Race: Auto Club 400
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 5 of 36
Track: Auto Club Speedway
Track Length: 2 miles
Date: March 27, 2011
Photo credit - Phil Cavali - thehotlap.com
With Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) sitting one point outside of a coveted top-35 position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Owner Point Standings, Dave Blaney will wheel the No. 36 TBR Chevrolet in the Auto Club 400 Sunday, March 27th, looking for a solid finish to put the team into the top-35.
TBR AT CALIFORNIA – TBR made four starts at Auto Club Speedway (ACS) in the team’s two seasons of competition. TBR’s best start and finish came when Mike Bliss started from the 17th position and finished 22nd in the spring race in 2010.
BLANEY AT CALIFORNIA – In his 16 starts at the Fontana, Calif., speedway, Blaney collected two top-10 starts, one top-10 finish and led 32 laps. His started fifth in 2010, his career-best start at the 2-mile track. The Buckeye Bullet finished ninth, his best ACS finish, in 2002 while driving the No. 77 car.
TOP-35 IMPORTANCE – Going into the fifth race of the season, all eyes are on the top-35 spots. Starting at Martinsville Raceway, the 2011 NSCS Owner Points will guarantee the top-35 teams a starting spot each week. If the No. 36 TBR 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.
CHASSIS NO. 910 – Blaney will pilot chassis No. 910, which is a brand new chassis that was built in the off-season.
LAST RACE RECAP: JEFF BYRD 500 – Following a post-qualifying engine change, the No. 36 Accell Construction Chevrolet started from the rear of the field. Blaney quickly raced his way into the top-30 and competed in the top-25 for most of the day. The TBR team worked to better the handling of the Accell Construction Chevrolet during each pit stop in the 500-lap event. Improving the Chevrolet’s handling throughout the day, Blaney took the checkers in the 25th spot.
IN THE POINTS – The No. 36 TBR Chevrolet is currently 36th in owner points, one point outside the top-35 with one race remaining before the field is set by 2011 points. Blaney moved up one spot to 34th in NSCS driver points.
LIGHTHOUSE MISSION – The Lighthouse Mission logo debuted on the No. 36 TBR 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 RACING AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY – “We had a solid day at Bristol and learned a lot. Each week we keep getting better. I’m excited to run at a two-mile track for the first time together as a team. ”
Tommy Baldwin Quotes:
ON TBR AT CALIFORNIA – “We’re excited for California. We are running a brand new chassis, so we are excited to test it out and see what we have.”
ON COMPETING FOR TOP-35 IN OWNER POINTS – “It’s cool to be in competition for the top-35. It’s stressful to show up every week and not know if you will be in the show or not. It would be great to be able to focus on the race on Fridays and not be worried about qualifying.”
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season – Tommy Baldwin Racing:
| Date | Event | Location | Start | Finish | Laps | Laps Led | Status | Points | |
| 2/20 | Daytona 500 | Daytona | 42 | 26 | 198/208 | 3 | Accident | Driver: 24 Owner: 26 | |
| 2/27 | Subway Fresh Fit 500 | Phoenix | 43 | 42 | 27/312 | 0 | Electrical | Driver: 36 Owner: 39 | |
| 3/6 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Las Vegas | 34 | 34 | 260/267 | 1 | Running | Driver: 35
Owner: 38 |
|
| 3/20 | Jeff Byrd 500 | Bristol | 37 | 25 | 497/500 | 0 | Running | Driver: 34 Owner: 36 | |
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.
###
Media Contact:
Heather Lumpp
heather@heinkebaldwinracing.com
o: 704.696.0036
c: 847.302.5509
Good luck Sunday. Hope the car was tight in practice today and is adjutable for Sunday.
Watching lap times and the lack of improvement througout the race was frustrating and I know it was worse for TBR. Before the race I looked over last years results at Daytona, Pheonix, Las Vegas, and Bristol compairing them to this year, talk about an improvement. TBR’s winnings increased by $208,000, no DNQs, finishing position had improved by an avg 10.25 per race and the fact TBR finished 22nd at California last year, well lets just say my expectations were pretty high, and still are. Two aspects of yesterday’s race really puzzled me, one being the chasis selection. Why use the unproven 902 instead of the chasis which helped TBR achieve a 22nd place finish last year? It seems hard enough to adjust race and qualifying trim on an already proven chasis. Why not try out a new chasis once your in the top 35 and don’t have to worry about qualifying. The other concern was the motor. Why would the motor let go? The race was one hundred miles shorter than last year, weather was cool, and the car wasn’t handling which contributed to less time at the top end. Expectations are high going into Martinsville. Do yourself a favor and dust off last years chasis, which gives Kevin a chance to utilize exsisting data, run a higher rear end gear, consider spending a little more than you normally would on a bullet, and put a fire under Kevin’s you know what to get these cars handling better. Get used to the Monday morning quarterbacking, the more people care and invest the more they’re going to complain.
I believe this is one of the such a lot vital info for me. And i am satisfied reading your article. However wanna statement on few basic things, The website style is great, the articles is really nice : D. Excellent task, cheers