Late-Race Incident Relegates Bayne to 21st-Place Finish

Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, took the final restart in 12th position but was involved in a late-race incident that ultimately led to a 21st-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) event at Talladega Superspeedway.   

“That last incident was unfortunate,” said Bayne after the race. “We had a great AdvoCare Ford all day long. We could move around in the draft and really race through the pack. I hate that that happened there. I want to thank (crew chief) Bob (Osborne) and everyone at Roush Fenway for their hard work on this car. I’m proud of our effort.”

Bayne took the green flag from the sixth position on Sunday afternoon at Talladega after advancing to the final round of knockout qualifying on Saturday. From the drop of the green flag, Bayne battled three-wide for position inside the top 10, drafting his way up the sixth position before the first round of green flag pit stops on Lap 38.

After returning to the track in 19th following the stop, the Knoxville, Tenn. native utilized the high-line to charge back through the field and into the top 10. Bayne maintained his track position until just before the second round of green flag pit stops on Lap 79.

Bayne continued to race three-wide for position following the stop and ran as high as the 10th position before the first caution of the afternoon came out on Lap 131. Taking the ensuing restart from 17th, the Roush Fenway Racing driver battled his way back up to the sixth position before another round of green flag pit stops began on Lap 169 for fuel only.

Bayne left pit road in the 17th position and continued to race three-wide for position until a late-race caution shuffled the running order and led NASCAR to have one attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish.

Taking the Green-White-Checkered restart from the 12th position, the No. 4 car of Kevin Harvick made contact with Bayne, sending the Roush Fenway driver into the outside retaining wall. Despite the damage, Bayne was able to drive the AdvoCare Ford across the finish line to take the checkered flag in the 21st position.

RFR PR