Baker Curb Racing

Baker Curb Racing
Owner(s) Gary Baker
Mike Curb
Base Nashville, Tennessee
Series NASCAR Nationwide Series
Car numbers #27, #37, #43, #66
Race drivers Casey Atwood, Greg Biffle, Ward Burton, David Green, Mark Green, Kevin Grubb, Kevin Lepage, Elton Sawyer, Jeff Purvis
Sponsors Castrol, Duraflame, Red Man Tobacco, Swedish Match, Kleenex
Manufacturer Chevy (2006–2007)
Toyota (2008)
Ford (2009)
Opened 2005
Closed 2010
Career
Drivers' Championships 0
Race victories 5

Baker Curb Racing, formerly known as Brewco Motorsports, was a racing team that competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it was owned Gary Baker, former owner of Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, and record executive Mike Curb.

The team was owned from 1996 until 2007 by Clarence Brewer, his wife Tammy, and Todd Wilkerson, running under the name Brewco Motorsports. Baker and Curb became owners of the team late in the 2007 season. Due to a lack of sponsorship, Baker Curb suspended operations indefinitely for the 2011 season.

Nationwide Series

Car #27 History

Brewco debuted at the Kroger 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1995. Mark Green finished 18th in the #41 car. After a 28th-place finish the next month at Richmond, the team gained sponsorship from Timber Wolf and ran ten races with Green in 1996 as the #37, posting a top-ten finish at Myrtle Beach Speedway. The team finally went full-time in 1997, with Green chalking up five top-ten finishes and finishing just 79 points shy of a top-ten finish in points. After the 1998 season yielded four top-ten's, Green left for Washington-Erving Motorsports, and was replaced by Kevin Grubb. Grubb failed to qualify four times, yet finished fifth at Richmond and was seventeenth in points at season's end. Grubb improved four spots the next season with six top-tens, and in 2001, he had seven finishes of ninth or better. After that season, Grubb departed for Carroll Racing, and was replaced by Jeff Purvis. Purvis started off by winning at Texas Motor Speedway, but almost died later in the year from a crash at Nazareth Speedway. Kevin Lepage took his place, and won two poles before Elton Sawyer finished out the year.

In 2003, Mark Green's brother David took over the driving chores and won three races and was runner-up in the championship standings in his debut season in the ride. After a winless 2004, Brewco switched to Ford from their combined Chevrolet and Pontiac team, with the number of Green's car switching to #27 (although Green's car wasn't the one that changed numbers technically—the #27 Kleenex sponsored machine was already in the stable and had been driven by Johnny Sauter prior to Green; Greg Biffle and Aaron Fike took over Green's old 37 and had it changed to 66). He collected one win and finished eighth in the points. After struggling in 2006, Casey Atwood replaced Green late in the season.

Jason Keller at Milwaukee in 2009.
Owen Kelly at Road America in 2010.

In 2007, Ward Burton and Jason Keller were announced as the drivers of the #27 Ford Fusion, with Burton driving 20 races, and Keller racing five times. Bobby East was named the driver for the rest of the season. After Keller and Burton's contracts expired, Casey Atwood, Brad Baker, and Robby Gordon split the schedule in the 27 car. Brad Coleman was to drive the car full-time in 2008, but he left mid-way through the season to run the Sprint Cup Series full-time for Hall of Fame Racing. Jason Keller took over for the rest of the year and drove through 2009.

Baker Curb announced that Greg Biffle would return to the team to drive the #27 for 2010 with sponsorship from Red Man Tobacco.[1] After 12 races however, the partnership ended with new FDA regulations preventing tobacco advertising in sporting events.[2][3] The team ran with different drivers including Johnny Sauter, Scott Wimmer, Owen Kelly, and Hermie Sadler for the rest of 2010, but with no large successes.[4] Initially for COT races, the #27 team would partner with Jennifer Jo Cobb. Cobb would provide the COT and in return she got to drive and provided the crew chief. [5] However, the deal fell apart after Cobb destroyed the car in a crash during in her first race with Baker Curb at Daytona, an accident involving Baker Curb's other entry, the #43 driven by Johnny Chapman. Andrew Ranger also ran the #27 as a Dodge for one race that was run out of his own race shop (Dodge was a sponsor of Ranger at the time, thus requiring him to drive Dodge equipment). [6][4][7] After initially deciding to shut down for 2011, Baker Curb partnered with J.R. Fitzpatrick and his sponsor Schick to run at Daytona. After running the first five races of the season, Baker-Curb Racing suspended operations for the rest of the 2011 season due to the lack of sponsorship. The 27 team was later bought by Canadian businessman Steve Meehan to for Go Canada Racing.

