Ultra4 Driver Spotlight: Bill Baird

Last month at the grueling Rausch Creek Qualifier; Ultra4 Rookie, Bill Baird made a name for himself by claiming a 5th place finish in his first ever Ultra4 event and winning a coveted 2012 Griffin King of The Hammers qualifying spot.  The race was considered a brutal event and knocked out some big names including the current Ultra4 series leader, Shannon Campbell. It’s not often that a total newbie shows up driving a Campbell rig and with Ultra4 racer, JT Taylor, as his co-driver! We wanted to know more about this rookie driver  and we thought our fans would too. Bill was kind enough to answer some questions for us. Here’s what he had to say:
Name – Bill Baird
Hometown – Sturgis, KY
Race car number – 5252
Favorite Movie – Con Air (with Nicolas Cage)
Other than race, what do you do for a living? – As sole owner of Saturn Machine, a company known for its innovation in the design and manufacturing of equipment for the major North American steel companies, I spend the majority of my time focused on expanding Saturn’s business interests and keeping the company at the fore front of the industry.
What was your first car? – 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS
What was your first race? – 1989 UMP Dirt Late Model race in Glasgow,KY
What got you into Ultra4?  – In April of this year I attended the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, UT where I met Shannon Campbell.  I bought one of Shannon’s racing vehicles that weekend and planned on bringing it home to play around with (with no intention of racing).  After talking toShannon he inspired me to go the Rausch Creek Qualifier race.
What did you think of Rausch Creek? – Rain, rain, rain, a lot of rocks, a lot of tree stumps and a lot of fun!
What was your least favorite part of the race? – When it was over
Most favorite part? – Running 5th and realizing that I qualified for the King of the Hammers
What would be your ultimate adventure? – Flying on a space shuttle and going into outer space
What’s your next race? – The Ultra4 American Rock Sports Challenge July 14-16, 2011
How do you feel about racing King of The Hammers? – Right now it’s still sinking in that I actually qualified for this race.  I’m filled with excited anticipation and I’m trying to figure out everything I need to do to win it.  I’m planning on running all the upcoming Ultra4 races in order to gain seat time to prepare for the King of the Hammers.
Do you have a place online? (facebook, web site, etc) where we can learn more about you? – I don’t have a website at this time, but there are quite a few articles online from my ARCA racing days.  If you Google “Bill Baird ARCA” there are several pages of links to articles.  A few links are:
http://www.hoosiertire.com/arca8234.HTM
http://www.stockcarracing.com/eventcoverage/1537/index.html

http://www.catchfence.com/2009/arca/04/22/old-man-bill-baird-going-for-gold-at-talladega/