Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 crew had received three championships within the late Nineteen Nineties, and in 1999, his crew chief, Ray Evernham, walked out the door to start out his personal program, leaving Gordon in determined want of a brand new crew chief. Nonetheless, signing the NASCAR veteran as crew chief didn’t take lengthy, and shortly sufficient, the announcement was underway. Nonetheless, the deal was shockingly torn aside.
, Tommy Baldwin walked by means of all the sequence for the primary time intimately. He was at Invoice Davis Racing on the time, operating the quantity 22 with Ward Burton. Whereas groups like Roush additionally wished Tommy, the Rick Hendrick supply fell into a unique class totally.
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“The contract really was signed. We had been going to get able to announce it in Michigan in the course of the yr,” Baldwin mentioned.
He determined to attend till the final potential second to inform Invoice Davis, to make sure he didn’t create any points earlier than the job was achieved. He did make two calls afterwards, and the primary one was to his father.
“I mentioned, ‘Man, I simply need to let you realize this afternoon we’re going to announce that I’m going to be crew chief for Jeff Gordon,’” Baldwin mentioned.
TALLADEGA, AL – OCTOBER 06: Jeff Gordon stands on pit street previous to the operating of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Collection YellaWood 500 on October 06, 2024 at Talladega SuperSpeedway in Talladega, AL. Photograph by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: OCT 06 NASCAR Cup Collection YellaWood 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon241006441500
And instantly the road went silent.
“Why are you going there?” his father mentioned. “They’ve already acquired a dynasty there. It’s already constructed. You’re constructing one the place you’re at. Why are you leaving?”
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After this, Tommy referred to as his son, Tommy III, who began crying. This wasn’t due to the profession name that his father had made, however as a result of he didn’t need to go away the Burton household, the one which he had grown up round.
For Baldwin, that was it. He then referred to as Ray Abraham, a childhood good friend of his, who had stepped off a aircraft anticipating to announce the deal. What he advised him subsequent was a shocker.
“You gotta rip up that contract, man,” Baldwin advised him. “I’m not coming.”
So Abraham did what Tommy Baldwin requested of him. What made this choice simpler for him was that he already had one thing important at Invoice Davis. Ward Burton gave him full management over the quantity 22. There was no inner politics, no combating for sources, simply full autonomy. At a sprawling operation like Hendrick, that sort of setting wasn’t assured.
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Earlier than the quantity 24 supply, Baldwin already had a fame as somebody who may take underfunded groups and make them aggressive. At Junie Donlevy’s store, he helped Dick Trickle ship outcomes that the crew hadn’t seen in years. Then, at Invoice Davis Racing, he turned Ward Burton right into a authentic championship contender. The profitable streak ultimately laid the groundwork for what grew to become a Daytona 500-winning program.
That capability to get extra out of a automotive than what its gear may give was precisely what Gordon was in search of after Evernham left. These elements maybe made Baldwin the man who may carry the quantity 24 crew by means of this transformation with out dropping the dominant issue.
What did that one name change throughout the storage?
After Baldwin determined to not take the chance, Robbie Loomis stepped in. He settled issues down, and inside a yr, it began to repay. to his 2001 NASCAR Cup Collection championship.
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Nonetheless, that stability didn’t carry far.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Jack Hyperlink s 500 – Qualifying Apr 26, 2025 Talladega, Alabama, USA Former driver Jeff Gordon talks with the media throughout Jack Hyperlink s 500 qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway. Talladega Talladega Superspeedway Alabama USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xVashaxHuntx 20250426_kdn_hd1_004
When NASCAR moved into the mid-2000s, the Chase format was launched. That is when the quantity 24 wasn’t in a position to sustain with that change and began to lose its edge. There have been nonetheless massive moments, just like the 2005 Daytona 500 win, however that consistency was lacking.
By the top of the 2005 NASCAR season, after lacking the inaugural Chase, Loomis stepped out. After this, Steve Letarte took over and pushed the crew in a brand new path. His method was extra data- and youth-oriented. This was a shift in how crew chiefs operated. There was an instinct-heavy method at first, however with Letarte coming into the image, it grew to become extra engineering-heavy.
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As for the present state of the crew, William Byron is behind the wheel, and Rudy Fugle is asking the pictures. The crew has rebuilt itself into one in every of Hendrick’s strongest entries. There have been back-to-back wins within the 2024 and 2025 Daytona 500s, a gentle run of races, and constant championship rivalry.
However, what Tommy Baldwin went on to do after rejecting the contract, he ultimately joined Ray Evernham in 2003 and labored with Kasey Kahne throughout a few of his early years. After that, he moved on to constructing one thing of his personal, launching Tommy Baldwin Racing and turning it right into a revered underdog that competed with greater, better-funded organizations.
The story leaves loads of “what ifs,” however Baldwin in the end took a name that proved each professionally and personally fulfilling.
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