Tommy Baldwin Racing
Encyclopedia
Tommy Baldwin Racing is a NASCAR
team based in Mooresville
North Carolina
. The team is owned by former crew chief
Tommy Baldwin Jr.
, son of late modified driver Tom Baldwin
. The team currently fields the #36 Golden Corral
, Accell Construction, Big Red/All Sport Body Quencher
Chevrolet Impala
for Dave Blaney
on a full time basis in the Sprint Cup Series and the #35 Chevrolet Impala on a part time basis with Geoff Bodine
driving 5 races with sponsorship from Luke Associates and Steve Park driving one race in a fan sponsored effort.
at Charlotte
. Ward Burton started 4th and finished 8th in the #5 Pillsbury Chevrolet. Burton ran the same car at Homestead-Miami Speedway
, qualifying 6th and finishing 7th. The next year the team would switch its number and manufacturer. The team fielded the #6 Pepsi
Dodge
driven by Wally Dallenbach
. Dallenbach would start 26th and finish 14th in the team's first race. Dallenbach scored two top tens at Charlotte
and Phoenix
. Damon Lusk
would take over the #6 car starting at Richmond
but crashed out of the 14th lap. Despite the rocky start, Lusk and TBR would make a run for Rookie of the Year in 2003, with sponsorship from Sta-Rite Pumps. Lusk had a consistent season with only 2 DNFs but would lose out on ROTY to David Stremme
and Coy Gibbs
.
The following year, Unilever
backed TBR, and subsequently announced its Hungry Drivers program. Unilever would select four drivers and run each of them in three Busch Series races. The chosen drivers were Mark McFarland
, Tracy Hines
, Scott Lynch
, and Paul Wolfe
. Wolfe was eventually chosen after scoring two top-20 finishes. In 2005, TBR's Busch Series team was bought out by Evernham Motorsports
(now Richard Petty Motorsports) and TBR closed up its team.
unsuccessfully attempted Talladega as well.
In 2011, the #35 car, qualified for the first Talladega
race with Steve Park driving, but retired from the race early. Park will also attempt one more race in the #35. The race will be a fan sponsored Len Boehler tribute car. The Len Boehler tribute was originally planned for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, but was moved to New Hampshire due to a lack of donations; the team also said that a Northeast track (where the Whelen Modified Tour
runs) would be more suitable and had a larger fan-base. Geoffrey Bodine will also run five races in the #35 with sponsorship backing from Luke Associates. He will pilot the car at Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, Texas, and Homestead. Blaney attempted the Watkins Glen race in the #35 while road course veteran Ron Fellows
drove the #36; Blaney did not qualify for that race while Fellows finished 30th after a last-lap crash. Blaney will also attempt the September Richmond race with backing from Golden Corral and Pepsi Max while Stephen Leicht
will drive the 36 in his first NASCAR race since 2009.
would pilot the #36. The team made the first two races of the season, even earning sponsorship from Red Bank Outfitters and Mahindra Tractors, but did not qualify for the next three events. Riggs, who qualified for eight races in twelve attempts, announced he would leave the team after Charlotte. Mike Skinner, Patrick Carpentier
(in races that would conflict with Skinner's truck series schedule), and Brian Simo
(road courses) would take over. Riggs' departure came after TBR decided to become a start and park
team, and Riggs decided he wanted no part of that. Carpentier left the team in September and Michael McDowell
took over. Robert Richardson
finished 18th at the November Talladega race.
In 2010 Mike Bliss
was hired to drive the #36 for TBR. Wave Energy Drink
will sponsor the team for 18 races. The team will switch from Toyota to Chevrolet
in 2010 and use Earnhardt-Childress Engines. In April, Bliss and Baldwin parted ways after the team failed to qualify in 2 of the last 3 events. Johnny Sauter
drove at Texas and Talladega. After Talladega, Casey Mears
took over the #36 ride and qualified for the Richmond race while failing to make Darlington. Sauter returned to the #36 at Dover while Mears went to Red Bull Racing as a replacement for Brian Vickers. Geoffrey Bodine made his first race since 2004 at Pocono. Steve Park finished 13th in his first Cup Series race since 2003 at Daytona. It was announced on June 16, 2010 that Mears will return to the #36 following his release from Red Bull. Ron Fellows
drove the car at the road course race in Watkins Glen, New York
. Dave Blaney
and J.J. Yeley also competed in the car.
For 2011, TBR brought back Blaney to drive the #36. TBR planned to attempt every race and complete a minimum of sixteen events depending on sponsorship; the team started the season with no primary sponsor and went to Speedweeks with an unsponsored black Chevrolet. The team received 11th hour sponsorship from Golden Corral after TBR made its third consecutive Daytona 500. Blaney led three laps and finished 26th after taking damage from a lap 196 wreck. Oklahoma
-based Accell Construction became an 6-race sponsor for the team. On March 31, TBR announced that All Sport Body Quencher
will sponsor the 36 car at Martinsville.
The team suffered misfortune again at the April Talladega race when Blaney nearly spun out while at the front. He salvaged a 27th place finish after leading 21 laps. On April 27, TBR announced that Golden Corral
will be the primary sponsor of the #36 car for 19 more races in 2011 and an associate sponsor for all the remaining races. The team also announced that Big Red will be the primary sponsor for the #36 car for 5 races. The team elected to skip the exhibition race at Charlotte to work on improving the team and preparing for the upcoming points races. The #36 car has picked up an associate sponsor, Indiana Wholesale Offices, for the first race at Michigan, which was previously non-sponsored.
At the rain-delayed September race in Atlanta, Mike Skinner drove the 36 after Blaney developed a case of kidney stones. Blaney started and parked for Germain Racing, while Skinner drove the 36 to a 27th place finish. At Richmond, Stephen Leicht piloted the 36. For the final three races of 2011, Blaney moved to the #35 and Geoffrey Bodine moved to the #36.
Following a 13th place finish at the April 2011 Richmond race, the #36 moved into the Top 35 for the first time in team history. The #36 team finished 33rd in owner's points for 2011, guaranteeing a spot in the Daytona 500.
The team's best finish is third at the October 2011 Talladega race, when Dave Blaney drove the #36.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
team based in Mooresville
Mooresville, North Carolina
Mooresville is a large suburban town in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, USA. It is in the Metrolina metro area. The population was 32,133 at the 2010 United States Census...
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The team is owned by former crew chief
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
Tommy Baldwin Jr.
Tommy Baldwin Jr.
Tommy Baldwin Jr. is the team majority owner of Tommy Baldwin Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. His father, the late Tom Baldwin, is a former champion NASCAR modified driver. Baldwin himself briefly pursued a racing career before becoming a mechanic...
, son of late modified driver Tom Baldwin
Tom Baldwin (NASCAR Driver)
Tom Baldwin was a NASCAR Modified race driver. He competed for 40 seasons, winning 6 modified races as well as numerous other races. His 11 wins at Riverhead Raceway spanned from June 30, 1978 to June 6, 1992. He was given the "Most Popular driver" award on the Modified tour for 2003...
. The team currently fields the #36 Golden Corral
Golden Corral
Golden Corral is an American family-style restaurant chain that features a large buffet and grill offering numerous hot and cold items, a carving station and their Brass Bell Bakery...
, Accell Construction, Big Red/All Sport Body Quencher
All Sport
All Sport is a brand of sports drink similar to Gatorade and Powerade. It was created by PepsiCo, as their response to The Coca-Cola Company's Powerade and Stokely-Van Camp's Gatorade, now owned by PepsiCo...
Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
for Dave Blaney
Dave Blaney
David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently drives the #36 Golden Corral/Big Red Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR...
on a full time basis in the Sprint Cup Series and the #35 Chevrolet Impala on a part time basis with Geoff Bodine
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Eli Bodine is an American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers . Bodine currently lives in Cornelius, North Carolina....
driving 5 races with sponsorship from Luke Associates and Steve Park driving one race in a fan sponsored effort.
Nationwide Series
TBR made its official debut in 20012001 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 2001 NASCAR Busch Series Season began February 17 and ended November 10.Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing was champion.See also: 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series-2001 Team chart:...
at Charlotte
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
. Ward Burton started 4th and finished 8th in the #5 Pillsbury Chevrolet. Burton ran the same car at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
, qualifying 6th and finishing 7th. The next year the team would switch its number and manufacturer. The team fielded the #6 Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Dodge
Dodge Intrepid
The Dodge Intrepid is a large four-door, full-size, front-wheel drive sedan car model that was produced for model years 1993 to 2004. It was mechanically related to the Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, Eagle Vision, and also the 300M sedans...
driven by Wally Dallenbach
Wally Dallenbach, Jr.
Wally Dallenbach, Jr. is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He competed in 226 Winston Cup races from 1991 to 2001 and had 23 top 10 finishes. The son of open wheel racer and former CART chief steward, Wally Dallenbach, Sr., Wally Jr. is also a road racer...
. Dallenbach would start 26th and finish 14th in the team's first race. Dallenbach scored two top tens at Charlotte
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
and Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
. Damon Lusk
Damon Lusk
Damon Lusk , is a stock car racer. Lusk entered NASCAR in 1999, when he drove the AOL/Kleenex Chevy for three races NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series...
would take over the #6 car starting at Richmond
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
but crashed out of the 14th lap. Despite the rocky start, Lusk and TBR would make a run for Rookie of the Year in 2003, with sponsorship from Sta-Rite Pumps. Lusk had a consistent season with only 2 DNFs but would lose out on ROTY to David Stremme
David Stremme
David Andrew Stremme is an American stock car driver. He is most notable as the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, winning the award while running a part time for several different teams. He currently drives the #30 Chevrolet Impala for Inception Motorsports.-Early life:Stremme was...
and Coy Gibbs
Coy Gibbs
Coy Gibbs is a former NASCAR driver and assistant coach with the Washington Redskins. His father is NASCAR Championship owner and Hall of Fame former Head Coach Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins...
.
The following year, Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
backed TBR, and subsequently announced its Hungry Drivers program. Unilever would select four drivers and run each of them in three Busch Series races. The chosen drivers were Mark McFarland
Mark McFarland
Mark McFarland of Winchester, Virginia) Currently works as a crew chief for Matt DiBenedetto in the K&N Pro East Series. McFarland won the NASCAR Weekly Series national championship in 2003.-Early career:...
, Tracy Hines
Tracy Hines
Tracy Lee Hines is an American auto racing driver. He was the 2000 USAC Silver Crown Champion and 2002 USAC National Sprint Car Champion...
, Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch is an American fantasy author, best known for his Gentleman Bastard series of novels. He resides in Western Wisconsin in the city of New Richmond, Wisconsin. According to his website, he had a variety of jobs including dishwasher, waiter, web designer, freelance writer and office manager...
, and Paul Wolfe
Paul Wolfe (racer)
Paul Wolfe is a NASCAR crew chief and former driver. From 2003-05, Wolfe raced in numerous Busch Series events....
. Wolfe was eventually chosen after scoring two top-20 finishes. In 2005, TBR's Busch Series team was bought out by Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
(now Richard Petty Motorsports) and TBR closed up its team.
Car #35 History
In 2010, Baldwin began fielding a second car for a number of events, the #35 Chevy. Johnny Sauter attempted three races with the car; it did not qualify at California and at Martinsville, but did make the field at Phoenix. Aric AlmirolaAric Almirola
Aric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
unsuccessfully attempted Talladega as well.
In 2011, the #35 car, qualified for the first Talladega
Talladega
Talladega can have multiple uses:*Talladega, Alabama, a city in northern Alabama, USA*Talladega County, Alabama, which has the city of Talladega as its seat*Talladega National Forest in Alabama...
race with Steve Park driving, but retired from the race early. Park will also attempt one more race in the #35. The race will be a fan sponsored Len Boehler tribute car. The Len Boehler tribute was originally planned for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, but was moved to New Hampshire due to a lack of donations; the team also said that a Northeast track (where the Whelen Modified Tour
Whelen Modified Tour
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified division. The Modified division is NASCAR's oldest division, and its one of two open-wheeled divisions...
runs) would be more suitable and had a larger fan-base. Geoffrey Bodine will also run five races in the #35 with sponsorship backing from Luke Associates. He will pilot the car at Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, Texas, and Homestead. Blaney attempted the Watkins Glen race in the #35 while road course veteran Ron Fellows
Ron Fellows
Ron Fellows is an accomplished Canadian SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA, and American Le Mans Series driver, and a NASCAR Road course ringer.-Early career:...
drove the #36; Blaney did not qualify for that race while Fellows finished 30th after a last-lap crash. Blaney will also attempt the September Richmond race with backing from Golden Corral and Pepsi Max while Stephen Leicht
Stephen Leicht
Stephen Leicht is an American stock car driver. He is currently a free agent. He has over 150 feature event wins in quarter midgets and go-karts.-Early racing career:...
will drive the 36 in his first NASCAR race since 2009.
Car #36 History
Tommy Baldwin's main car is the #36 team, which he started in 2009. On January 8, 2009, Baldwin announced that he would restart TBR despite the slumping economy. The team later announced that former Evernham driver Scott RiggsScott Riggs
Russell Scott Riggs is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #81 Dodge Charger for Whitney Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
would pilot the #36. The team made the first two races of the season, even earning sponsorship from Red Bank Outfitters and Mahindra Tractors, but did not qualify for the next three events. Riggs, who qualified for eight races in twelve attempts, announced he would leave the team after Charlotte. Mike Skinner, Patrick Carpentier
Patrick Carpentier
Patrick Carpentier is a retired Canadian race car driver. He is best known for his career in the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. In 2009, Patrick shared the #36 of Tommy Baldwin Racing with Mike Skinner and ran Michael Waltrip's #55 Toyota Camry in the road course races in the...
(in races that would conflict with Skinner's truck series schedule), and Brian Simo
Brian Simo
Brian Simo is a race car driver from Carlsbad, California, USA. On the NASCAR circuits, he is a road course ringer who races selected road course races. He drove the #33 Korbel Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing at Infineon Raceway in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2005, recording a top ten...
