costs and providing teams with additional opportunities to compete, is also available for use in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours, and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. It is also an option for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams at select tracks. The program provides teams with the opportunity to buy the NASCAR-Approved SPEC engine from Robert Yates Racing Engines, a racing engine and parts company owned by Robert Yates and Chris Davy, pre-assembled or as a kit and have their own designated engine builder perform the assembly.(NASCAR)(12-7-2010)

Cars and Engines to R&D Center after Dover: After the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway Sunday, NASCAR took the cars of #48-Johnson, #24-Gordon, and #33-Bowyer back to the R&D Center for further inspection. In addition, the engines of #48-Johnson, #31-Burton, #2-Busch, #99-Edwards, and #18-Busch were taken as follow up to dyno tests conducted after the Michigan race.(9-27-2010)

NASCAR plans to take engines after Michigan: UPDATE: NASCAR will confiscate at least 18 Sprint Cup engines following this weekend to run on the dynamometers at their technical center back in Concord, N.C. The engines of the #46 and 66 cars that failed to qualify for the Carfax 400 were taken by officials on Friday. "They want to see where everyone stands in comparison," said Tony Furr, crew chief of the #46 car. Another motor man was told by an official that it would be "the largest lot of engines" NASCAR has ever tested and they expected to be "dynoing engines until after Bristol."(Fox Sports)(8-14-2010)
UPDATE: According to NASCAR, they took 16 engines after the Michigan race to conduct dyno testing: #48-Johnson, #14-Stewart, #29-Harvick, #42-Montoya, #11-Hamlin, #83-Sorenson, #56-Truex, Jr., #47-Ambrose, #66-Riggs, #87-Nemechek, #77-Hornish, #12-Keselowski, #46-Yeley, #99-Edwards, #9-Kahne, #26-Carpentier.(8-14-2010)

New Ford engine to run at Talladega: Ford Racing's 'FR9' engine will take another step toward full implementation this weekend as all cars under the Roush Fenway and Richard Petty Motorsports umbrella will be running the new piece at Talladega Superspeedway. This will mark the first points race in which a majority of Fords in the field will have the 'FR9'. At Daytona, teams ran it in practice, qualifying and the Gatorade Duels, but only Bill Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Elliott Sadler ran it in the Daytona 500.(Ford Racing)(4-20-2010)

What's up with the Ford FR9 engine? One thing that could help the Roush squad down the road is Ford's new FR9 engine, which is said to have improved cooling that allows the teams to use more tape on the nose. That makes more front downforce and helps the cars turn in the corner. So far, only the part-time Wood Brothers Racing team is using the FR9 in every race. The Roush Fenway Racing cars are phasing it in gradually, with no definitive timetable on when it will be run exclusively. Asked about when the FR9 would be in his car, #16-Greg Biffle said he wasn't sure. "That is a good question, I don't know the answer," Biffle said Friday at PIR. "I know they are working hard at it and it is a logistical nightmare. There are a lot of parts and pieces that need working. You are going to have to have 16 engines a week and have to rebuild every single one of them down to the pistons and rings. There is a supply issue getting all the parts and castings and making sure it is ready for competition. I am surprised more of our guys aren't running it week to week."(SPEEDtv)(4-13-2010)

Jay Dickens Racing Engines Joins with Roush Yates Engines: Jay Dickens Racing Engines announced a recent joining with Roush Yates Performance Group in Mooresville, NC. Dickens has over 25 years of experience in the racing industry and will serve as the Short Track Engine Program Manager for Roush Yates Performance Group. Also making the move to North Carolina are Jay Dickens Racing Engines employees Brad Loden, Bill Lovelady and Seth Stacy. Jay Dickens has grown from a small, local engine builder into a national powerhouse in just twelve years. He formed Jay Dickens Racing Engines out of Aberdeen Mississippi in 1994, accumulating multiple track championships, series championships, and countless wins throughout his career. Roush Yates Machining is a full service facility that is purpose-designed for machining custom race parts. "The extensive manufacturing capabilities at Roush Yates Machining will allow us to design, test, and build many parts in house" said Dickens. Roush Yates Performance Parts, a subset of Roush Yates that sells new and used parts to consumers and Saturday night racers alike, will continue to offer the same racing and performance parts currently offered by Jay Dickens Racing Engines. Jay Dickens Racing Engines is eager to pursue this tremendous opportunity with the Roush Yates Performance Group. Announcements on the closing of the current shop will be coming soon.(Jay Dickens Racing Engines)(4-3-2010)

Engines taken for inspection: Following Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR announced that the engines of race winner #2-Kurt Busch, #17-Matt Kenseth, #83-Brian Vickers (random) and #55-Michael McDowell (start-and-park) would be taken to the NASCAR R&D center and torn down for observation. Busch and seventh-place finisher Vickers' chassis will also be taken to the NASCAR R&D center for observation.(Racin' Today)(3-8-2010)

No new Ford engines at ACS: there will be no new Ford FR9's engines being run in the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway this week and they may not run any races until later in the spring.(SPEED's coverage of Happy Hour practice)(2-20-2010)

So..what is up with the 'new' Ford engine? The Wood Brothers [#21 Bill Elliott], who are again running a limited schedule of Sprint Cup events, are to use the new Ford FR9 engine at every race they're in. But Ford execs say they still don't have a firm timetable for the full rollout, though they say they're looking at somewhere around Charlotte in late May. And they say when they do make the rollout, it will be a complete changeover for all the Ford teams. At Daytona, Ford teams will be using the FR9 for qualifying, practice and the Gatorade Duel150-mile qualifiers, but they'll be switching to the established engine for the Daytona 500 itself.(That's allowed at Daytona, without having to give up a qualifying spot.)(MikeMulhern.net)(1-17-2010)

New Ford engine to run at Homestead: Ford will run its new engine next week at Homestead, said Doug Hervey, who oversees Ford's North American racing operations. The plan is for #6-David Ragan to run the car at Homestead, Hervey said. It will be the second race for the engine. The restrictor-plate version was run at Talladega with Ragan and #17-Matt Kenseth. This will be the first time the unrestricted version has run in competition.(Roanoke Times)(11-17-2009)

New Ford engine not in full time use until mid-2010: Although Ford is getting its new FR9 engine ready for Sprint Cup competition this weekend, it's unlikely all Ford teams will be using the new engine full time until the middle of the 2010, engine builder Doug Yates said Tuesday. The engine will make its debut this weekend in the restrictor-plate race at Talladega Superspeedway in the Roush Fenway Racing cars of David Ragan and Matt Kenseth. It likely will also be used at a race track where the air running through the engine is unrestricted by the end of the season. But a full rollout, if Roush Yates Engines has the eight full-time teams it expects to have, won't even be done for the start of the 2010 season. One of the reasons the engine is being introduced at Talladega is so that it could be used with confidence next year at the Daytona 500. Yates said their unrestricted engines can generate 900 horsepower; a restricted engine generates about 450 horsepower. Ford officials had predicted earlier this year that the new engine would roll out sometime in the second half of the season, although Talladega is a little later than anticipated. The new engine could impact the handling of the car as it should give it a slightly lower center of gravity. Yates said all the teams that test at the Goodyear tire test Monday and Tuesday at Daytona will have the current engine and not the new engine.(SceneDaily)(10-28-2009)

New Ford Engine to debut at Talladega: After months of anticipation, Ford Racing announced that the FR9 engine will make its debut under the hood of Matt Kenseth's #17 DeWalt Ford Fusion and David Ragan's #6 UPS Ford Fusion in next week's Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. "I'm very excited about the debut of the FR9," said Brian Wolfe, director, Ford North America Motorsports. "All of us are anxious to see it in competition for the first time. Those of us who have been involved in this project agree that one of the biggest hurdles we've faced in making this transition to the FR9 this year has been the fact the current Ford engine is still so competitive, along with the economics of obsoleting the inventory of the current engine and parts. This has been a tough year for us and our teams on the track, especially since we had such a strong 2008, and the priority for everyone this year has been solving the on-track performance, which has slowed down the rollout of the FR9."
Code-named FR9, this new piece is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine to ever come out of Ford Motor Company. Its design has been spearheaded and developed by famed engine builder Doug Yates and Ford Racing engineer David Simon. "This puts us on a level playing field with the rest of the competition and it's something we're excited about working on," said Yates, who has been involved with the project since it began three years ago. "Right out of the box the engine is really impressive power-wise. We feel like it's going to give us some advantages aerodynamically where, perhaps, we can tape the cars up more and run the engines hotter. The oiling system is designed for a racing engine and, to this day, the current engine has done a great job for many years, but we've got to remember when I started 20 years ago the block was already in existence. So a lot of things have changed," continued Yates. "The demands have changed. The RPM and the power levels have changed tremendously, and to have an opportunity to have something new and move forward makes this an exciting time to be part of Ford."
Some of those crucial decisions included an all-new platform for FR9 with no carry over components or dimensions from the current production-based 351 engine. Elements such as the induction exhaust, valvetrain, cooling, lubrication and sealing systems have all been improved for greater efficiency and performance. While the restricted version of the engine will debut next week, it has yet to be determined when FR9 will hit the track at an unrestricted venue.(Ford Racing)(10-23-2009)

New Ford engine at Talladega UPDATE: Ford will delay the debut of its new Sprint Cup engine, Doug Hervey, who oversees Ford's North American racing operations, said Saturday. The engine was scheduled to have debuted next week at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Instead, Ford will debut the restrictor-plate version of the engine at Talladega in three weeks. As for the non-restrictor-plate engine, it likely will debut at Texas or Homestead.(Virginian Pilot)
AND: Matt Kenseth's crew chief Drew Blickensderfer is expecting to have the new Ford FR9 engine in the #17 Fusion in two weeks at Talladega.(FoxSports)(10-11-2009)
UPDATE: Doug Yates confirmed that the new FR9 Ford engine will debut at Talladega Superspeedway in two weeks. "We had our sights on Charlotte, to run it here," Yates said. "We just wanted to take our time and make sure everything was right. We're fortunate to have the luxury to do that. We're looking forward to Talladega - but you know how much I love restrictor plate racing anyway."(FoxSports)(10-16-2009)

New Ford engine debut at Charlotte: Ford plans to debut its new engine next month at Charlotte. It will be used by at least one Ford team not in the Chase. Whether all the Ford teams will be using the new engine at the start of next season, though, is a question. "This is more a team decision than a manufacturer's because the budgets are in their hands on how they do it,'' said Brian Wolfe, Ford Director of North American Motorsports. "We always kid internally that the biggest problem the new engine has is the old engine is so good.''(Roanoke Times)(9-14-2009)

NASCAR takes engines to R&D Center: NASCAR has taken the engines of 11 cars in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway to test at its Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. NASCAR periodically takes engines so it can see how much horsepower they produce.
The engines taken were from the Chevy's of #24-Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports), #14-Tony Stewart (Hendrick), #33-Clint Bowyer (Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies), #42-Juan Pablo Montoya (ECRT); Toyota's of: #83-Brian Vickers (Toyota Racing Development), #00-David Reutimann (TRD), #11-Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing); Ford's of #99-Carl Edwards (Roush-Yates Engines), #16-Greg Biffle (Roush-Yates) and Dodge's of: #77-Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske Racing), #19-Elliott Sadler (Richard Petty Motorsports).(SceneDaily)(8-16-2009)

Ford to debut new engine at Michigan? UPDATE Ford's long-awaited debut of its new NASCAR engine is now expected to come next Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, but it's not clear which teams may be using it. The engine has a much improved cooling system, which should make for more downforce on the nose, because teams won't have to run so much ductwork.(MikeMulhern.net)(8-10-2009)
UPDATE: It was rumored that Ford will introduce its new engine this weekend at Michigan. Not true, says Brian Wolfe, Ford's director of North American Motorsports. Instead, it will be introduced during the 10-race Chase that begins in September. "If it's this weekend nobody told me," Wolfe said "It's definitely not before the Chase." The plan before the season was to introduce the new engine by now. There were talks about letting the [#21 Ford] Wood Brothers, who are running a partial schedule with Bill Elliott, be the guinea pig. But that isn't likely now, Wolfe said. The first to use it will be non-Chase drivers at Roush Fenway [likely #6-Ragan, #26-McMurray, #96-Labonte, #98-Menard] or Yates Racing. Makes sense, considering the engine was developed by the Roush-Yates engine program. Still, don't look for a widespread rollout of the engine. And don't look for it to be used by one of the Chase teams unless the initial results are so extraordinary it is worth the risk.(ESPN Insider)(8-12-2009)

New Ford engine is on the way: Brian Wolfe, the director of Ford Racing Technology, said the new Ford engine will take to the track in anger very soon. Before the Chase begins. The exact timing of rollout will be determined by the teams which will use it. He is promising no miracles for those teams. "We've really struggled this year - you know that better than I do - after the first two races. Some bad luck, then probably some missed setups and we got some issues going and we haven't had the wins. While the engine has tested well and appears to do what Ford wants it to do, teams will have to figure out how it affects other areas of performance. Areas like aerodynamics. Its improved cooling capabilities will allow teams to tamper with front downforce by using less tape on the nose. Some in the Ford camp have balked about using the new engine this year. Those would mostly be teams which appear headed to the Chase. Wolfe said he understands their concerns and will not pressure those teams to use the new engine.(Racin' Today)(7-30-2009)