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PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports was an American racing 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 until 2006.
PPI, short for Precision Preparation, Inc., was a company founded by team owner Cal Wells in 1979 in Westminster, California.
At the time, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. needed to promote their tough, reliable technology driven line of trucks through participation in Off-Road Championships, the Score Desert Series, including the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, and the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Grand Prix (MTEG Stadium Series). Wells had already been successful in winning Off-Road races in the U.S. and Mexico and Toyota selected him to personally lead their foray into truck racing in the American market. With Off-Road legend Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, internationally successful brothers Steve and Rod Millen and Off Road, IndyCar and NASCAR winner Robby Gordon, PPI and Toyota won 88 races, 11 manufacturer championships including three Baja 1000s, 11 Baja 500s and five mint 400s.[citation needed]
The company provided parts for off-road racing teams. Over time, PPI eventually began its own off-road team, with help with Toyota Racing Development. 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 Stewart and a young Robby Gordon (who also drove in CART for the team in 1998).
In 1995, Wells formed a CART team with Frank Arciero, signing with Toyota in 1996. 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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,[citation needed] ended its relationship with Toyota, and shifted its focus exclusively on NASCAR.[citation needed]
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.
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.
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PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports was an American racing 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 until 2006.
PPI, short for Precision Preparation, Inc., was a company founded by team owner Cal Wells in 1979 in Westminster, California.
At the time, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. needed to promote their tough, reliable technology driven line of trucks through participation in Off-Road Championships, the Score Desert Series, including the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, and the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Grand Prix (MTEG Stadium Series). Wells had already been successful in winning Off-Road races in the U.S. and Mexico and Toyota selected him to personally lead their foray into truck racing in the American market. With Off-Road legend Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, internationally successful brothers Steve and Rod Millen and Off Road, IndyCar and NASCAR winner Robby Gordon, PPI and Toyota won 88 races, 11 manufacturer championships including three Baja 1000s, 11 Baja 500s and five mint 400s.[citation needed]
The company provided parts for off-road racing teams. Over time, PPI eventually began its own off-road team, with help with Toyota Racing Development. 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 Stewart and a young Robby Gordon (who also drove in CART for the team in 1998).
In 1995, Wells formed a CART team with Frank Arciero, signing with Toyota in 1996. 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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,[citation needed] ended its relationship with Toyota, and shifted its focus exclusively on NASCAR.[citation needed]
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.
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.