Bayne Takes Short-Track Path To Glory - Former NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver wins 2011 Daytona 500
Source: NASCAR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bayne Takes Short-Track Path To Glory Former NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver wins 2011 Daytona 500 DAYTONA BEACH, The 20-year-old from Knoxville, Tenn., was nearly speechless Sunday as he stole the spotlight on NASCAR's biggest stage at Daytona International Speedway with his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory -- the 2011 Daytona 500. |
“If I tried to put it into words, I wouldn’t do it any justice,” Bayne said. Bayne, who turned 20 Saturday, is the youngest Daytona winner -- breaking Jeff Gordon's record -- and second-youngest winner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. "I keep thinking I'm dreaming, I really do," said Bayne, who won the ‘Great American Race’ in the No. 21 for the famed Wood Bros. Racing. "I am so thankful for the job these guys did on this car. It is unbelievable. Our first 500, are you kidding me? To win the first one? "I can't thank the guys that worked with me enough." Bayne's first NASCAR win came in his sixth NASCAR K&N Pro Series start on July 12, 2008. He ran the full season in the series for Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he was a teammate of Jeffrey Earnhardt and Jesus Hernandez. He won from the pole at Thompson, and also recorded six top fives and eight top 10s to finish fourth in points behind champion Matt Kobyluck, runner-up Austin Dillon and Hernandez. Bayne was followed across the line Sunday by Carl Edwards, who got his start in NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series West alum David Gilliland. "As a friend of Trevor's, it's amazing to watch him have that success," said Carl Edwards, who got to know Bayne last year while competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. "He's done a really good job of keeping his composure. He drives like a veteran." Bayne also finished second in the 2009 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.). Bayne made his debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series with his family team as a 16-year-old in 2007. He finished 26th at Mansfield (Ohio) and failed to qualify at Iowa Speedway. He moved to DEI the following year. He also made a spot start for Dave Davis Motorsports in 2009 with a sixth-place run at Tri-County Speedway in Hudson, N.C., before committing full-time to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Bayne made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start last year at Texas Motor Speedway. |
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