Back in the day, when NASCAR teams brought their own golf carts, drivers didn't have a clue that their joyrides could have serious monetary repercussions. And that was the case for Tommy Baldwin Jr. and Jeb Burton. 

During the recent episode of the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast on July 7 th, Baldwin recalled what happened that pushed the sanctioning body to have stricter rules around golf carts. The story involved NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series driver Jeb Burton and Tommy Baldwin Jr.  

"Back in the day, we used to have golf carts. Well, we still do, right?" he said. "We didn't have to insure them or anything, right? You just showed up with a golf cart. Well, this numbnuts (Jeb Burton) and my numbnuts (Tommy Jr), they used to sneak out at the motor homes in the middle of the night and steal Bill Davis's golf cart and go gallivanting through the campgrounds and stuff."

What began as a harmless joy ride soon backfired as Jeb Burton and Tommy Jr. collided with James Hylton's motorhome.

"So, one night they took off, they ran into Hylton's motor home coach with it of all of all the motor homes. So, next thing you know, all golf carts got to have tags on them. They're going to be insured. So you're responsible for all that money you've cost all these race teams. You and Tommy, you know that?" he said.

It's not just the insurance policy that came into effect. In the years that followed, most tracks made it clear that personal carts, even if deemed street legal, would not be allowed on the grounds. Carts would only be driven by authorized, credentialed users who will be required to fulfill liability insurance requirements as well.

While Tommy Baldwin recalled the incident in jest, it highlighted how minor incidents like these can have long-term impacts on a sport. 

When Jeb Burton pranked NASCAR legend

Picture this: the year was 2004, and it was just announced that Jeff Burton was parting ways with Roush Fenway Racing in NASCAR's Cup Series. And replacing him was Carl Edwards. However, this did not sit right with Burton’s nephew, Jeb Burton, and he decided to welcome Edwards with a prank. 

In the aforementioned podcast, Jeb explained how he conspired the prank. He said:

"It was actually at Michigan. Carl Edwards was new on the scene, and he took my d*** uncle's ride. So I was like, you know, I don't really like this guy. And he would always put his shoes outside his motor home. Well, me and (Larry) McReynolds filled his shoes up with whipped cream. We filled him up and left. I don't know if he ever knew that, but we did."

While the prank did not lead to any serious rules as the golf cart accident did, it left a long-lasting memory for Jeb Burton about his time welcoming Carl Edwards. 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco