Race: Showtime Southern 500
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 10 of 36
Track: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 miles
Date: May 7, 2011
Locked into the Showtime Southern 500, Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) will head to Darlington Raceway with the ability to focus solely on race day for the first time in team history. Dave Blaney looks to ride momentum and drive the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet to another solid finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS).
TBR AT DARLINGTON – In two seasons of competition, the TBR team made one start at Darlington Raceway. Scott Riggs started 37th and drove the No. 36 Chevrolet to 39th. He completed 101 laps before a brake issue ended the team’s day early.
BLANEY AT DARLINGTON – Blaney will make his 15th start at the Lady in Black. The track too tough to tame has been good to the Harford, Ohio native. Blaney compiled one top-five and two top-10s in his 14 starts. He collected his best career finish of third in the 2003 spring race. Blaney finished ninth in 2008 with Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin atop the pit box.
KIDS EAT FREE – Golden Corral returns to the No. 36 TBR Chevrolet this weekend and will once again hold the “Feeding America’s Families” promotion. If the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet finishes in the top-10 in the Showtime Southern 500 this weekend, two kids will get a free kid buffet on Monday, May 9th with the purchase of an adult buffet. Golden Corral will also donate $5,000 to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
CHASSIS NO. 910 – The Golden Corral team will run chassis No. 910 this weekend. Blaney drove this chassis at both Texas and California this season. The team finished 30th at Texas and 37th at California.
LAST RACE RECAP: CROWN ROYAL PRESENTS THE MATTHEW AND DANIEL HANSEN 400 – The No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet started in the 29th position. Blaney and the TBR team worked on the handling of the car and posted fast race times in the latter half of the race. Blaney got the lucky dog with 80 laps to go and raced up to the 13th spot by the checkered flag.
IN THE POINTS – The TBR team broke into the top-35 of NSCS Owner Points for the first time since the team’s inception in 2009. A 13th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway last weekend propelled the team to 34th in NSCS Owner Points, four points ahead of the 35th spot. Blaney moved up a position to 32nd in NSCS Driver Points.
MANPOWER TO HORSEPOWER – Manpower to Horsepower, a disabled veteran’s vocational rehabilitation program, will have their logo on the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet as part of a campaign to show support to members of the military. With approval from the Veteran’s Administration, Manpower to Horsepower is an accredited program through the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and offers a certificate program in Motorsports Management Technology for military veterans with physical disabilities. For more information, visit www.manpowertohorsepower.com.
LIGHTHOUSE MISSION – The Lighthouse Mission logo debuted on the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway and will be present for the entire 2011 season. TBR has teamed up to help the Long Island based charity build awareness and raise funds for Lighthouse Mission. For more information on Lighthouse Mission, visit www.lighthousemission.net.
KEEPING UP WITH TBR – Keep up with TBR by following twitter.com/TBR_Racing and facebook.com/TBR.HBR.
Dave Blaney Quotes:
ON DARLINGTON – “I’m excited to go to Darlington. Our team has a lot of momentum right now, and Darlington has always been one of my favorite tracks because of its history and uniqueness. Everybody has to change their driving style to be successful there. You race to not make mistakes on the racetrack instead of racing other people. There will be guys hitting the wall all weekend. You just have to take care of your car all weekend and not get excited to early.”
Tommy Baldwin Quotes:
ON DARLINGTON – “Darlington is one of my favorite tracks to go to. Dave has a good history there, so hopefully we can continue the momentum our team has right now.”
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season – Tommy Baldwin Racing:
Date Event Location Start Finish Laps Laps Led Status Points
2/20 Daytona 500 Daytona 42 26 198/208 3 Accident Driver: 24 Owner: 26
2/27 Subway Fresh Fit 500 Phoenix 43 42 27/312 0 Electrical Driver: 36 Owner: 39
3/6 Kobalt Tools 400 Las Vegas 34 34 260/267 1 Running Driver: 35
Owner: 38
3/20 Jeff Byrd 500 Bristol 37 25 497/500 0 Running Driver: 34 Owner: 36
3/27 Auto Club 400 California 31 37 188/200 0 Rear Gear Driver: 35 Owner: 37
4/3 Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Martinsville 25 30 486/500 0 Running Driver: 34 Owner: 38
4/9 Samsung Mobile 500 Texas 38 30 329/334 1 Running Driver: 33 Owner: 38
4/17 Aaron’s 499 Talladega 35 27 188/188 21 Running Driver: 33 Owner: 37
4/30 Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 Richmond 29 13 399/400 0 Running Driver: 32 Owner: 34
About Golden Corral Corporation:
Founded in 1973, privately held Golden Corral Corp. is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Golden Corral currently has 485 restaurants in 41 states. The company’s vision is to be the leader in the family restaurant segment by making pleasurable dining affordable for every guest, at every restaurant, every day. Golden Corral restaurants nationwide have long been strong supporters of the U.S. Military and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Golden Corral helped raise more than $1,000,000 for the DAV in 2010 as part of its annual “Military Appreciation Monday” initiative. For more information on Golden Corral, visit www.goldencorral.com.
About Tommy Baldwin Racing:
Tommy Baldwin Racing was formed in 2009 by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin. Baldwin utilized a slumping economy to open a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team for a fraction of the cost. The team competed in two full seasons with multiple drivers behind the wheel of the No. 36 Chevrolet and improved in the standings each year.
Based in Mooresville, N.C., TBR will compete in the full NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 2011 with NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney piloting the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet. Looking to improve on-track performance and increase the number of races they complete, TBR is still seeking partners to support their racing efforts. TBR’s driver development program, Heinke-Baldwin Racing, will also compete in various NASCAR series in 2011.
For more information on Tommy Baldwin Racing, visit tommybaldwinracing.com or follow us on Facebook, facebook.com/TBR.HBR, and Twitter, twitter.com/TBR_Racing.
