Bellport's Baldwin makes 'Great' grid
Ryan Truex drives the #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. (Feb. 23, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
During the offseason, Bellport native and NASCAR owner Tommy Baldwin relinquished one of the most precious possessions in all of motorsports -- a guaranteed spot in the Daytona 500.
Thursday afternoon, he got it back. Tommy Baldwin Racing driver David Blaney earned a place on the starting grid for the Great American Race in the second of two Gatorade Duel qualifying races.
"We feel really good about the race," Baldwin said Friday. "We know we have a good car. We always look forward to this race. David is a good restrictor plate racer. We just want to have a good race on Sunday."
Baldwin's team was in the top 35 in owners points at the end of the 2011 season, which earned an automatic spot in the first five races of the 2012 season. But Baldwin, per NASCAR's approval, made a deal with Tony Stewart-owned Stewart-Haas Racing to transfer those owners points to the No. 10 car of rookie Danica Patrick, securing her a spot in the Daytona 500.
The deal allowed Baldwin to expand his single-car team, which will now field a second entry for David Reutimann in the No. 10 car in the races Patrick doesn't run. She's running only 10 Sprint Cup races while running full-time in the Nationwide Series.
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