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Tag: Dalton Baldwin Racing

  • Baldwin brings home a 10th place finish in the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach

    Baldwin brings home a 10th place finish in the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach

    Photo Credit: David Yeazell
    Photo Credit: David Yeazell

    Dalton Baldwin Racing Post Race Report

    NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour

    UNOH Battle at the Beach-Daytona International Speedway

    February 21, 2013

    Dalton Baldwin started 32nd and battled his way to the front and captured a 10th place finish on Tuesday night in the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway. Baldwin, making his rookie debut in the 2013 season in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour division finished strong after early struggles.

    The 150 lap exhibition race was a non-points event and each driver was solely focused on bringing home the trophy from the prestigious track. The result was a race that included 17 cautions and a green-white-checkered final restart. Steve Park claimed the win in the wild finish.

    Practice and Qualifying: Baldwin and his team struggled to get the right setup throughout the practice sessions. The car handled well but did not have enough speed through the corners. He was 29th in the final practice.

    “We decided in the heat race that we would pit and try a few things instead of racing for position,” Baldwin said.  “Then after the heat, we decided to change a bunch of things, back to what the car was at Charlotte last year, when we felt the car had speed in the corners.”

    Race Highlights: Baldwin began the race at the back of the field in the 32nd position but by lap 85 had made his way into the top twenty.  He continued to make steady progress forward and avoided the numerous wrecks. With only 5 laps to go, the final caution of the night set up the GWC restart.

    Baldwin was in 8th position for the final start and managed to stay out of trouble once again as another crash ensued on the final lap. With cars wrecking in front of him, he made his way through the field, ending the night in 10th position.

    “We started 32nd, and as we were sitting on the grid, my dad and I decided to just ride for 100 laps, let them all wreck, and then we’ll see where we’re at,” Baldwin explained.  “Well, that plan fortunately panned out really well. Just lap after lap, it was like, there goes two, there’s another one, just dropping like flies.”

    “Then as the race wound down, we started racing a little harder, and a little harder. Then we got down to the end, we were in 8th, and I felt we were better than a couple cars in front of us. But something broke with the clutch or transmission, and the car wouldn’t go on the restart or coming out of the turns. So that hurt us bad on the green-white-checkered and we ended up 10th.”

    “To avoid all those wrecks and come from 32nd to 10th with a clean car was an amazing feat. Our first top 10 and we stayed on the lead lap in just our 3rd race is just awesome, we’re all extremely happy. Words can’t really explain it.”

    Extras: One of Dalton’s favorite moments of his Daytona experience was the opportunity to interact with other drivers.

    “I fortunately got to sit next to Steve Park (the eventual winner of the race) during the driver autograph sessions and I got to talking to him about how to drive the cars and get around the track. He gave me some great advice,” Baldwin told me. “I don’t have much experience on flat tracks, especially with zero banking. On top of that, I don’t have much experience in these cars. So I can just go off my experiences and natural driving knowledge.

    “When I get a chance to ask veterans like Steve for advice on how to drive the track and the cars, I obviously have to take it. Being an 18 year old driver with dreams bigger than himself, it is truly an honor and a fortune to get to have a conversation with someone like Steve Park.”

    Start: 32nd                             Finish: 10th                             Points: N/A

    Next Race: The next race on the schedule for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour is March 16th at Caraway Speedway. This will be the first points race of the season.

    For more information about Dalton Baldwin Racing including driver bio, race schedule, pictures and videos, please visit www.daltonbaldwin.com.  You can also find his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing and Twiiter at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing.

  • Dalton Baldwin Preview: UNOH Battle at the Beach – Daytona International Speedway

    Dalton Baldwin Preview: UNOH Battle at the Beach – Daytona International Speedway

    baldwin_daltonDalton Baldwin is eagerly anticipating the next step in his racing career. The 18-year old from Clearwater, FL will compete in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour in 2013 and challenge for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year trophy.

    The race season kicks off at Daytona International Speedway on February 19th at the UNOH Battle at the Beach during Budweiser Speedweeks.  This will be Daytona’s debut of its new 0.4-mile short-track oval located on the superstretch and will feature two 25 lap qualifying races.  How you finish in the qualifying races, determines where you will start the 150 lap feature event, which is sure to bring national bragging rights to the winner.

    In 2012, in only his second start, Baldwin finished second at the newly NASCAR sanctioned New Smyrna Speedway.  Baldwin and his team enter Daytona with the confidence of a team that has had success at five different tracks in his home town state of Florida, including three wins.

    “It’s taken a lot to just get here, and we’re just scratching the surface. We’re underfunded compared to a lot of these guys, especially the northern tour teams. But we make up for that with determination and integrity. I don’t believe any other team has a will to win as high as we do.

    So what does Baldwin think of the new track?

    “This is the first event for the short track since they laid it out last year. So, it should be exciting seeing how the track works, and who can pick it up quick and who will struggle with it.” Baldwin said.

    With bragging rights on the line, Baldwin and his team would love to capture the home state victory in his first start.

