Tommy Baldwin New Crew Chief for Michael Waltrip

[LongIslandJam]

Baldwin new crew chief for Waltrip: Tommy Baldwin, recently hired by Bill Davis Racing to oversee competition, is now serving as crew chief for Michael Waltrip in his #55 Waltrip-Jasper Racing Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series. Waltrip had been using Joe Shear as a crew chief since Charlotte in May. "I have a new crew chief with Tommy Baldwin on the box," Waltrip said during a teleconference Tuesday. "Tommy has really taken over the NAPA car, and hopefully this weekend, his signature or his presence will be something that will help us continue going at the level that we are used to. In the two weeks we've had him, he's made a very big difference for our team," Waltrip said. "He's a proven crew chief and knows the ins and outs of a race car. I have the utmost confidence in him and the decisions he makes in the NAPA pit. It's comforting to me as a driver to know that I have someone as knowledgeable as Tommy on the other end of the radio so that I can concentrate on doing my job on the track."(SceneDaily.com)(8-16-2006)
via Jayski.com

[tstiles]

Does this mean Tommy will be working on toyota next year? Or is it too soon to tell?

[W. J.]

That's the 'brand' Bill Davis Racing is going with, so that would be a yes!

At least Tommy will keep using his experience as a crew chief, which will keep him sharp. However, the choice of drivers is questionable, given the teams record this year. But it beats being unemployed, I guess, LOL!

[hollywoodmic]

OK here's the deal. Tommy is still the competition director at Bill Davis Racing, so "unemployed" was never the case. Michael Waltrip has a partnership with Bill Davis Racing. Tommy's deal is to try to get the 55 back into the top 35 in owners points. That would only help Bill Davis Racing and Toyota as far as teams being able to fall back on the owners points from 2006 at Daytona. They will be in Toyotas at BDR next season. That is why Tommy was brought in, he also was a big part of the Dodge's influx into NASCAR. He will be a big help to them in 2007. I spoke to Tommy yesterday. He told me he is having a blast with Michael Waltrip, and that they would have had a top 15 if not for the incident with Clint Bowyer, at The Glen. Good luck to them in Michigan and the rest of the way. Oh, and remember one thing, BDR and Michael Waltrip Racing are 2 teams working without any factory support, so they are behind the 8 ball to begin with.