SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/693984
off-road wins, 27 manufacturer's championships and 28 off-road driver's championships. Most recently, Stewart was the coach for the Toyota Tundra team that drove and finished first in the Full-Stock Class at the 2014 SCORE Baja 1000. "There's no doubt that social media is an important part of motorsports," said Stewart. "BJ is very good at that. Those things weren't available when I was racing. A manufacturer's sponsorship can only do so much. If you give your sponsors the biggest bang for their buck, you're going to be around for a long time, and BJ is well on his way." Toyota's sponsorship with BJ Baldwin, however, is very different. Toyota will definitely reap the benefits that Baldwin delivers with his highly effective marketing capabilities. "As of now, it's a sponsorship program which will help the BALDWIN SAID HE LISTENED CLOSELY TO STEWART'S ADVICE, AND FELT THERE ARE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO RACE VETERANS. BALDWIN'S NEW TOYOTA TUNDRA TRD TROPHY TRUCK UTILIZES A NEW TOYOTA DRIVETRAIN WITHIN BALDWIN'S RACE READY TROPHY TRUCK DESIGN. team function smoothly," said Baldwin. "We have a lot of options open to us. It's super early in the game to figure out what their role is for the future." While Baldwin tends to be savvy at marketing his team and getting his sponsors lots of publicity, let's not forget that he's accomplished quite a bit during his career in desert racing. Baldwin has earned seven season points championships and two SCORE Baja 1000 victories. This puts Baldwin in the same category as Parnelli Jones and Rob MacCachren; two drivers who he admires and respects as much as Ivan Stewart, who was present with Baldwin when the Toyota sponsorship announcement was made in May 2016. "Every time I get a chance to talk to Ivan I learn a lot," said Baldwin. "I've built a friendship with him over the last four years and every time I talk to him, I always learn something new. It's funny because he and I are very similar, in the way we are viewed in the public eye. Some people love us and others don't. Regardless of what people may think of Ivan, he's one of the nicest people 068 SCORE JOURNAL