Baldwin meets with employees, ‘exploring all my opportunities’ for team’s future (2nd Update)

UPDATE Leavine Family Racing is in the process of buying a charter for next season as its relationship with Circle Sport owner Joe Falk (who has a charter) will end after 2016, Leavine VP Jeremy Lange said Wednesday. Lange wouldn't confirm from which team it is buying a charter. The team plans to operate one Cup car (the #95) next year with a Richard Childress Racing alliance. Michael McDowell has been the Leavine primary driver since 2014 and has built a good relationship with the team but does not have a deal signed yet to drive for the team next season. ESPN

10/19/16 FS1's NASCAR Racehub show confirmed Wednesday with multiple sources that Tommy Baldwin Racing has signed paperwork to transfer ownership charter to Leavine Family Racing (#95 Chevy). It was also reported that LFR leased their charter for 2016, supposedly from Circle Sport, which ran the #33 Chevy for years under the ownership of Joe Falk. Baldwin could play an advisory role with the team. TBR declined to comment.

Tommy Baldwin Jr.

10/19/16 Unsure about his organization's future, #7 team owner Tommy Baldwin met with his employees Monday "so I can give them the options if they needed to go find a job.'' Baldwin said Tuesday that "I'm exploring all my opportunities right now. I'm trying to figure everything out.''

He hopes to have his plans solidified by some point in December. Among the options, there is one thing Baldwin said he won't do. "I would never shut down,'' said Baldwin, whose team debuted in the Cup series in 2009. "Don't use that word. The options are keep going or sell. That's the only two options we have.''

Baldwin admits he's given his employees a similar message "in six out of the eight years" of the team and always made it to the next season.

"The technology has just increased,'' Baldwin said. "Everyone has just become smarter. The race teams, with Michael Waltrip Racing shutting down (after the 2015 season) and some other things, it put a lot good people, dispersed a lot of good people to different teams. Everyone had to spend a lot more money to keep up with the Gibbs and Hendrick programs. It's funny to me how everyone thinks our racing is not good. This is the most competitive that NASCAR has ever been.''

Baldwin admits it has been a struggle at times for the team and driver Regan Smith. Baldwin has one of the 36 charters granted to Sprint Cup teams at the beginning of this season. That adds value to his organization, ensuring that his team – or whoever purchases the charter, if that happens – would be in every Cup points race. Baldwin's car is 32nd in the car owner point standings, ahead of five other teams that have charters (another team below Baldwin's leased its charter for this season). Smith is 33rd in the driver standings. He finished a season-best third at Pocono in August. His only other top-10 finish this year has been an eighth-place result in the Daytona 500. NBC Sports