Bob Tullius, racing in SCCA competition since 1961, established Group 44 Incorporated in 1965 alongside mechanic Brian Fuerstenau and advertising executive Dick Gilmartin. The name originated in a Sebring motel room in 1963 when the three men, working out team branding, agreed on the word "Group" and Tullius contributed the number 44. Tullius had originally wanted to race number 1, which could be applied with a single strip of tape, but was denied by the SCCA. The number 44 was also taken, so Tullius ran 444 until dropping the third digit. When Tullius's wife accidentally cut one numeral backwards at Lime Rock and lacked material to recut it, she repeated the error on the second four, and Tullius thereafter ran cars with reversed numbers.
The team adopted a white livery with black stripes, later adding a green stripe when Quaker State motor oil became a long-term sponsor. Group 44 operated on three parallel lines: entering their own cars, building race cars for paying customers, and managing marketing relationships between vehicle manufacturers and the racing world. Cars were maintained to an exceptionally high standard of presentation, and the team used a distinctive articulated transporter painted in team colours.
For most of their existence, Group 44 raced exclusively with British Leyland products. The team began with Triumph TRs and Spitfires, progressing through MG models before arriving at Jaguar. When Group 44 cars attended events, they were displayed at local British Leyland dealerships and promoted through regional media. At the peak of this relationship, virtually all of British Leyland's marketing activity in the United States passed through Group 44.
Tullius drove Triumph TR4s from the team's earliest days, winning six SCCA championship races in the factory TR4 in 1963 alone. The team's national SCCA championship record stretched across multiple seasons and manufacturer programmes. Their three Trans Am titles added to this record, including the 1988 Trans Am drivers' championship won by Hurley Haywood in an Audi 200 Quattro after the Jaguar programme concluded.
The peak of Group 44's international ambition came with the Jaguar XJR-5 GTP prototype, developed for the IMSA GTP championship and eventually brought to Le Mans. When Group 44 entered two XJR-5 cars in the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans, it marked the first Jaguar racing appearance at the circuit in 27 years, a historically significant moment for both the marque and North American privateer racing.
Tullius himself ran in Le Mans competition with Group 44, taking pole position on three occasions. His best result came in 1985, when he won the GTP class with a 13th-place finish overall. His best Sebring result was fourth overall in 1985. In the 1983 IMSA GTP series Tullius finished second in the championship behind Al Holbert.
The Jaguar GTP programme was ultimately transferred to Tom Walkinshaw Racing, which took over the factory-backed effort. Group 44 then pivoted to fielding three Audi 200 Quattros in the Trans Am Series, with Hurley Haywood winning the drivers' title in 1988.
Group 44 was known for the immaculate condition of their cars and equipment, for building customer race cars to the same standards as their own entries, and for creating a professional marketing framework around their racing activities that was unusual among privateers of their era. Bob Tullius continued racing personally until 1988, with his final victory coming at the 1986 3 Hours of Daytona. His career total included 252 appearances, 38 wins, and 43 class victories.
Group 44 remained active until 1990, closing only when their final sponsorship contracts expired. The team's record of 14 SCCA national championships, three Trans Am titles, over 300 race victories, and eleven IMSA GTP championship race wins placed them among the foremost American sports car racing operations of the 1960s through the 1980s. The Jaguar XJR-5 programme in particular gave Group 44 an enduring place in the history of Jaguar's return to top-level endurance racing.