Race: Sylvania 300
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 28 of 36
Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Track Length: 1 mile
Date: September 25, 2011
Steve Park will return to Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) for the team’s annual modified tribute car. Park and TBR will pay tribute to Len Boehler and the “Ole Blue” Modified in the Sylvania 300. The Long Island native will attempt to qualify for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race in the No. 35 “Ole Blue” Tribute Chevrolet 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, Dave Blaney drove from a 37th-place start to a 29th-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 23rd.
PARK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE – Park made 10 NSCS starts at the New England track and posted two top-10 finishes. His best outing came in 2001 when he started fifth and finished sixth with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. He tallied four NWMT victories at the mile-track, including wins in 1995 and 1996 when “Ole Blue” finished second. He also collected a win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 1996.
LEN BOEHLER AND “OLE BLUE” – Boehler started BRE Racing Inc in 1957. From the late 60’s to the early 70’s, Boehler ran a coupe modified that was beat up with dents, rusty and built with junkyard parts but had a fast big-block engine. Competitors called the car “Old Blue,” and the name stuck. “Old Blue” won six NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championships from 1967-69 and 1994-96 and collected over 400 feature wins in the team’s 54-year history. “Ole Blue” and Boehler found success at NHMS and won four times there, including three wins at the track in 1996.
QUALIFYING – The No. 35 “Ole Blue” Tribute Chevrolet is not locked into the top-35 in NSCS Owner Points, therefore Park will have to qualify into the Sylvania 300 on time. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday, September 23rd at 3:10 p.m. EST.
FANS HONOR “OLE BLUE” – Fans had the opportunity to donate to the “Ole Blue” Tribute, and in turn, get their name put on the No. 35 “Ole Blue” Tribute Chevrolet. Ninety-one fans and companies will adorn the Chevrolet to honor Boehler’s success in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
CHASSIS NO. 78 – Park will pilot the No. 78 chassis. The TBR team ran the No. 78 at Richmond International Raceway, NHMS, Michigan International Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Martinsville Speedway this year. The chassis’ best start was a 25th at Martinsville Speedway and best finish was 13th at Richmond International Speedway in April.
KEEPING UP WITH TBR – Keep up with TBR by following twitter.com/TBR_Racing and facebook.com/TBR.HBR.
Steve Park Quotes:
ON THE TRIBUTE – “It’s pretty cool. It’s the only program of its kind, where through the Sprint Cup Series we give back to modified racing, the fans of NASCAR and the history of our sport. Being able to run a tribute car in NASCAR and honor the heroes of our sport, the Northeast modifieds, where Tommy and I all got our start in racing, is such an honor.”
ON THE RACING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE – “I’m excited about racing the tribute in New Hampshire. I consider NHMS my home track, being from New England. I really contribute NHMS as being one of the reasons why I made it to the high levels of NASCAR. Before New Hampshire, people from New England never had a place to showcase their talent. With the track being built, it gave the modified racers, including myself, Tommy and Bono a chance to show the NASCAR Cup guys our talent.”
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.”
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
It was a shamr that steve did not make the race because he is still a good driver. I wish that he could get a ride again. I used to watch his dad and other great drivers race all over long island. thanks tommy for giving stave a shot. we will be pulling for dave and tony to do well.