In a normal world NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie, Danica Patrick, would have to qualify for the Daytona 500 on speed - or – race her way in one of the twin qualifiers.
But NASCAR is not the normal world. Under NASCAR rules the top 35 cars in owner’s points are guaranteed to start, and for the first five races of the year owner points carry over from the preceding year. That’s where Stewart Haas Racing’s announcement of a “collaborative partnership with Tommy Baldwin Racing” comes in. Even though Danica Patrick is under contract to SHR she will be racing the #10 GoDaddy.com car with points from TBRs #36 which finished 33rd in 2011. In the artfully worded press release "TBR will field (her car)... for all 10 of Danica Patrick’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2012." Stewart Haas Racing gets its’ cars and engines from Hendrick Motor Sports and TBR gets its’ engines from Earnhardt Childress Racing.
David Reutimann, who recently drove for Michael Waltrip, will drive the #10 car in the 26-races that Danica is not running. "Tommy Baldwin Racing has proven to be a very strong organization and it’s a good fit with Stewart-Haas Racing," said Matt Borland, vice president of competition, SHR. "It’s a Chevrolet team led by a racer who knows every inch of a racecar. That kind of technical expertise, along with a company mindset that is similar to ours, provides the ideal environment for Danica to learn and succeed." "Working with Tommy will be like old times," Greg Zipadelli, the SHR technical director said. "We both grew up together and competed against each other in Modifieds and we did the same thing when we got to Sprint Cup. To finally be able to work with each other and help Danica Patrick make a successful transition from Indy cars to stock cars is a challenge we’re both looking forward to." "Partnering with Tommy and his team provides Danica with the foundation she needs to succeed. With a guaranteed starting spot, we can go into each weekend and simply learn. It’s all about getting her comfortable in the car, and with the variety of tracks she’s running, seat time will be incredibly valuable. A guaranteed spot in the race ensures that she’ll have the opportunity to make as many laps as possible." While the press release says that Baldwin will maintain a “hands on presence,” it’s really a case of Smoke (Stewart’s nickname) and mirrors.
Recent Articles
|
Racing Multimedia
Recommendations |