(road courses) would take over. Riggs' departure came after TBR decided to become a start and park
Start and park
Start and park is a term used in NASCAR-sanctioned and other auto racing sanctioning bodies to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding expenses such as replacement tires, engine wear...
team, and Riggs decided he wanted no part of that. Carpentier left the team in September and Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell (NASCAR)
Michael Christopher McDowell is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #66 Toyota Camry for HP Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the #18 Pizza Ranch Toyota Camry part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
took over. Robert Richardson
Robert Richardson (NASCAR)
Robert Richardson Jr. is an American stock car driver. He began driving at the Richard Petty Driving Experience and Team Texas Driving School at Texas Motor Speedway in 2002. He was runner-up in Rookie of the Year honors the following season in Romco Super Late Models. In 2004, he made his Auto...
finished 18th at the November Talladega race.
In 2010 Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...
was hired to drive the #36 for TBR. Wave Energy Drink
Wave Energy Drink
Wave Energy Drink is an energy drink invented in 2008. The company is based out of Charlotte, North Carolina.- History :About Wave Energy Drink:...
will sponsor the team for 18 races. The team will switch from Toyota to Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
in 2010 and use Earnhardt-Childress Engines. In April, Bliss and Baldwin parted ways after the team failed to qualify in 2 of the last 3 events. Johnny Sauter
Johnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
drove at Texas and Talladega. After Talladega, Casey Mears
Casey Mears
Casey James Mears is the driver of the #13 GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. He is a former winner of the Coca-Cola 600....
took over the #36 ride and qualified for the Richmond race while failing to make Darlington. Sauter returned to the #36 at Dover while Mears went to Red Bull Racing as a replacement for Brian Vickers. Geoffrey Bodine made his first race since 2004 at Pocono. Steve Park finished 13th in his first Cup Series race since 2003 at Daytona. It was announced on June 16, 2010 that Mears will return to the #36 following his release from Red Bull. Ron Fellows
Ron Fellows
Ron Fellows is an accomplished Canadian SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA, and American Le Mans Series driver, and a NASCAR Road course ringer.-Early career:...
drove the car at the road course race in Watkins Glen, New York
Watkins Glen, New York
Watkins Glen is a village in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,149 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Schuyler County.The Village of Watkins Glen lies on the border of the towns of Dix and Montour....
. Dave Blaney
Dave Blaney
David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently drives the #36 Golden Corral/Big Red Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR...
and J.J. Yeley also competed in the car.
For 2011, TBR brought back Blaney to drive the #36. TBR planned to attempt every race and complete a minimum of sixteen events depending on sponsorship; the team started the season with no primary sponsor and went to Speedweeks with an unsponsored black Chevrolet. The team received 11th hour sponsorship from Golden Corral after TBR made its third consecutive Daytona 500. Blaney led three laps and finished 26th after taking damage from a lap 196 wreck. Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
-based Accell Construction became an 6-race sponsor for the team. On March 31, TBR announced that All Sport Body Quencher
All Sport
All Sport is a brand of sports drink similar to Gatorade and Powerade. It was created by PepsiCo, as their response to The Coca-Cola Company's Powerade and Stokely-Van Camp's Gatorade, now owned by PepsiCo...
will sponsor the 36 car at Martinsville.
The team suffered misfortune again at the April Talladega race when Blaney nearly spun out while at the front. He salvaged a 27th place finish after leading 21 laps. On April 27, TBR announced that Golden Corral
Golden Corral
Golden Corral is an American family-style restaurant chain that features a large buffet and grill offering numerous hot and cold items, a carving station and their Brass Bell Bakery...
will be the primary sponsor of the #36 car for 19 more races in 2011 and an associate sponsor for all the remaining races. The team also announced that Big Red will be the primary sponsor for the #36 car for 5 races. The team elected to skip the exhibition race at Charlotte to work on improving the team and preparing for the upcoming points races. The #36 car has picked up an associate sponsor, Indiana Wholesale Offices, for the first race at Michigan, which was previously non-sponsored.
At the rain-delayed September race in Atlanta, Mike Skinner drove the 36 after Blaney developed a case of kidney stones. Blaney started and parked for Germain Racing, while Skinner drove the 36 to a 27th place finish. At Richmond, Stephen Leicht piloted the 36. For the final three races of 2011, Blaney moved to the #35 and Geoffrey Bodine moved to the #36.
Following a 13th place finish at the April 2011 Richmond race, the #36 moved into the Top 35 for the first time in team history. The #36 team finished 33rd in owner's points for 2011, guaranteeing a spot in the Daytona 500.
The team's best finish is third at the October 2011 Talladega race, when Dave Blaney drove the #36.