Long-time NASCAR crew chief and team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. has announced that he has left Rick Ware Racing.
Baldwin had been the one-car Cup Series team's competition director since 2023, and started the Door Bumper Clear podcast this week by briefly announcing his exit from the role.
The 59-year-old former Cup Series team owner explained that he and Ware's 'expectations were not aligned anymore', leading to them parting ways while keeping their personal friendship intact.
Ware's son Cody is the team's only full-time Cup Series driver, currently sitting 35th and last on points for the second year in a row, with just one top-20 finish (17th at Daytona) through 22 Cup races this year.
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Baldwin: Expectations no longer aligned
"I'm no longer with Rick Ware Racing," Baldwin said at the start of Monday's show. "We decided, Rick and I, that our expectations were not aligned anymore. So, we decided, without ruining our friendship, which we have a really good friendship, it was decided to go different ways."
Asked what was next up for him, he said: "Worry about the kids, have a little fun, figure out what the next options are, but yeah, I'm gonna take a little break and enjoy some stuff."
Baldwin's sons Luke and Jack are both racing drivers themselves, both competing in the SMART Modified Tour (which Luke won in 2025), with the 20-year-old Luke also making his NASCAR O'Reilly Series debut this year.
Luke started at Martinsville and Kansas for Hettinger Racing, while also running a handful of Truck Series races for Team Reaume after making his debut in that series last year for ThorSport Racing.
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