Danica Guaranteed Daytona 500 Start by Tommy Baldwin

Here we go again, with all the funky stuff for points to guarantee a starting spot. Anybody remember when you had to race your way into the Daytona 500?

Tommy Baldwin helps Danica get into 500
Lee Spencer

FOX Sports

Updated Jan 31, 2012 12:23 PM ET

Tommy Baldwin Racing will get a boost this season, entering into a partnership with championship-winning Stewart-Haas Racing to field the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Danica Patricks NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2012.

The alliance will guarantee Patrick a starting spot in her Sprint Cup debut in the season-opening Daytona 500. TBR will transfer the points from the No. 36 car it fielded in 2011, where it finished the season 33rd in points, to the No. 10 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet for Patrick. In the 26 races where Patrick is not scheduled to drive, David Reutimann will pilot the No. 10 car.

TBR was formed by Tommy Baldwin in 2009. Through his own determination, Baldwin has expanded a single-car team to an operation that in 2012 will field two Sprint Cup entries with Patrick, Reutimann and Dave Blaney as well as a NASCAR Nationwide Series entry shared by Ryan Blaney, Ryan Truex and Bobby Santos. As a Sprint Cup crew chief, Baldwin secured five victories, including the 2002 Daytona 500 with driver Ward Burton.

Were very proud of what weve established at Tommy Baldwin Racing, Baldwin said. The opportunity to partner with Stewart-Haas Racing and aid in the development of Danica Patrick is a testament to all the hard work weve put in over the years.

Danica will have a great teammate in Dave Blaney, who has been instrumental in getting our race team to where it is today. And with David Reutimann driving the No. 10 car in the races where Danica is not, the team will remain in a strong and competitive position throughout the year.

Baldwin will maintain a hands-on presence with the No. 10 car and will work closely with Greg Zipadelli, who serves as SHRs director of competition.

Patricks 10-race schedule includes the Daytona 500 (Feb. 26) and races at Darlington Raceway (May 12), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 27), Bristol Motor Speedway (Aug. 25), Atlanta Motor Speedway (Sept. 2), Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 16), Dover International Speedway (Sept. 30), Texas Motor Speedway (Nov. 4) and Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 11).

One more race is still to be determined and will be decided after assessing Patricks development, but recently she said she liked the idea of the Brickyard -- her favorite track on the IndyCar circuit.

Baldwin is still seeking sponsorship for his second team, with driver Dave Blaney.

Baldwin has persevered in NASCAR during one of the toughest economic times in the sport. Baldwin believes his latest collaboration shows that we have a program that people have faith in.

We have started this deal from scratch and built it to where people respect what we have it built it into, Baldwin said. I think we proved today that we are a proven commodity in NASCAR and we are serious about building our future here.

It's really not fair, but what is these days ? Certainly not racing. This is nothing new for our sport, just different because a woman who is the most popular female driver ever is involved. If this is what it takes to keep Tommy Baldwin in racing and growing, then so be it. Sure beats the alternative. I'll be rooting for you Tommy.

Dave is a grown man and he knows this is a tough business. This is his only way to stay in Cup racing right now. NASCAR"s degree of love for the youth movement has done a complete 180 since I started watching racing. One short track star I knew tried to get into one of the top three series for years. In the early 90's he was too young and by the late 90's he was too old. No room for the faint of heart here. BTW did you ever think the rulebook was worth a hoot ?

There was a post by someone on Facebook this morning regarding this deal. I made a comment about the flexabilty of NASCAR's Rule Book and the fact that getting Danica in the 500 is top priority for NASCAR, even moreso than getting Dale, Jr. in. My remark, I thought, was in good taste, was not rude or critical in any respect, just simply stating that NASCAR has blank pages in the "rule book" for whatever may be needed to enhance the show. I find it very interesting that within five minutes, my post was deleted, removed. So, I shall now set the timer and see if my post here is removed!!!!!

Hmmm.

Still don't do Facebook.

Don't like it, don't trust it.

There will be a few more billionaires, I guess after the Facebook IPO.

Seems to me your remark was right on target, Tim. Didn't realize Facebook was censored after all the sleazy stuff I see on the news and in the papers that had its origin on Facebook.

Maybe they don't like racing.

