NASCAR has been the premier stock car racing league in the world since its inception in December of 1947. And as the NASCAR brand has grown, it’s incorporated new series into its schedule in an attempt to garner more viewership and bolster its fanbase.
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In June 1949, NASCAR held the first-ever Strictly Stock race. This single race would evolve over the years into the NASCAR Cup Series, the league’s top series and its division for the world’s best racers and some of NASCAR’s most powerful engines. Over 30 years later, NASCAR would expand its reach by introducing the company’s second-tier racing competition known as the Busch Late Model Sportsman Series in 1984. That series is still held today as the Xfinity Series.
Following the breakout of the Busch Late Model Sportsman Series, NASCAR decided it would develop another national series, but this one would be catered towards pickup truck racing. As a result, NASCAR created the Truck Series in 1994, which is still being run today as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Though that series has undergone some changes over the last 30 years, the current form of this competition wouldn’t be possible without Ilmor Engineering — the company responsible for building NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series engines.
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How Ilmor Engineering got its start
Ilmor was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan, who sent a letter to Penske founder Roger Penske in 1983. In the letter, Morgan and Illien mapped out the idea for a company that would specialize in designing and building turbocharged engines for the IndyCar Series — an open-wheel car racing series that competed with NASCAR. Less than three months after their proposal, Penske decided to back Morgan and Illien, leading to the creation of Ilmor Engineering.
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With access to Penske’s IndyCar Racing Team, Illien was able to pair his design skills with Morgan’s manufacturing experience. Thanks in part to funding from General Motors as well, Mogan and Illien were able to build Ilmor’s first eight-cylinder, turbocharged Chevrolet engine.
Soon after completing that engine, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser became the first person to use an Ilmor in a race in 1986. Just one year later, Automotive Hall of Famer Mario Andretti made history by becoming the first person to win a race using a vehicle outfitted with an Ilmor engine in 1987.
Ilmor Engineering expands into other areas of racing
After Mario Andretti’s signature win in 1987, Ilmor became a household name. Using this newfound momentum, Ilmor began to cement itself as one of the best engineering companies in the world of racing. By 1993, Ilmor had teamed up with Mercedes to make a special engine built specifically for Indianapolis 500 racing, dubbed a pushrod engine. This MB-500I engine helped Al Unser Jr. — Al Unser’s son — win the Indianapolis 500 in 1994.
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Piggy-backing on the success of the MB-500I, Ilmor expanded its Mercedes-Benz partnership by agreeing to design an engine for Formula 1 racing. That Ilmor engine would eventually help the McLaren team secure back-to-back F1 World Championship victories in 1998 and 1999.
Around the same time, the company launched the Ilmor Special Projects Group (SPG) and began working on a NASCAR program with Daimler Chrysler. By 2000, Ilmor had started working with the Indy Racing League, developing a GM-designed engine that secured victories at the 2001 and 2002 Indianapolis 500.
Ilmor Engineering’s deal with the Truck Series
After almost 30 years of undeniable success, Ilmor landed one of its biggest deals when it joined forces with NASCAR. In 2018, NASCAR announced that it would be using Ilmor’s NT1-spec engines for its NASCAR Truck Series. Of the 32 teams that participated in the 2018 NASCAR Truck Series season, 27 of them elected to use Ilmor’s motor.
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Legendary NASCAR driver and team owner Jennifer Jo Cobb had nothing but praise for Ilmor’s engineering when speaking in 2018 about the deal the company had reached with NASCAR.
“They call it the NT1-optional engine, but I like to say built by Ilmor because Ilmor has done so much for all the teams,” she said. “Their engineers treat me as good as they treat the top teams, so it’s been really cool to have that support … I’m excited for what this is going to mean for the shorter tracks. I think these engines have so much more torque, and the shorter the track it’s just going to continue to get better.”
Ilmor Engineering still dominates the NASCAR Truck Series in 2024. Ilmor says that its engines give teams and drivers the performance, reliability, and technical support needed for racing success. And with “on-going product development,” there’s no limit to what NASCAR Truck Series drivers will be able to achieve in the coming years using Ilmor’s potent engines.
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