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While a number of NASCAR teams are scaling back and some are struggling to keep the doors open, one man believes it’s the perfect time to launch a new venture.
Veteran NASCAR crew chief Tommy Baldwin has announced plans to start a new Sprint Cup team in 2009 which he says will be ready to race in the Daytona 500 next month.
The team will be based in Mooresville, North Carolina and will run Toyota cars with engines supplied by Arrington Manufacturing.
No driver or sponsor were mentioned in the announcement but a spokesperson for the team said they are talking to two potential drivers.
“With tough economic times upon us, the timing for starting this team is right,” Baldwin said. “Our overhead is low and we have a great group of talented mechanics and specialists to choose from. We can offer sponsors the chance to get into NASCAR Sprint Cup racing at a fraction of the costs, without compromising on-track performance, due to our low overhead.”
“We will do everything we can to support NASCAR and its fans,” Baldwin said.
“We are thankful for the opportunity NASCAR offers as we are able to prepare our own car to compete in one of the nation’s top sporting events.
“That’s what makes NASCAR so different from the other major sports. It’s still attainable to be an owner, if you are willing to put the work in, and I’m no stranger to hard work.”
This isn’t Baldwin’s first venture into ownership. In the late 1990s he formed a Nationwide program that brought the sponsor Unilever into the sport. That team later was sold and became what now is Gillett Evernham Motorsports.
“We are honored to be working with Tommy again, this time on his Cup efforts,’’ Arrington said. “He has always been great to work with and we are looking forward to a successful year.’‘
Baldwin won five Cup races, including the 2002 Daytona 500 with Ward Burton, as a crew chief. He has worked for Evernham Motorsports, Robert Yates Racing, Bill Davis Racing and Ultra Motorsports.
