Biagi brothers switching make, engine builder

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Veteran Mike Wallace will drive Fords in the 2004 Busch Series as part of the introduction of a noted engine company to NASCAR racing.

	Mike Wallace

Biagi Brothers Racing -- Wallace's team -- will use engines supplied by Michigan engine builder Ilmor Engineering, a division of the same company that was a noted Indy car engine supplier and that also builds Mercedes engines for the McLaren Formula One team.

"The reason we've made the car change is because of a working relationship with Penske-Jasper Engines and Ilmor Engineering," Wallace said. "It's a combination of Penske (South) down in the Carolinas and Ilmor.

"We're really excited about that. We've built two brand new speedway cars with a totally different body style (so) we can't take a break."

Wallace's team changed from a combination of Chevrolets and Pontiacs it used in recent seasons -- including a Grand Prix that Wallace used to finish fourth in the season opening Hershey's 300 -- to Fords.

"I'm more involved with our Busch team than being just the driver," Wallace said. "The hauler's been totally repainted and decaled, we had to get new uniforms done and I've been in the middle of all that."

The most pressing concern for Wallace and his owners is finding the funding to support a full-season effort. GEICO Insurance came in last season for a limited program that gradually stepped up to include 29 of the 34 Busch races.

The Biagis ran all but one race and finished 15th in the owners' standings. Wallace competed in all but two races and ended up 13th in the drivers' standings.

"Right now GEICO is actually on board as a primary sponsor for half the races," Wallace said of the 34-race 2004 schedule.

"I've got an unbelievable car owner in Fred Biagi, who with his brother Greg is spending personal money to make it all work. They feel if they put some of their own money in now, it will pay off for them a couple years down the road."

Crew chief Tony Lambert has recently overseen a move from the team's former shop into a much larger, 8,000-square-foot facility previously owned by Quest Motor Racing owner Derrike Cope.

Despite that, finances remain a concern.

"We have made a commitment to the motor department that we are going to try to run every race, so we are actively out pursuing additional sponsorship."

Craftsman Truck Series veteran Rick Crawford tested the team's first Taurus at Talladega last month in an open Busch Series test while Wallace toured the Middle East with a USO tour.

"We're positioning ourselves to be a championship winning race team, even though we're not properly funded at this time," Wallace said. "Ford Motor Company has positioned themselves to help us out, along with Penske-Jasper and Ilmor Engineering from the motor side."

Wallace said he also hoped to driver Ken Schrader's Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 Craftsman Truck Series race on Feb. 13 at Daytona. With James Finch opting to put Johnny Benson in his No. 09 Nextel Cup Dodges this season, that opportunity -- which resulted in a top-10 finish in the 2003 Daytona 500 -- has gone away for Wallace.