Long Island's Tommy Baldwin ready for Daytona 500
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
Tommy Baldwin, a native of Bellport, is a NASCAR team owner who will have a driver in Sunday's Daytona 500.
His father, the late Tom Baldwin, is a former champion NASCAR modified driver who raced on all of Long Island's vintage tracks. In doing so, he exposed his son to auto racing at a very young age.
Baldwin, 45, has experience in nearly every facet of racing, from mechanic to driver. He is a former crew chief who won the Daytona 500 in 2002 with driver Ward Burton. He formed his own NASCAR Sprint Cup team - Tommy Baldwin Racing - in 2009. Trading Paint caught up with Baldwin via phone from Daytona two days before the big race.
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