The name Zuckerberg kinda seems like it could be in the same class as Mr. Quattlebaum - Cody & Bopper's mystery owner of the Georgia track where no cars or fans showed up!

Maybe one day nobody will show up on Facebook.

I put a post on facebook about how it took NASCAR so long to do away with racing back to the caution flag and it was deleted, so maybe NASCAR owns part of facebook.

You suppose there's another "Z" there besides Zuckerberg? Very interesting.

WHY? Allowing this just continues to cripple the incentive for any new "independent" entity to try NASCAR. It's a very bad deal regardless what Kenny might think.

I was about a 30 minute Facebook user. It did not rock for me. It was not cool. I couldn't believe the info I was able to see posted by my daughters. I deleted my account very quickly and never looked back. A day of reckoning is coming, I'm afraid for Facebook users who are having their personal information mined unmercifully and unrelentingly.

And as for Danica... please do not get me wrong. I happen to like her and hope she does well. It's the buying and selling of points I don't like. has nothing to do with Danica.

I also pulled very hard for Patty Moise (Sawyer), first when she was in IMSA's Kelly American Stock Car Series and later when she led the very first lap EVER LED BY A FEMALE in Busch Series NASCAR racing.

Had the privilege to work with both Patty and husband Elton who helped us immeasurably at the Richmond track to set up special media days and ride and drives.

I know we will never see it happen but like a lot of people here I would love to see the top 35 guaranteed spots go away. No matter who you are or what your name is if you don't make the field on speed you don't race. There is not much chance for someone to start a new team when they only have 8 spots they may can qualify for and seven if someone uses a Champion's provisional. I think they would need to go back to at least two qualifying sessions but that should not be a problem. NHRA does it and it works for them. I have seen John Force not race because he did not qualify and he still has the same sponsor and the crowd was still there even though he was not racing.

You nailed it, Robin.

You are certainly correct Wally.

I am also reminded that not all the drivers and owners who learned to milk the system were start & parkers. James Hylton immediately comes to mind.

James was both a great mechanic and talented driver. As a wrench, he won Grand National Championships for Rex White in 1960 and Ned Jarrett in 1965.

As a driver, James earned 1966 Rookie of the Year honors and finished 2nd in Grand National points in both 1966 & 1967.

I was on hand for James' first win... in 1970 at Richmond.

Ironically, his second and final win - at Talladega in 1972 - was the result of a strategy he would employ for many years. Goodyear came with a special SuperSpeedway tire, but James did not buy it, electing to run the old, cheaper tire. As fate would have it, the new tire being used by the high dollar teams shredded and James went to victory lane for his final time.

From 1966-1972 he finished in the top-10 in points 10 times out of 12 years. Then James began to "conserve" his tires and ride near the back of the pack. He had no trouble making the show, he just no longer pushed it once he got in. He became one of those cars you need in the field to provide traffic for the leaders to lap.

James found his own economic model that worked best for him. It wasn't start and park... it was start and coast.

Just for fun, I posted the opinion again today on Facebook, and I was very positive, very proper, but still pointing out the blank pages in the NASCAR Rule Book for the insertion of "rules" to benefit NASCAR. It stayed for approximately 10 minutes and was deleted. Unbelieveable! I had no idea Facebook was censored. Lol. Funny thing is, I've seen far less flattering statements about NASCAR, many less flattering about everything else from the President to the maid at Motel Six, and those seem to stay. I am absolutely lost as to why my comments about the rule book disappear into cyberspace. Oh well, not to worry.

That is very disconcerting, Tim. Facebook continues to scare me.

Robbie, you are exactly right! Thank you. I contacted the guy who had the original post to which I responded. He said he did delete it, not because he has anything aqainst me, but he says NASCAR reads his posts and it could have caused him problems. I did apologize properly and will not do such a thing again.

Thank you Wally, yes Facebook is a very useful tool. I like it...Very easy to keep up with family and friends (if one has any)..... As you and I both know, common sense rules, even on Facebook.

Verdict is still out on Danica although she is the best looking driver at this point in the season. Good luck to her.

