MOORESVILLE, N.C. — In the span of a few hours this past Saturday, Rick Ware Racing added two more trophies to its mantle.
Driver Luke Baldwin won the zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model race at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C., before Progressive American Flat Track rider Briar Bauman won the Mission AFT SuperTwins feature at California’s Ventura Raceway.
Baldwin’s win was his first on the CARS Tour and the first for RWR. His 1.232-second margin of victory over runner-up Jade Avedisian capped an impressive outing for Baldwin as the 18-year-old set a track record en route to the pole. He took the lead on lap 55 of the 100-lap race and never looked back.
“I just drove the wheels off the thing,” said Baldwin, son of RWR competition director Tommy Baldwin. “It was pretty free all the way throughout the race, but we can be that sideways and still be that fast.
“I want to thank Rick and everyone at Rick Ware Racing for giving me this car to drive and letting me do what I need to do with it. It was my first race in the car.
“I’ve had some decent runs in a full-fendered race car before, but I always managed to mess it up somehow. I tried to knock the fence down off of (turn) four one time when I had a 15-car-length lead. I tried to give it up, but the racecar was too strong, too good.”
Team owner Rick Ware established the late model program during the offseason and it debuted in early February at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway during the World Series of Asphalt.
Drivers Cody Ware, Carson Ware and Mason Maggio have all driven the No. 51 late model, with Baldwin getting his first start in the No. 51 Parts Plus Ford Mustang Saturday in Rougemont.
“To get our first CARS Tour win really means a lot. It’s a really competitive series and you’ve got to be on your game,” Rick Ware said. “We started this late model program because we believed we could build something strong, and to see Luke Baldwin put our car in victory lane in his first start with us is incredible. He drove his heart out, set a track record, won the pole, and showed the kind of grit and speed we know this team is capable of. Moments like this make all the hard work worth it. I’m really proud of everyone who has contributed to this program.”
Three time zones away in Southern California, Bauman maintained RWR’s winning ways. The two-time Grand National Champion rode his No. 3 Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R to victory for a second straight race.
Bauman won March 29 at the Senoia Short Track in Georgia, delivering Harley-Davidson’s first win with the XG750R since its original debut in 2016. Now, in just a month’s span, Harley-Davidson has its second win care of Bauman, who won with a .881-second margin over next-best finisher Dallas Daniels.
“I’m just proud of everyone on this Rick Ware Racing team. We’re just digging on this thing,” said Bauman, who now has 28 career SuperTwins wins, the last six coming since joining RWR in 2023. “I don’t know if it’s a renaissance or a fairy tale, but we’re just doing our thing.”
Bauman’s back-to-back victories ties him with Daniels for the most wins this season, and it gives him an edge in the championship, with the 29-year-old holding a three-point advantage (84-81) over Daniels four races into the 16-race season.
“What Briar is doing right now is something really special,” Ware said. “To bring Harley-Davidson back to victory lane not just once, but twice in a month’s time, speaks to his heart, his history and his tenacity. Seeing Briar bring that Harley back to the front is incredibly meaningful for all of us. We’re proud to be a part of it.”
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