Dalton Baldwin hopes to hit the ground running in the No. 18 Woman 2 Woman Breast Cancer Chevrolet at The Charles Kepley Memorial 150 on March 16th. The season opener at Caraway Speedway is the first points race of the 2013 season.
Baldwin enters the race with the momentum of a top ten finish at the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway last month. His objective is to establish himself early as a serious contender for the Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
“We’re looking for a solid run this race,” Dalton says. “We feel that we have a good enough car to finish in the top ten, and maybe top 5, if things go our way. It’s the first points race of the season so we just want to run well and finish. We don’t want to be in a deep hole in points right away. Twelve races may seem like a lot, but they’ll go by fast.”
Baldwin raced at this track at the end of last season and feels this will give them a slight advantage. Based on that knowledge, the team has made significant improvements to the car. He also believes that his previous history at comparable tracks will translate into a good finish at Caraway Speedway.
“The track is similar to New Smyrna Speedway that we’ve raced at down here in Florida and had success at,” Baldwin explained. “So we hope that the experience we have from New Smyrna will carry over to Caraway.”
Regardless of the preparation, there are bound to be surprises.
“As for the race itself, I’m not sure what to expect,” Dalton admits. “Sometimes the first races of the seasons are more hectic. I guess it’s because everyone thinks it’s a clean points slate now and they just go for it.”
“A hectic race with a lot of wrecks could play in our favor, like it did at Daytona, or it could get us caught up in a wreck. Being an underfunded team, it could take us out of the next race as well.”
Because of the unknowns, the ability to improvise is an essential component of any strategy.
“Racing is a “play it by ear” sport. Anytime you make a plan, something different usually happens. So the team and I just try to keep ourselves open for anything. Have a plan if this happens, have a plan if that happens, because, as the new NASCAR commercial says, ‘Where anything can happen… and usually does.’ That’s NASCAR and racing in general, summed up in one line.”
Dalton Baldwin’s goal for this race is the same as his goal for the entire season.
“Obviously, our main goal for the season is to get the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. So that’s our utmost, primary goal, next to finishing the race; to beat all the other rookies.”
Dalton Baldwin Racing would like to thank their partners, Woman 2 Woman Breast Cancer Foundation, SpeedwayMedia.com, Advance Auto Parts of Dunedin, Fla., BG Products, SpeedRacer Photos, and Eibach Performance for their continued support.
For more information about Dalton Baldwin Racing including driver bio, race schedule, pictures and videos, please visit www.daltonbaldwin.com. You can also find his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing.
