Thomas S. Baldwin Sr. (March 14, 1947 – August 19, 2004)[1] was a NASCAR Modified race driver. Originally taught racing in East Patchogue by Michael Andreano (“Patchogue Flash”), Baldwin would go on to compete for 40 seasons, winning 6 modified races as well as numerous other races. His 11 wins at Riverhead Raceway spanned from June 30, 1978 to June 6, 1992. He was given the "Most Popular Driver" award on the Modified tour for 2003. He died in an accident on lap 10 of the New England Dodge Dealers 150 at the Thompson International Speedway on August 19, 2004. He spun into the infield to miss another competitor's car and struck a concrete block protecting a light pole driver's side first.
| "Tiger" Tom Baldwin | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  American |
| Born | March 14, 1947 East Patchogue, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 19, 2004 (aged 57) Thompson, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Related to | Tommy Baldwin Jr. Luke Baldwin |
| NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour | |
| Years active | 1985–2004 |
| Car number | No. 7NY |
| Starts | 373 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Best finish | 3rd in 1992 |
He had a daughter, Tammy, and a son, Tommy Baldwin Jr., who was a crew chief and is now a car owner in the NASCAR Cup Series.
A memorial golf outing and a 77-lap memorial race (at Riverhead Raceway) are run in his honor[2] Tommy Baldwin Racing (run by his son) also switched when available to No. 7 (with a "7NY" design) to honor his father.
Motorsports career results
editNASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
edit| NASCAR Winston Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | NWCC | Pts | Ref | ||||
| 1999 | LJ Racing | 91 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | TEX | BRI | MAR | TAL | CAL | RCH | CLT | DOV | MCH | POC | SON | DAY | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH DNQ |
NHA | DOV | MAR | CLT | TAL | CAR | PHO | HOM | ATL | NA | - | [3] | ||||
Craftsman Truck Series
edit| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | NCTC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||
| 1997 | Thompson Racing | 22 | Ford | WDW | TUS | HOM | PHO | POR | EVG | I70 | NHA | TEX | BRI | NZH | MLW | LVL | CNS | HPT | IRP | FLM | NSV | GLN | RCH DNQ |
MAR DNQ |
SON | MMR | CAL | PHO | LVS | 134th | 56 | [4] | ||||||||||||
| 1998 | Hess Racing | 48 | Chevy | WDW | HOM | PHO | POR | EVG | I70 | GLN | TEX | BRI | MLW | NZH | CAL | PPR | IRP | NHA | FLM | NSV | HPT | LVL | RCH DNQ |
MEM | GTY | MAR | SON | MMR | PHO | LVS | 129th | 22 | [5] | |||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Motorsport Memorial - Tom Baldwin". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "Rrpr071307". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
- ^ "Tom Baldwin – 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "Tom Baldwin – 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "Tom Baldwin – 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Tom Baldwin driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Memorial tribute
- Comments by son on his death