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PHOTO: Tom Morris Racing Photography
THOMPSON, Conn. – After 150 laps of nearly non-stop action Sunday at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Tommy Baldwin Racing was celebrating. With a second-place finish by Mike Christopher Jr. in the No. 7NY, Baldwin’s team unofficially clinched the series owner’s championship with still one race left on the schedule.
With three different drivers behind the wheel this season – Jimmy Blewett, Doug Coby and Mike Christopher Jr. – Baldwin’s team rocketed to five wins and countless top-five finishes in the first 15 races of the Whelen Modified Tour season. The consistent runs at the front of the field on the Tour, along with momentum from victories in multiple Open Modified events, was enough to seal the crown unofficially heading to the season-finale.
To compete on the Whelen Modified Tour, the team begins their journey to each event from their shop in North Carolina, meaning nearly all trips to the races are over 10 hours.
“It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point,” Tommy Baldwin Jr. said. “To me, this is about cementing the No. 7NY and the legacy this number has in Modified racing. To do it with three different drivers – very different drivers – it’s really special. Jimmy may have driven this car the least of the three, but he’s been so beneficial to the success, not only just driving, but helping with the setup. Doug is a six-time champion and a great driver and Mike jumped in with limited Whelen Modified Tour experience and pulled off a great string of success.”
The team started the season with Christopher Jr. driving in the Whelen Modified Tour event at New Smyrna Speedway. During that same week, Baldwin’s racing team celebrated a championship at New Smyrna Speedway with Blewett driving, scoring the most points during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
Back on the Whelen Modified Tour circuit, Blewett drove to a seventh-place finish at Richmond Raceway, followed by Coby capturing two straight wins at Lee USA Speedway and Riverhead Raceway. For the third straight win, Christopher got back in the car and scored his first career checkered flag at Jennerstown Speedway. Following Coby’s fifth at Monadnock Speedway and 10th at Riverhead Raceway, Blewett got to Victory Lane at Wall Stadium Speedway, capturing the flag at his home track.
Up next, Coby finished seventh at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and ninth at Claremont Motorsports Park and then wheeled the car to Victory Lane at Langley Speedway for a third time. Coby led laps at Oswego before finishing top-10, then finished fourth at Riverhead. Christopher sealed the crown at Thompson Speedway during the Sunoco World Series, finishing in second.
“It’s pretty awesome to be part of it along with all of the other drivers,” Christopher said in Victory Lane. “This team put it all together this year and I couldn’t be happier. I started the year at New Smyrna and we had a great run and then we won at Jennerstown… it all just added up. Tommy had great finishes all year no matter who was driving.”
Six-time Whelen Modified Tour champion Coby wheeled the car to the most wins of the group.
“Tommy’s had the best car all year no matter who has been driving it,” Coby said. “I’m happy for Tommy and his team, they are a good group of guys. They are deserving of it and they have been working really hard on their program. It’s neat to see.”
Blewett will drive the car for the Martinsville Speedway event, officially celebrating the championship with the team in Virginia.
Tommy Baldwin Racing will return to NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racing in the season-finale at Martinsville Speedway on Thursday, October 27. Follow the team on Facebook for the latest updates.