PLEASE ALLOW ME TO CLEAR UP THE FACEBOOK DELETE. As I said, I posted my remark in response to one of my Facebook "connects" and it was well within his power to delete it if he chose to do so, which he did. I apologized to him, he apologized to me and said that NASCAR is known to read his posts and although he has never had a problem with NASCAR he believes that is because he tries very hard to keep negative comments about NASCAR off his site. Although my remark was not intended as negative, I can certainly see how someone could interpret it as such. So, the remark was removed and I'm fine with that. I have reconnected with many old time friends and made many new ones on Facebook. While my computer knowledge is very limited, I do enjoy being a part of the website. When they make me convert to the new "Timeline" feature, I'm not sure I can still participate. But, nevertheless, it has been fun for me. So, whether or not you like it is a personal preference. You, of course, do NOT have to like what I like and I don't have to like what you like. That's why we live in the U.S.A. We have the freedom of expression and I intend to defend that right for as long as I live.

Today's reading brings a new article, dated February 3rd, by the highly respected Larry Woody of Nashville, a veteran of over 40 years in the NASCAR trenches. Larry makes most of the points I intended to make in the original post.

Larry, as do I, likes and respects Danica. He, like me, hates this buying and selling points to get somebody in the field who's never turned a lap in a Cup race (I really hope she turns a great qualifying lap at Daytona and doesn't need to fall back on the recently purchased points) .

Larry is about as "old school" as they come. Just opinion and a lot of knowledge gleaned from having been around the track since "pre-Winston Cup" times. I don't think the article has a Facebook reference. Here is one respected writer's opinion:

Danica Patrick will drive in the Daytona 500 later this month, but did she take the back roads to get there?

Woody: Danica Wriggles Way Into Daytona 500

Larry Woody

Senior Writer, RacinToday.com

Friday, 3 February 2012

In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say that Im glad Danica Patrick will be racing in this months Daytona 500.

Ive always admired Danicas sass, spunk and spirit, and following her endeavors will make the races she runs considerably more interesting.

Having said that, however, the way she got an automatic starting spot without having ever turned a competitive lap in a Sprint Cup race is absurd, and nudges NASCAR ever closer to the pro wresting precipice.

Heres how it happened (I think):

Although Danica signed with Stewart-Hass Racing, she will run some Cup races for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Why? Because Baldwins team finished in the top 35 last year, and under NASCARs system it is therefore guaranteed a start spot in the first five races this season.

Presto! Putting Danica in Baldwins car while employed by Stewart-Hass gets her into the Daytona 500.

Last years top 35 are guaranteed starting spots in this seasons first five races, then the automatic starts revert to the top 35 in the current owners points.

Like most other things in life, the automatic-starting rule looked reasonable on paper. But eventually shrewd team owners did what theyve been doing for six decades they out-smarted NASCAR.

Ive never liked the automatic qualifying rule from the start. I understand the principle it protects and rewards full-time teams that are most heavily invested in the sport. But it handicaps lower-level teams that are trying to claw their way in, or struggling to survive once theyre there.

Ive always thought that the fairest way would be to let every driver run his or her qualifying laps and the fastest 43 get to race. Everybody else loads up, goes home, and tries again next week. What could be fairer that?

NASCARs argument, of course, is that a superstar like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, or Tony Stewart might have a glitch in qualifying and get left out. That would deny advance ticket-buyers a chance to see all the top drivers (and also dampen TV ratings.)

Thats why the starting lineup is rigged to make sure all the big-name drivers get in. And it works locking crowd-wowing Danica Patrick into the Daytona 500 is a perfect example.

Theres no question that its brilliant marketing strategy, but its patently unfair from a competitive standpoint. But, having covered NASCAR for 40 years, the more I see the less I understand when it comes to the spirit of competition.

For example: why does mega-bucks team owner Rick Hendrick sell engines to rival Stewart-Hass powerful engines Tony Stewart uses to beat Hendricks drivers?

A team spends a fortune on its engine program, working under tight security in a secret underground bunker, then turns around and sells the engines to the enemy. I dont get it.

Meanwhile a driver who has never turned a lap in a Sprint Cup race already has a starting spot locked up in the Daytona 500.

Im glad Dancia will be in the race. I just question how she got there.

Larry Woody can be reached at lwoody@racintoday.com
Larry Woody | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com Friday, 3 February 2012