Crate engines are touted at one price, but when it comes time to buy one – it’s usually more than originally stated, and the price differential isn’t so great. Plus, they are unreliable and break and ultimately cost more in the long run over freshening a purpose-built race engine with superior high quality parts.
Crate engines make tech easier because they can be sealed or their parts bar-coded and made tamper-proof. Tamper-proof engines level the competition and keep a team from “buying” wins or championships.
As it has always been, money can buy ways around any tamper-proof method. It has been done before on so-called tamper-proof, sealed crate engines. (Within one month of their introduction in one racing series according to a source, who obviously will remain anonymous.) So, a team can still buy wins/championships if it has the resources.
Crate engines are the OEM’s plan to kill aftermarket engine part sales – they have incredible manufacturing muscle at a scale to effectively limit competition and put engine builders and aftermarket manufacturers out of business.
Hey, the OEMs are just another engine builder in the marketplace.
Crate engines foster better and closer racing – level the playing field.
Crate engines make racing boring (follow the leader) and stifle innovation and competition. What fan wants to pay for no-competition racing?
Crate engines are necessary for a promoter or track owner to survive in this entertainment business.
Promoters and track owners don’t give a care about which engine is in a race car – they only want a car count that will keep fans and racers coming back. Crate engines usually have to be bought from the track – that’s more money in the promoter’s pocket.
And I’m sure there are some I’ve left out. The point being that for every pro there is a con when it comes to crate engines.
One master race engine builder completely intimate with the realities of crate engines is Keith Dorton, founder and head of Automotive Specialists (www.automotivespecialists.com). Keith is the older brother of the late Hendrick Engines head Randy Dorton (Randy started out in Keith’s shop), and has been a professional race engine builder since he started working in the engine shop at Holman-Moody back in the day.
It might be easy to label Dorton and think , “He’s a racing engine builder, of course he’d be against crate engines!” He is, but having known him for almost 15 years, I believe his fervor originates not primarily for the sake of his livelihood, but for the good and growth of the sport, and the health of the performance aftermarket he has devoted his life to – and he knows plenty of others who have done so, too.
In 2005 he posted up some of his reasons why crate engines are “bad for our industry”:
“1. They are "throw away" engines and not practical to rebuild.
“2. The engines they are replacing have high-quality race components; ensuring their longevity.
“3. Crate motors will make cheating a common practice.
“4. Tech becomes very time consuming and expensive.
“5. Loss of identity in Ford, GM, Mopar brands, etc. (We could add Toyota, now.)
“6. Loss of identity in builders and manufacturers (Crane, Comp Cams, etc.)”
