BALDWIN RACING ENGINES

BALDWIN RACING ENGINES was started by Jeff Baldwin back in 2002.

“I started there when I got out of school,” Baldwin said. He was a recent graduate from the Nashville Auto/Diesel College in 1995. “I enjoyed the work, but I just didn’t see a future there. At the time they didn’t do any performance engine work. It was just basic, passenger vehicle work. I wasn’t interested in doing that forever.”

From there, Baldwin went to work at a local auto dealership where he worked on cars and handled vehicle maintenance for customers. He also got an opportunity to watch the circle track program the dealership was sponsoring and running.

“I was gaining knowledge that whole time,” Baldwin said. “I was working with the racing teams, tuning carbs, adjusting timing and that kind of thing.”

In 2000 Baldwin had the opportunity to purchase the machine shop he had first worked at when he came out of school. He saw the potential and leaped at the opportunity.

“It was a really basic shop,” Baldwin recalls. “I mean the tools were from like the 1950s. But it was what I had to work with at the time. Over the years we have continued to add more technology and get better and better.”

At first, Baldwin Engines focused on truck pull and circle track cars, running their own hobby stock/street stock Camaro out of the shop from 2003-13.

“We had some pretty good success in that class of racing early on,” Baldwin remembers. “Everybody wanted us to work on their engines. That started getting our name out there at the beginning.”

One of the areas that Baldwin Engines excelled at were demolition derby engines.

“For whatever reason, we did a ton of those engines,” Baldwin said. “Our demolition derby engines were coast-tocoast, nationwide. Pretty much if there was a demolition derby going on in the state, one of our engines was there.”

The recognition of Baldwin Racing Engines continued to grow over the years as a rugged, dependable engine for racing or demolition derbies. Now Baldwin Engines are found all around the globe.

“We send engines all across the country and all around the world,” Baldwin said. “We have engines in Australia, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, UK and a ton up in Canada.”

What continues to set Baldwin Racing Engines from other engine shops out there? As a small company with relatively few employees, Baldwin focuses on real customer interaction and service.

“I still assemble each engine, dyno every one that comes out of the shop, so when a customer calls to talk about their engine, I know everything about it and can give them every detail they need. It’s a lot of work, but I’ve found it’s what works best for my customers,” Baldwin said.

Besides customer service, Baldwin Racing Engines utilizes the top engine components to complete their builds.

“I only put the best into our engines,” Baldwin said. “We have the latest equipment in our shop now, and produce a very good product. We work with the best as well: Total Seal, Mike’s Racing Heads, All-Pro Cylinder heads, Dyer’s, Jones Racing Products – we really benefit by working with the best.”

When it comes to Jones Racing Products, Baldwin has been able to benefit from their assistance with his builds, “One time we had a small issue, we had a small measurement off on a bracket. I sent it over to CJ [Jones of Jones Racing Products] and he had a new bracket over here in a day. They have been awesome to deal with.”

Despite the successes of Baldwin Racing Engines, there are still challenges.

“Right now, at the moment, one of the biggest challenges is just getting parts. We’re fortunate in some respects in that we work with companies like Jones who get us what we need, when we need it, but industry wide, there’s trouble getting the components. Hopefully that works itself out. The other big challenge is labor issues and keeping up with new equipment. In a way, newer equipment compensates for some of the labor issues, but it would always be great to see the next generation coming up ready to work,” Baldwin said.

At the end of the day, Jeff Baldwin takes pride in his engines, and he enjoys staying small so he can keep focused on turning out the best engines possible.

“Maybe I won’t make the most money doing it this way,” Baldwin said. “But in the end, it’s my name on it. I want final approval when it’s finished and goes out the door.”