Crew Chiefs
Tommy Baldwin: Biography
Update: August 2006
Tommy Baldwin Jr. Joins Bill Davis Racing
as NASCAR Nextel Cup Team Competition Director
HIGH POINT, N.C. (July 31, 2006) – Bill Davis Racing (BDR) announced today that
Tommy Baldwin Jr. will join the organization serving as Competition Director for
its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series multi-car efforts, effective August 1, 2006.
Baldwin returns to the team after having spent four seasons with the
organization from 1999-2002.
Included in Baldwin’s responsibilities as competition director will be
overseeing Bill Davis Racing’s conversion to Toyota for the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup season. Baldwin will work closely with leaders from Toyota Racing
Development, Inc. (TRD) and Triad Racing Development, Inc. (a technical partner
to TRD) to ensure a smooth transition and will also work with existing Bill
Davis Racing crew chiefs to guarantee an efficient and effective transformation
to Toyota.
“Tommy has worked successfully with Todd Holbert (General Manager of Triad
Racing Development, Inc.) in the past and we see that as a huge asset as we move
forward with our program,” commented BDR General Manager Mike Brown. “We look
forward to their continued teamwork to play a vital role in the future success
of Bill Davis Racing.”
“Tommy brought a lot of success to Bill Davis Racing during his time here and
we’re looking forward to his return to our organization,” stated team owner Bill
Davis. “Not only will he play a key role in the team’s physical conversion to
Toyota, but he will also serve as the BDR representative in that change. Tommy
is extremely qualified and driven to succeed and we can’t think of anyone who
would do a better job working with the other Toyota team competition directors
to make sure the program gets off on the right foot. We feel fortunate that he
was available to us and we are looking forward to his return.”
Baldwin, a 39-year-old native of Bellport, N.Y., began his tenure as a leader in
NASCAR’s premiere division in 1997 and joined BDR at the end of the 1998 season.
Baldwin led the No. 22 Caterpillar Racing team to four victories in four years,
including two wins at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and one at New Hampshire
International Speedway in addition to a victory in the prestigious Daytona 500
in 2002. Baldwin spent the 2003 season at Ultra Motorsports before heading to
Evernham Motorsports to serve as a team director in 2004. In 2005, he guided
Kasey Kahne to victory lane at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, scoring
Kahne’s first career win and Baldwin’s fifth. Before making the move back to
Bill Davis Racing, Baldwin was serving as a crew chief at Robert Yates Racing
and grabbed the pole position earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway.
“This is an exciting time at Bill Davis Racing and I can’t wait to be a part of
it,” commented Baldwin on his return to the team. “To have the opportunity to
play a key role in the successful introduction of Toyota to the Cup Series is a
once in a lifetime opportunity. It would mean a great deal to me to be able to
help BDR achieve the success it had several years ago. Bill and Gail Davis have
always been like family to me and I’m glad to be back home.”
-----
Like so many NASCAR drivers and crew members, Tommy Baldwin's involvement in
racing was inspired by his family. Growing up in the Modified battlefields of
the Northeast, the Long Island native immersed himself in the world of short
track racing. Baldwin’s education came at the hands of his mentor both at and
away from the track, his father, Tommy, Sr.
Tommy, Sr. began his racing career in the 1960s, shortly before the birth of his
son. A tough competitor behind the wheel, Tommy, Sr. was a mainstay on the local
short track circuit notching over 250 career victories with a total of six wins
in the NASCAR Modified Series. Baldwin spent his youth by his father’s side
developing a foundation that would lead him to NASCAR’s premiere level.
After serving as a crew chief for his father, Baldwin understood his next move
would be a step out on his own, away from the security of his father’s watchful
eye. In 1994, Baldwin took a position as head wrench for Featherlite Modified
Champion Jeff Fuller in the NASCAR Busch Series. His tenure continued with
fellow New Yorker Steve Park behind the wheel. During his two seasons at the
helm, Baldwin accumulated a total of 11 victories and scored pole positions in
nearly half the races of which his car was entered.
After brief stints at Larry Hedrick Racing with driver Ricky Craven and Ranier-Walsh
Racing with driver Greg Sacks, Baldwin found his break elevate to the NASCAR
Winston Cup Series with owner Junie Donlavey. Moving to Richmond, Virginia
Baldwin signed on as crew chief of Donlavey’s No. 90 Team with driver Dick
Trickle beginning in May 1997.
But the lure of the NASCAR hotbed in North Carolina loomed large for Baldwin and
mid-way through the 1998 season he was presented an opportunity to join Bill
Davis Racing as crew chief for driver Ward Burton. The native New Yorker proved
a perfect fit for the Virginia raised Burton with the duo scoring four victories
in their nearly four seasons together. The career moment for both Baldwin and
Burton came in February 2002 when they won the prestigious Daytona 500. Their
win tally also held a pair of victories at Darlington Raceway, one of the
toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
After a season with the No. 7 Ultra Motorsports team and Jimmy Spencer in 2003,
Baldwin moved to Evernham Motorsports for the 2004 and 2005 seasons serving as
crew chief for rookie driver Kasey Kahne. With the veteran crew chief atop the
box, Kahne took Rookie of the Year honors by clinching the runner-up position
five times, ending his first season with 13 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.
Baldwin and Kahne continued their success the following year by finally finding
victory lane at Richmond International Raceway for Baldwin’s fifth career
victory and Kahne’s first. Baldwin and Kahne continued by posting five top-five
and eight top-10 finishes in 2005, bringing Baldwin’s career totals for the two
categories to 40 and 82 respectively.
In 2006, Baldwin has made the move to Robert Yates Racing, leading the charge
for driver Elliott Sadler and the No. 38 M&M’S® Team.