Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s career in racing was probably born on the same day he was. The son of a veteran racer, Baldwin grew up around the short tracks of the Northeast watching and later helping his father earn more than 250 career racing victories, including six wins in the NASCAR Modified Series. The younger Baldwin earned his education in his years of serving as crew chief for his father’s racing efforts.
Baldwin left his dad’s watchful eye when he took a position to lead NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series Champion Jeff Fuller’s NASCAR Busch Series team in 1994. His tenure with that organization continued when a fellow New York native, Steve Park, took the reigns of the car. In his two seasons with that team, Baldwin accumulated 11 victories and earned the pole position in nearly half of all of the events in which the car was entered.
Baldwin’s Big Break
Baldwin left the team to pursue other opportunities and spent short amounts of time at Larry Hedrick Racing working with driver Ricky Craven and at Ranier-Walsh Racing with driver Greg Sacks. It wasn’t long before Baldwin broke into the NASCAR Winston Cup Series with car owner Junie Donlavey. Baldwin packed up his belongings and moved to Richmond, Va., in May 1997 after agreeing to serve as the crew chief for the No. 90 car driven by Dick Trickle.
Baldwin experienced success with the Donlavey organization, and other teams began to notice his talent. Bill Davis Racing soon presented Baldwin with an opportunity to team with driver Ward Burton. Baldwin moved to North Carolina to embark on what would prove a successful pairing with the Virginia driver. In nearly four seasons together, the duo scored four victories, including the shining moment of both of their careers, the 2002 Daytona 500 victory. They also posted two victories at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
Making Moves
Baldwin left BDR for Ultra Motorsports prior to the 2003 season, but sponsorship issues at the end of the season forced Baldwin to look for work. With so much to offer a team, it wasn’t long before he landed at Evernham Motorsports. Baldwin spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons serving as crew chief for Kasey Kahne. With the veteran Baldwin atop the pit box every week, Kahne took home Rookie of the Year honors in 2004 and finished second on five occasions. The two finally went to victory lane the following season at Richmond International Raceway, marking Baldwin’s fifth victory in NASCAR’s premiere series and Kahne’s first career victory. By season’s end, the team had posted five top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
Baldwin left Evernham’s team to pursue other options with Robert Yates Racing before the start of the 2006 season, but decided to rejoin Bill Davis Racing as Competition Director for its Cup Series teams mid-season. In addition to heading up the transition to Toyota, Baldwin found himself atop the pit box once again, calling the shots for the No. 55 team and Michael Waltrip for the remainder of the season.
2007 Brings Changes
The 2007 season was one of change for Baldwin, as he originally shifted gears to concentrate solely on his duties as competition director. Working closely with all the parties involved in returning Bill Davis Racing to the highest ranks of NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing, Baldwin worked hard during the off-season to ensure his teams would lead the Toyota contingent.
In June, Baldwin once again had the opportunity to call the shots on top of the pit box when he took over the reigns of crew chief for the No. 22 team. Baldwin will continue to hold both the position of Competition for Bill Davis Racing as well as crew chief for the No. 22 Caterpillar Racing team in 2008. With one year of modest success, including a pole position at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and a third-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, under its belt, the No. 22 team should stand to have a year in which it can be proud. Baldwin will also oversee the development programs of several up and coming racers at BDR.