Someone broke into the Roush Yates engine shop Monday night and stole three of their Ford Engines that were used in the Nationwide and Craftsman truck series. The engines are valued at about $50,000 apiece.
Police say that the thieves somehow cut a hole in the wall and were able to get in and out of the doors. The engines weight about 500 pounds apiece and are on flats with wheels. The thieves wheeled them out into a stolen Penske cargo van. The police later found the abandoned van, but the engines weren't inside.
Mooresville Police Lt. Joseph Cooke said, "These are not everyday engines. These are NASCAR specific engines. You can't put them in a car, plus they are Roush Yates engines, Very specific."
So you aren't going to be able to put them into the Focus or Taurus that is in your driveway. Since they are NASCAR engines, they aren't going to be easy to unload unless they happen to dump them in the lap of someone in the racing business and even then, it might be difficult to dump them off.
Anyone with knowledge of the missing engines is encouraged to call the Mooresville Police at 704-664-3311 or South Iredell Crime Stoppers at 704-658-9056.
Okay, my crimesolving friends here at Bleacher...opinions on who took the engines? What do you think someone could do with three $50,000 engines? It's going to be interesting to hear thoughts and theories on this.
10 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Kelly Crandall 9 months ago
Joe Gibbs Racing.....conspiracy theory, I think not. Or is it? Some disgruntled Kyle Busch fans maybe??? ;)
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M Brian Ladner 9 months ago
disgruntled kyle busch fans? i'll have you know that all the kyle busch fans i know are very well gruntled thankyouverymuch!!!
;-)
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L.J. Burgess 9 months ago
Obviously someone knew where they were in the shop, a specific target. Had to be enough guys to cut, locate, move and strap down in the Penske truck. I'd be checking truck rental records.
A cash strapped Nationwide team? Rensi's going under and he buys Roush engines. A CTS team?
If it was a short track racer it would have to be from a class that ran the same bottom end...and a Ford team. No Chevy guy in his right mind would...
Not a good drag race engine with those cams and innards, wrong top ends.
Maybe some Hot Rodder, Mustang guys...easy swap there...maybe Ford street racers.
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M Brian Ladner 9 months ago
i'm guessing speed freaks - no the other kind. probably got all three engines torn to pieces by now and are trying to figure out how to make one really big engine out of the parts. any extra pieces they can use to fashion a remote control for the toaster. speed freaks are funny that way.
;-)
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David Yeazell 9 months ago
Nikki, I am confused. These are Ford engines, but they wont fit in a Taurus or a Focus? Those are both Ford products. Isnt this "Stock Car Racing"?
NASCAR rule book says a powerplant must be "a 358 cid naturally aspirated engine", which by all accounts is actually a chevrolet engine. Maybe things have changed. Hope that shark didnt hurt you. He did have "shark" teeth right? They do fit in a shark, right?
David
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Nikki Hecht 9 months ago
It won't fit into your street Focus or street Taurus because they are NASCAR sanctioned parts and pieces and can only be run in racing cars. So if I took them and tried to stick one of the engines in my mom's Focus it wouldn't work, I'd have a 500 lb paper weight with a big plate on it that said Roush Yates on it.
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Roy LaFaver 9 months ago
Maybe there's an A-daptor for those things. I would check the junk yards around Huntsville Alabama.
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David Yeazell 9 months ago
Was just some sarcasm Nikki. Didnt mean to stir any pot's. David
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Waz Aqua 9 months ago
On there way to Australia to endupin a 6 litre ski race boat Maybe????
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Mary Jo Buchanan 9 months ago
Nikki, am just catching up from the race weekend in Dover - heard about the heist on the radio. We did some sleuthing.....found some suspicious looking parts in MWR garage area but alas....no engines! Thanks for breaking the news on B/R on this one - let's catch 'em!!
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