General Tire Dominates the Legendary Mint 400 with a Complete Podium Sweep

LAS VEGAS, March 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Team General Tire crushed the competition, sweeping the podium at the 2011 Mint 400 in Las Vegas March 26.  'Ballistic' BJ Baldwin continues to unleash his fury this season.  Leading the pack for the majority of the race, BJ crossed the line victorious, followed by his father Bobby Baldwin in second and Mikey Childress in third.  New GT drivers Randy Merrit took first in Stock Full followed by Macrae Glass with a first place finish in Class 8.  GT spec class drivers Perry Coan received first place in Jeepspeed Challenge and Troy Messer took first in Trophylite.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110328/CL72771 )

Stealing the off-road racing spotlight in 2010, BJ was determined to prove again his title as the king of the desert in 2011.  After qualifying first at the Mint, the unstoppable BJ was off to a great start, ready to once again battle the unforgivable Las Vegas terrain.

"I was on a mission last year, and this year's mission is an even bigger one.  On Team GT, it's go big or go home," said BJ after taking the podium in Las Vegas Saturday.  "This race couldn't have been more perfect.  These drivers out here really know how to tear it up and there's some serious competition, but with the Grabbers and with the force of Team GT and Monster Energy, Baldwin Motorsports was determined to be the unstoppable force, and we proved it."

BJ is no stranger to victory.  Last year, he brought home Team GT's first-ever off-road championship title since their re-entry into motorsports four years ago, winning the Best in the Desert Championship in Trick Truck.  His other 2010 season podium finishes were: first place at the BITD Parker 425; second place in teammate Bobby Baldwin's truck at the 2010 SNORE Mint 400; and second place overall at the BITD Blue Water Challenge Race in Parker, Ariz. This is the first time that a father-son team placed first and second in the Unlimited/TT Class at the Legendary Mint 400 race.

"I knew we were going to sweep the podium this year; I even tweeted a podium sweep prediction before the race," said Dana Zamalloa, manager of PR and communications, General Tire.  "These guys won't let anything get in their way.  We are so proud of them.  We have been asking for a podium sweep of our guys all last year and now our team has done it. It looks like 2011 will be a great year for General Tire."

Stay tuned for more Team GT wins throughout the season.  If you can't be there to see all the action first-hand, you can get up-to-the-minute information on all the races at www.twitter.com/teamgt.  

For media information, visit www.ctamedia.com or www.ctamedia.mobi.  

For more than 90 years General Tire has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs.  General Tire is a proud supporter of Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing, Chili Bowl, Pro-Pulling, Late- Model Dirt Series, Drag Boat Series, Boost Mobile FreestyleMx.com Tour, Spec Tire of Trophylite and Pro Truck.  Team GT supports off-road and short course teams including BJ Baldwin, Carl Renezeder, Rick D. Johnson, Jerry Zaiden/Jason Campbell, Jason/Rich Voss, Scott Steinberger, Ed "Clyde" Stout, Ted Hunnicutt, Marc Burnett, Kent Kroeker, Mikey Childress, Carey Hart, Josh Merrell, Robby Woods and Jeff "Ox" Kargola.  

General Tire is part of Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. (www.generaltire.com). CTA, based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is a company of Germany-based Continental AG. With sales of approximately EUR 20 billion in 2009 Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs approximately 134,500 in 46 countries.

SOURCE General Tire