Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, was forced to serve a pass-thru penalty for speeding on pit road during a round of green-flag pit stops that ultimately led to a 25th-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) event at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night.
“We had a lot thrown at us tonight,” said Bayne after the race. “We fought a tight-handling car throughout the night but were beginning to make gains on it before our penalty and before we got that damage to the nose of our AdvoCare Ford. I’m confident that we will recover from this and go get them next weekend in Pocono.”
Bayne took the green flag for the longest race of the NSCS season from the 10th position after advancing to the third round of knockout qualifying on Thursday evening. As soon as the race began Bayne reported to crew chief Matt Puccia that the AdvoCare Ford was very tight rolling through the corner. This handling condition shuffled Bayne back to the 20th position when the first caution – a competition caution – came out on Lap 25.
The Knoxville, Tenn. native took the ensuing restart from the 25th position and maintained his track position until a penalty for speeding on pit road during a Lap 77 green-flag pit stop made the Roush Fenway Racing driver return to pit road for a pass-thru penalty. The penalty proved costly as Bayne lost valuable track position and fell off of the lead lap.
In a race that saw several long green-flag runs track position proved hard to come by as Bayne continued to fight for position. Bayne remained inside the top 25 despite being off of the lead lap until contact on a Lap 209 restart damaged the nose of the AdvoCare Ford and drastically affected the handling through the corner.
The damage remained a hindrance until the caution came out once again on Lap 339, giving crew chief Puccia a chance to make repairs. Once repaired, Bayne began to move forward, improving four positions in the closing stages and taking the checkered flag in the 25th position.
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