    “It would be huge for us. Winning an inaugural race at a track is awesome because it sort of makes you king of the hill for the years to come. But, it’s also a combo race with the Whelen Modified Tour and a Southern team has never won a combo race, so that would be a big deal as well. Plus, it will be a pretty prestigious event to win.”

    Whatever challenges that the team faces, Dalton is certain that he has the perfect crew for the job.

    “My Dad and our part-time crew chief, Rich Arend, are really amazing when it comes to setting up a car. We may not always have the power down the straightaway, but you can be sure we’ll be fast in the corners.”

    Dalton Baldwin Racing (DBR) is family owned and operated and they feel the daily pressure to perform and to win.

    “It is more pressure to run well because we don’t have many sponsors. So, being that we fund it almost entirely on our own, it can be a lot of pressure to run well. That’s why I try to separate myself from the money aspect. I have a lot of pressure to run well because I want a career as a driver, so I have to run well if I want to move up to the top 3 NASCAR series.” Baldwin said.

    With all of the demand on and off of the track, you would think that stress and a lot of sacrifices have to be made each week in order to race.  But DBR does not consider any of this a “sacrifice”.

    “Well, to us, racing is our lives. So, we don’t have to make many sacrifices, it’s just what we do. We don’t want to do anything else but racing. Anything we put towards this isn’t a sacrifice to us; it’s a way of life.” Baldwin said.

    Dalton’s goals are to win the 2013 Rookie of the Year and the championship in his following season.

    “I’d like to finish in the top-3 in points as well. But ultimately, I’m really just trying to prove myself to everyone. So, I want to just be competitive and up front, showing that we can compete with these guys.” Baldwin said.

    “I’m not entirely sure where this NASCAR road is going to take me, but I do know that it will be a wild one if we take off on it.” Baldwin added.

    More information on the UNOH Battle at the Beach can be found at hometracks.nascar.com.

    For more information about Dalton Baldwin Racing including driver bio, race schedule, pictures and videos, please visit www.daltonbaldwin.com.  You can also find his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing.

  • Baldwin Determined to Make the Most of Rookie Season in NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour

    Baldwin Determined to Make the Most of Rookie Season in NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour

    Photo Credit: daltonbaldwin.com
    Photo Credit: daltonbaldwin.com

    Dalton Dalton’s love of racing began as a young child. If there was a NASCAR race on the television, he stopped whatever he was doing to watch the action on the screen. His career began at the age of nine when he began racing go-karts with his father, Bobby.

    He was a natural, winning 3 feature races and multiple heat races running a part time schedule at the East Bay Raceway Park dirt track. Dalton eventually progressed to modifieds at Desoto Super Speedway and became known for his hard charging, on the edge, aggressive racing style. In 2009, he won the Flyin’ 4 Rookie of the Year award.

    Dalton’s father, Bobby, was known as one of the best Florida Modified drivers in the state. In 2010, he made the decision to step aside and put Dalton in his car. It was a bold move. His son would be moving up from a 100 horsepower car to a 600 horsepower open wheel modified. Much of the racing community thought Dalton was not ready for the transition. They were wrong.

    Under his father’s guidance, Dalton was soon racing up front with the veterans. He finished the season third in points and won Rookie of the Year.

    He found even more success in 2011. In only the second race, he started on the pole, led every lap and collected his first win. The season ended with an impressive four wins and the Florida Modified Championship at Desoto Super Speedway.

    2012 would be a year of transition as the team prepared to move forward into the Modified Touring Series. In August, they drove to North Carolina and bought the necessary car. The remainder of the year was all about gaining experience and soaking up knowledge from more experienced drivers.

    This year, Dalton will run a full-time schedule in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour division. His goals are to win at least one race and to earn the Rookie of the Year award.

    “But ultimately,” he says, “I’m really just trying to prove myself to everyone. So, I want to just be competitive and up front, showing that we can compete with these guys.”

    Dalton also has another reason for wanting to succeed this season. He’s a proud advocate for the World Motorsports Breast Cancer Foundation and will donate part of his winnings to the organization.

    “This is our first season together,” he said, “and I really hope we can make big things happen for the foundation.”

    Dalton Baldwin Racing is a family owned and operated business without the resources of many other teams. When asked about the sacrifices his family had to make, Dalton offers a different point of view.

    “Well, to us, racing is our lives. So, we don’t have to make many sacrifices, it’s just what we do. We don’t want to do anything else but racing. Anything we put towards this isn’t a sacrifice to us; it’s a way of life.”

    What they lack in funds, they make up for with passion and the will to succeed.

    “It’s taken a lot to just get here and we’re just scratching the surface,” Dalton told me.  “We’re underfunded compared to a lot of these guys, especially the northern tour teams. But we make up for that with determination and integrity. I don’t believe any other team has a will to win as high as we do.”

    More information on the UNOH Battle at the Beach can be found at hometracks.nascar.com.

    For more information about Dalton Baldwin Racing including driver bio, race schedule, pictures and videos, please visit www.daltonbaldwin.com.  You can also find his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing and Twiiter at https://twitter.com/Dalton_Baldwin.