Race: Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 9 of 36
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Track Length: .75 miles
Date: April 30, 2011
Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) will head to Richmond International Raceway (RIR) with momentum from a strong run at Talladega Superspeedway. Dave Blaney looks to drive the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet to a solid finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 on Saturday.
TBR AT RICHMOND – TBR looks to make the team’s fifth start at the Richmond, Va., track. Casey Mears collected the team’s best start of 13th and finish of 26th in the 2010 spring race.
BLANEY AT RICHMOND – Blaney will make his 21st start at the .75-mile speedway. He collected one top-five and two top-10 finishes in his NSCS career. He recorded his best start of third in the fall race at RIR in 2002. The Buckeye Bullet scored his best finish of fourth in the 2006 fall race, while teamed up with Tommy Baldwin at Bill Davis Racing. He is tied at seventh for the best closers positions improved in the last 10 percent of laps in each race, where he gained 13 position in this past 12 races.
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 Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 this weekend, kids will get a free kid buffet on Monday, May 1st with the purchase of an adult buffet. Golden Corral will also donate $5,000 to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
CHASSIS NO. 78 – Blaney will pilot the No. 78 chassis. The TBR team ran the No. 78 at Phoenix International Raceway and Martinsville Speedway this year. The chassis’ best outing was a 25th-place start and 30th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway.
LAST RACE RECAP: AARON’S 499 – Blaney and the TBR team started from the 35th spot at Talladega Superspeedway. Blaney hung back for the first 100 laps to avoid trouble. When lap 100 hit, Blaney drove the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet up to the lead. He continued to drive through the field and led 21 laps throughout the event, the second most laps led. The Golden Corral team looked to have a solid finish in store when an incident in turn three sent the No. 36 Chevrolet spinning with four laps to go. Without a yellow, Blaney finished 27th, the last car on the lead lap.
IN THE POINTS – TBR is still vying for a coveted top-35 position in NSCS Owner Points. Just 11 points out of 35th, the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet sits in the 37th spot, improving one spot from the following week. Blaney continues to hold the 33rd position in NSCS Driver Points.
TOP-35 IMPORTANCE – Starting at Martinsville Speedway, the 2011 NSCS Owner Points will guarantee the top-35 teams a starting spot each week. The No. 36 TBR team’s main goal of the weekend is to work their way into the top-35 and guarantee a spot in the race at Darlington Raceway. If the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet moves into the top-35 this weekend, it will be the first time since the team’s inception in 2009 that TBR will have a guaranteed starting spot, which would allow the team to focus solely on race day setup instead of qualifying.
LIGHTHOUSE MISSION – The Lighthouse Mission logo debuted on the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevroletat 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 RICHMOND – “Richmond is always a great race for the fans because there is good racing there, and I think most drivers would agree. The shape and size of the racetrack allows for us to pass. Tommy and I finished fourth there in 2006 at Bill Davis Racing, and the team has done a good job on our short track package. I’m excited to get back to the track and see what we can do.”
Tommy Baldwin Quotes:
ON GOLDEN CORRAL – “We are thrilled to have Golden Corral come back and support us for the rest of the season. Golden Corral is a well-established company, and we are proud they recognized our team’s hard work and performance. We look forward to competing for a top-10 for the ‘Racing for America’s Families’ promotion and will work hard to build successful programs with all of our partners.”
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.
