Dave Blaney, Tommy Baldwin Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Advance: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Race: Sylvania 300

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 28 of 36

Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Track Length: 1 mile

Date: September 25, 2011

Dave Blaney will pilot the No. 36 Golden Corral/NHOF/Richie Evans Chevrolet to pay tribute to NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Richie Evans this weekend in the Sylvania 300. He will join his Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS).

TBR AT NEW HAMPSHIRE – TBR made five starts at NHMS in three years. In the team’s last start this past July, Blaney drove from a 37^th-place start to a 29^th-place finish, the team’s best finish, after a late race incident caused damage to the Golden Corral Chevrolet. Casey Mears drove to the team’s best start of 23^rd.

BLANEY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE – Blaney made 23 career starts at the mile track. The Hartford, Ohio native collected one pole, one top-10 and five top-15 finishes in his career. He won the pole in the summer of 2007 with TBR owner Tommy Baldwin as crew chief at Bill Davis. The pair also recorded Blaney’s best NHMS finish of ninth in the fall race in 2006. Blaney is ranked as the seventh best closer among current NSCS drivers at NHMS.

RICHIE EVANS – Evans, who is recognized as the “king” of modified racing, captured nine NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in a 13-year span, which included eight consecutive championships from 1978-85. “The Rapid Roman” collected multiple track championships across the Northeast and hundreds of victories, including a 37-win season during a stretch of 60 modified races in 1979.  Evans was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

MYSTIC MISSILE HONORS EVANS – TBR Development Driver Bobby Santos and his Mystic Missile Racing team will also honor Evans with a Richie Evans themed modified. The team will compete Saturday in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event.

KIDS EAT FREE – TBR will compete to feed America’s families again this weekend. If the No. 36 Golden Corral/NHOF/Richie Evans Chevrolet finishes in the top-10 in the Sylvania 300, kids eat free (with an adult purchase) on Monday, September 26^th. Golden Corral will also donate $5,000 to the DAV.

NASCAR HALL OF FAME 2012 INDUCTION – Starting off the inaugural NASCAR Acceleration Weekend on Friday, Jan. 20 is the induction of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012 – Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood, and Cale Yarborough – at a dinner and induction ceremony located in the Charlotte Convention Center, which adjoins the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Tickets went on sale Sept. 20^th for NASCAR Acceleration Weekend 2012, a combination of events and activities scheduled for Jan. 20-22 in Charlotte, N.C. that gives race fans an unprecedented, festival-like experience featuring legends of the sport and stars of today and tomorrow. Ticket prices range from $10 for individual event admission to $299 for a VIP weekend package.

CHASSIS NO. 293 – Blaney will pilot the No. 293 chassis this weekend. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing. Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR. Blaney drove the chassis at Kentucky Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this year. Stephen Leicht also piloted the chassis this season at Richmond International Raceway September 10^th.

LAST RACE RECAP: GEICO 400 – Blaney drove the No. 36 Big Red Chevrolet from the 39^th starting spot to finish 33^rd in the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The TBR driver battled a loose racecar for most of the day as the Big Red crew worked to get the car handling better during the 267-lap race.

IN THE POINTS – The 33^rd-place finish at Chicago kept TBR in the 33^rd position in NSCS Owner Points. The team is now 16 points behind the No. 13 entry in 32^nd and 11 points ahead of the No. 32 entry in 34^th. The No. 36 is locked into the top-35 by 66 points. Blaney also held onto the 32^nd position in NSCS Driver Points. He is 42 points behind Casey Mears and 11 points ahead of Andy Lally.

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 RICHIE EVANS – “I’m honored to be a part of the Richie Evans tribute car. Evans was a racer in the same era as my father, so it’s easy for me to relate to a guy like that. I’m obviously impressed by all that he accomplished. And, a big thanks to Golden Corral for joining us in this special celebration.”

ON THE RACING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE – “Our team seems more competitive on the short tracks this year so this is a chance for us to run well. New Hampshire is more of a home track for Tommy, so he likes to run up there and has good results. We have run well together in the past, so we have high expectations for this weekend.”

Tommy Baldwin Quotes:

ON THIS WEEKEND – “I’m excited to be going back to my Modified roots with the two cars. Both Richie and Len Boehler with the ‘Ole Blue’ modified have made a huge impact on modified racing. This weekend is very exciting for the Whelen Modified Tour, Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR itself. I’m just honored to represent everyone this weekend.”

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season – Tommy Baldwin Racing:

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 with a stringent budget. 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 Golden Corral Chevrolet. Looking to improve on-track performance, TBR found success early in the 2011 season with partners Golden Corral, Big Red and Accell Construction. 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.

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Media Contact:

Heather Lumpp – heather@heinkebaldwinracing.com – o: 704.696.0036 – c: 847.302.5509