Engine Change

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will use Hendrick Motorsports engines to power its Cup cars next year, ending a four-year relationship with Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines.

Team owner Richard Childress, who confirmed Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s departure, was optimistic the move would have little impact on his ECR engine operation, which is based at the RCR campus in Welcome, N.C.  

“It won’t be any change,” said Childress, who also supplies engines to Furniture Row Racing in the Cup series. “We’ve got other customers (who have) come in… I think they (Earnhardt Ganassi) had been dealing with Hendrick for a while. It wasn’t a surprise.”

Childress said the engine program is as good as it ever was.

“We just hired two new EFI (electronic fuel injection) people, and it’s still growing. We do all of the (General Motors) DP (Daytona Prototype) engines and a lot of dirt engines. We’ve still got a very strong company.”