hearing that Gary Baker is the owner of the #28 BGN Chevy previosuly owned by Larry Lockamy. The team is planning to run at least 15 BGN races in 2001 with no sponsor and possibly the whole season if they get a sponsor. The driver will be Brad Baker, Gary’s son. Former crew chief of the #28, Dennis Adcock has been promoted to Team Manager and Randy Seals (team engineer/shock specialist) will be the Crew Chief(12-28-2000)
UPDATE: Gary Baker, one-time owner of Nashville Speedway and Bristol Speedway, has purchased the LAR Racing team and his son Brad will do the driving, starting with next months Busch and ARCA races at Daytona. Baker plans to run at least 15 Busch races and two ARCA races. If sponsorship can be found, he will consider running the full schedule. The team plans to eventually move up to Winston Cup. Brad, 26, has raced at Nashville Speedway in recent years while his and his father mapped their big-league plans. Dennis Adcock, who had been a partner with Larry Lockamy in the LAR Racing team, will work with Baker. It is estimated that $3 million is needed to run a full Busch schedule. Baker said he is prepared to run approximately half the Busch schedule out of his own pocket(Tennessean)(1-5-2001)
UPDATE 2: The Vanderbilt University Commodores have entered the Winston Cup Racing Series. The University has agreed to allow Baker Racing to carry the logos and colors into battle on the #28 race team owned by Gary Baker, 1972 alumni of Vanderbilt University. There is a three year plan in place to build Vanderbilt University into the premire university program in motorsports. There is no financial obligation on part of Vanderbilt Universtiy but it stands to benefit from the sale of related promotional items such as hats, t-shirts, die-cast, and other team merchandise. The Commodores racing team will be unveiled at the Daytona International Speedway on 02-17-01 in the “Superbowl” of racing. The #28 Vanderbilt University Monte Carlo will be entered in the Busch series. If associate sponsorship gets on board to support the team, the Commodore racing team will enter up to15 events this year(Vanderbilt Commordores Racing Site)(1-21-2001)
UPDATE 3: Baker Racing, and Nashville’s Vanderbilt University will team up for the BGN season-opener in Daytona on February 17. The team and Vanderbilt have reached an agreement in which Brad Baker will drive a black and gold #28 Monte Carlo carrying the Vanderbilt University name for the NAPA Auto Parts 300. Gary Baker, owner of the #28 team and Vanderbilt University alumnus, wants to represent the black and gold in all 15 BGN events, which he is scheduled to enter this year. With this initial agreement, University officials are also considering a longer-term relationship with Baker Racing, although details have not been finalized. Baker Racing is also working with other major and associate sponsors to run the remaining schedule.(Baker Racing PR), see images on my BGN Paint Schemes page(2-6-2001)
