NASHVILLE’S TEAM” READY TO ROLL

The first time that Gary Baker and Mike Curb shared a racing stage was an historic moment in the sport.

It occurred almost 30 years ago -- on April 1, 1979, to be exact – in Bristol, Tennessee.
Baker, as owner of Bristol International Raceway, presented a steely-eyed, mustached young driver his first Winston Cup winner’s trophy. His name was Dale Earnhardt, and the car he drove to his first of 76 victories that memorable spring evening was owned by Curb.

Now, some three decades after that launching of a legend, Baker and Curb are reunited on another racing stage. They are partners in Baker-Curb Racing, a Nashville-based team that will compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season, with future Sprint Cup aspirations.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” says Baker, principal owner in the team formerly known as Brewco Motorsports which in years past had been headquartered in Central City, Ky.

“Racing has been a life-long passion of mine, as it has been with Mike, and I’m thrilled to be back in it big-time.”

Baker operated the Bristol track from 1978-1983, as well as the Nashville Fairgrounds track (then Nashville International Raceway) from 1979-87 during its glory days when it hosted two annual Cup races. Baker also raced periodically.

In addition his racing ventures, Baker also is a retired prominent tax attorney and CPA who once had such celebrity clients as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty, T.G. Sheppard and Mel Tillis.

Curb has a similarly-entwined and equally-dynamic racing/music background.

In addition to at one time owning the cars driven by Earnhardt and Richard Petty – arguably NASCAR’s two most famous drivers -- it was Curb who in 1984 as Lt. Governor of California brought President Ronald Reagan to the Daytona Pepsi 400, scene of Petty’s 200th and final career victory.

Curb also founded Curb Records, whose label over the decades has included many of the world’s most famous singers. Some of his current artists include Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna Judd and Hank Williams Jr.

Despite his business success, Curb, like Baker, has never lost his passion for racing and he has been involved with various teams over the years.

“Gary and I are going to build a world-class racing organization that can compete in today’s changing NASCAR environment,” Curb says of his current venture. “We are not just going racing to see what happens; we are going racing to win.”

Brad Coleman, a promising 19-year-old Houston native, will pilot the team’s Kleenex-sponsored Ford Fusion in a full 35-race Nationwide Series schedule.

Coleman, who resides in Charlotte and will commute to Nashville, was impressive in 17 Nationwide (then Busch Series) starts last year. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, he posted three top 5’s, five top 10’s and ten top 20’s.

“I chose to drive for Baker-Curb Racing for a lot of reasons, starting with an offer to drive for two full-time seasons in the Nationwide Series with a big-time brand name sponsor in Kimberly-Clark,” Coleman says.

The team also intends to field a second – and possibly a third – car for a partial schedule. Veteran driver Kenny Wallace and Brad Baker, Gary’s son who had an impressive Late Model career, are expected to share wheel time. Those plans remain in development.

The gleaming new 75,000 square-foot racing complex is located on Brick Church Park Drive, minutes from downtown Nashville. With the relocation of Bobby Hamilton Racing from Mt. Juliet to Virginia, Baker-Curb Racing is Tennessee’s only full-time team in any of NASCAR’s top touring series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Craftsman Truck Series) and Baker and Curb plan to capitalize on that uniqueness.

“We want to make this ‘Nashville’s Team’ and build a fan base, just like the Titans, Predators and Sounds,” says Baker, referring to the city’s NFL, NHL and minor league baseball teams. “We’re Nashville’s newest professional sports team and we intend to give the fans something to be proud of.”

Baker has long been convinced that Nashville, with its rich heritage of country music and stock car racing, could become a NASCAR Mecca. He once described Nashville as “Daytona without the beach.”

“I still feel that way,” he says. “Nashville and Middle Tennessee have always had thousands and thousands of race fans, and now those fans have a team of their own to root for. As someone who’s been involved in racing all of his life, I realize that winning is the name of the game. That’s how you build fan support, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”