Brewco signs engine deal with BDR
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
December 4, 2001
6:32 PM EST (2332 GMT)
CENTRAL CITY, Ky. -- Brewco Motorsports will get its NASCAR Busch Series engines from Bill Davis Racing and chief NBS engine builder Brad Thrower next season.
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BDR will build engines for Jamie McMurray next year.
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That means Thrower will build engines for Davis’ own Busch driver, series sophomore Scott Wimmer, as well as Brewco’s Chevrolet drivers Jamie McMurray and newcomer Jeff Purvis.
If Davis’ NASCAR Winston Cup crew chief Tommy Baldwin is able to do any Busch races with the team he co-owns with Eddie D’Hondt, Thrower has also planned to build those engines, a BDR spokesman said.
Davis ran the No. 23 Jani-King Pontiacs in 2000 for Wimmer, who scored two top-five and eight top-10 finishes and finished 11th in the standings and second to Greg Biffle in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year race.
Jani-King is still negotiating with BDR for 2002 and wants to continue, but a team spokesman said the funding is in place to do the Busch program, which will continue with Pontiacs engineered by crew chief Bootie Barker, no matter how much support Jani-King can offer.
Thrower produces his engines at BDR’s shop complex located in High Point, N.C.
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Jeff Purvis will replace Kevin Grubb in the No. 37
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"During the last several races of the 2001 Busch Series season, we tried everybody’s engines in our cars," Brewco president and general manager Todd Wilkerson said. "Bill Davis was the best overall to work with and we’re delighted to work out a program with them for next season.
“It’s not just the engine deal -- it’s an opportunity to tie in with Bill and his Winston Cup programs as well. In the brief period of time we’ve worked with Bill Davis, we’ve been able to establish a great working relationship."
Davis runs the No. 22 Winston Cup Dodges for driver Ward Burton and has added Hut Stricklin in 2002 to run the No. 23 Intrepids, replacing Dave Blaney, who drove BDR’s No. 93 Dodges in 2001.
"We had the opportunity to work with Brad Thrower," Wilkerson said, "and we quickly saw that this program was a good fit for Brewco Motorsports. This type of association is what we have been looking for. Our entire organization is excited about our new engine program with Bill Davis Racing."
After pre-season testing in January, the first race for Brewco, which fields the No. 27 Williams Travel Centers Monte Carlo for McMurray and the No. 37 Timber Wolf Chevrolet for Purvis -- who replaces Brewco veteran Kevin Grubb this season -- will be the EAS/GNC Live Well 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 16.
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