Car #37 History

The #37 car debuted at Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1998, as the #27 receiving Timber Wolf sponsorship. Casey Atwood finished 28th in that race. Scot Walters drove next at California Speedway, finishing 43rd after handling problems plagued the car. It went full-time in 1999, with Atwood driving the Castrol-sponsored ride. Atwood won twice at The Milwaukee Mile and Dover International Speedway, and finished 13th in points.[8] He would not win 2000, but finished eighth in points and signed with Evernham Motorsports' Winston Cup program.[8] He was replaced by rookie Jamie McMurray who was sponsored by Williams Travel Centers. After three top-ten finishes in 2001, McMurray won three times the next year and finished sixth in points, departing the team for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Cup Series.[9]

Rookies Chase Montgomery and Joey Clanton shared the ride with Hank Parker Jr. in 2003 with sponsorship from TrimSpa and the band Alice Cooper. The team also switched from Chevrolet to Pontiac. Montgomery ran seven of the first nine races, with Parker Jr. running the other two. Clanton then ran the car for the next 18 races, before Montgomery returned for the rest of the season. The car had three top-ten finishes, one with each driver.[10][11] In 2004, Johnny Sauter came aboard with Kleenex sponsoring. Sauter posted eight top-tens and had an 18th-place finish in points. While the 27 Kleenex team took the place of the former 37 car, for 2005, the old 27 car switched to #66, with the number and Duraflame sponsorship moving from Rusty Wallace, Inc. to Brewco.[12] Greg Biffle and Aaron Fike shared the driving duties,[12] with Biffle winning once and garnering sixteen top-ten finishes in twenty-one starts, while Fike had one top-ten in eleven starts in 2005. In 2006, Biffle, Ken Schrader, and Scott Wimmer shared the ride. Bobby Labonte also drove in some races.

The team switched back to the #37 in 2007; Rusty Wallace, Inc. reassumed the #66, the original number RWI debuted with. Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray began the season sharing driving duties with sponsorship from Cub Cadet and Yard-Man. John Graham was named the driver for ten races in 2007, with Fun Energy Foods sponsoring, and with Casey Atwood also driving part-time in the 37. Brad Baker drove early in the season, before he was replaced by Burney Lamar, before Baker returned during the summer Daytona race. Rafael Martínez, Greg Biffle and John Young drove the 37 in one race apiece during the season. Due to a lack of funding, Baker Curb shut the 37 down temporarily for the rest of the 2008 season.

The #37 returned to the track part-time in 2010 with Josh Wise and Kevin Swindell sharing driving duties. The team shut down during the 2010 season.

Car #43 History

Justin Marks in 2010.

Following the 2007 season the #43 Nationwide series team of Curb Agajanian Performance Group was merged into the newly formed Baker-Curb entry.

In 2008, Curb/Agajanian ran the 98 in two races with Johnny Sauter driving. Both times, the team exited the race early and finished 42nd. That season, Curb also became involved in the Nationwide Series full-time by purchasing Brewco and forming Baker Curb Racing with Gary Baker.

The #43 returned full-time in 2010 with the intent of Scott Lagasse Jr. driving the car full-time. However, Lagasse was replaced by a bevy of drivers such as Kevin O'Connell, Chase Austin, Justin Marks, and Johnny Chapman as sponsorship became rare and the team returned to part-time status. The team shut down during the 2010 season.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/bg/01/09/gbiffle.baker.curb/index.html
  2. ↑ "Ending an era: Tobacco sponsorship in NASCAR". Sports Business Digest. Sports Business Digest. June 2, 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Ryan, Nate (June 1, 2010). "Tobacco era in NASCAR ends as new FDA rules take effect". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 NASCAR (August 26, 2010). "Montreal: Series round 25 preview". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Cobb to Team with Baker-Curb Racing for 4 Nationwide Races Starting at Daytona". skirtsandscuffs.com. Skirts and Scuffs. June 29, 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Kivak, Rebecca (August 17, 2010). "Jennifer Jo Cobb climbs points ladder to history". skirtsandscuffs.com. Skirts and Scuffs. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Baker Curb Racing (August 31, 2010). "Montreal: Andrew Ranger race report". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  8. 1 2 Sporting News Wire Service (July 19, 2008). "Logano driving Nationwide 20, but hoping for Cup 20". nascar.com. Madison, Illinois: NASCAR. Archived from the original on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Atwood, Evernham part ways". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. November 23, 2003. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "BUSCH: Daytona II: Chase Montgomery preview". motorsport.com. Mount Juliet, Tennessee: motorsport.com. July 3, 2003. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  11. ↑ Brewco Motorsports; Montgomery Motorsports (March 19, 2003). "BUSCH: Bristol: Chase Montgomery preview". motorsport.com. Bristol, Tennessee: motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 NASCAR (January 22, 2005). "BUSCH: Preseason Test: Day one report". motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.

External links

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