Blaney; Baldwin; Example of Hard Work
Team’s owner expresses gratitude for outpouring of fan support
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[/media-credit]Amid little fanfare, Tommy Baldwin launched Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) in 2009. Baldwin hired experienced crew members from other teams, preventing people from becoming unemployed. After the 2008 season, several teams were in the process of closing up shop. In TBR’s first season, their high watermark was an 18th at Talladega. The team finished six of the races they entered that year; a considerable feat for a new start-up team. 2010 showed signs of improvement, highlighted by Steve Park’s 13th place run at Daytona. Some of the races were used as a “start-and-park”, something most owners truly don’t want to do, but are forced to do so because of the cost of racing.
In January of this year, Dave Blaney was named as driver for a full 36 race campaign. TBR defied the odds as an independent, underfunded team when they qualified for their third consecutive Daytona 500. Golden Corral came on board to sponsor the team for the race. After leading early, a promising run was scuttled when Blaney was forced into the grass during a multi-car accident late in the race.
Recently, the teams’ fortunes began to change. At Talladega, Golden Corral returned for their second stint as sponsor. Blaney led 21 laps, second-most among all drivers. Unfortunately, another promising run ended in disappointment when the #36 car was turned off the front bumper of Kurt Busch, resulting in a 27th place finish. The strong performance did not go unnoticed, as the team’s one-race deal turned into a multi-race sponsorship. Golden Corral extended their support for an additional 19 races. Big Red Soda also came aboard for an additional five races, leaving the team with a mere handful of races without major sponsorship. This marks a turning point from two year’s ago when the “sponsor” was listed as Tommy Baldwin Racing. Having well-known corporation adorn the hood and quarterpanels isn’t just a financial boost—it’s a motivational one as well.
Blaney has shown the sponsorship dollars are well-deserved. Following Talladega, the circuit headed to Richmond, where Blaney stormed home to a 13th place finish; beating the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, and Matt Kenseth. While Rick Hendrick, Roger Penske, and Jack Roush have hundreds of people working in their shops; Baldwin has slightly more than a handful. Whoever said you can do more with less was right.
The strong finish also propelled TBR into the coveted top-35 in owner’s points, guaranteeing the team a starting position each weekend. The 24th place finish at Darlington gave TBR a 16 point cushion in the owners’ standings.
Q: How much does the recent outpouring of fan support mean to you, as an independent team owner?
Baldwin: It’s meant a lot. I think most people out there can relate to what we are going through as it mirrors what most are going through with today’s economy.
Q: How does being in the top-35 in owner’s points change a team’s outlook come race weekend?
Baldwin: It’s been a big relief. Now, we can plan all week on racing instead of trying to make the race first and then shifting our focus to racing.
Q: Many fans don’t understand the true costs of racing and don’t understand a team’s decision when they do a so-called “start and park”. Can you outline how much it costs to operate a team from week-to-week and how unprofitable it can be? How frustrating was it knowing you had the equipment to compete, but not the financial resources?
Baldwin: The engine and tire cost per race is about $100,000, depending on where you race. Last week for example, we finished 24th at Darlington. The point money for that was $99,258, which obviously is less than $100,000. Now imagine if we were involved in an incident or had a problem and finished outside the top-30, the point money for that would be $70,000-80,000. So really if you run the entire race, it is impossible to cover your expenses without a sponsor. It’s been very frustrating not being able to compete at the level I know our team can, but if we work hard, we will succeed.
Q: You’ve successfully competed this season against some of NASCAR’s top teams, many who have large staffs. How many employees do you have working on the car?
Baldwin: We have 12 full time employees.
Q: With Golden Corral coming on board for Daytona, what are the plans for Steve Park and the “Ole Blue” car?
Baldwin: Dave Blaney will be driving the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet, and we will move Steve over to the No. 35 Chevrolet for the “Old Blue” tribute.
AJ Allmendinger Pumped for Dover, Ready to be NASCAR’s Next New Winner
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[/media-credit]Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch may have won the last four Sprint Cup Series races at the Dover International Speedway but they weren’t the ones who stole the show. Keeping in their tire tracks has been Los Gatos, California native AJ Allmendinger in his Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Fusion. And had it not been for one too many mistakes Allmendinger, not Johnson or Busch, could have been the driver in victory lane.
Costly mistakes like running in the top five last year then having a loose lug nut and subsequent vibration force Allmendinger down pit road for an unscheduled stop. It resulted in a 14th place finish for a car that could have ended up at least third.
Last fall Allmendinger led 143 laps and at one time had a six second lead on Johnson but only finished 10th. This time a cut tire the culprit. As the series again heads north to do battle with the Monster Mile, Allmendinger said he’s pumped up about it.
“For me, I really enjoy Dover,” he said last weekend. “It’s a place that I’ve liked as soon as I got there. Obviously, it’s high-banked and fast. It’s just really a fun place to drive each lap that you’re on it and, relatively, we’ve had really fast racecars there, so I was excited.”
His average finish of 23.6 at the track comes from his performance in his first five showings. He best start was seventh but his best finish was 16th. His other finishes were 29th or worse. In the three races since then Allmendinger has started no worse than 19th and started outside pole last fall. In that span he’s also finished no worse than 14th, his best being a seventh in the fall of 2009.
In his eight starts Allmendinger has done everything but win. The difference this year could be the added practice and familiarity he’ll have with an important factor on Sunday after participating in the Dover tire test. Allmendinger hopes history repeats itself after seeing what Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya accomplished after participating in the 2009 tire test. When race weekend rolled around they qualified first and second then finished first and fourth respectively.
“We did the Goodyear tire test there and it went really well,” said Allmendinger. “So, for me, I’m trying to get through Darlington and have a good run and, hopefully, be consistent here and keep ourselves up in the points, and then I’m really looking forward to Dover.”
Allmendinger did indeed get through Darlington. He finished 20th and brought the car home in one piece, which was good enough to hold onto 11th place in the point standings, just outside a Chase position with the new format in 2011.
New is what Allmendinger is hoping for. Well aware of the biggest storylines and new winners the series has already seen from Cinderella stories Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith, the young 2011 season is already one to remember and has led to talk of who could be next.
Dover, for its monster reputation, can be quite nice. Especially to those looking for their first career win. Take Martin Truex Jr. in 2007 in the Sprint Cup Series. Or Scott Speed, 2008, Brian Scott, 2009 and Aric Almirola, 2010, in the Camping World Truck Series. Allmendinger should already have a win on his resume, not just at Dover. But Dover, maybe more so than anywhere else, is where he knows he can run with big boys. And it gives him confidence heading into this weekend’s FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.
“I know I can make it happen and hopefully take home the win,” said Allmendinger. “I see these guys this year that are winning for the first time and I’m happy for them, but I want to be that guy so badly. Dover is a great track and I hope it happens for us this weekend.”
Bayne and Smith, who won two of NASCAR’s most prestigious races, also took home two of the most coveted trophies in the sport. Dover isn’t considered one of NASCAR’s crown jewels, but should Allmendinger win on Sunday, he says he’ll be taking home something coveted too.
“Dover has one of the greatest trophies of the season, so it’s one I really want to take home.”
