Late-Race Incident Ends Bayne’s Afternoon In Road America

By:
On:
In: Xfinity Series News

Trevor Bayne, driver of the No.6 AdvoCare Ford Mustang finished the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Road America in the 27thposition on Saturday afternoon after retiring from the 50-Lap event early, following damage sustained from an incident with 10 laps remaining.

“That wasn’t what we were hoping for,” said Bayne after the race. “We had such a strong No.6 AdvoCare Ford Mustang during the early stages of the race that I thought once we got to the front we would be hard to beat. Even as the rain came, I thought that we would be tough out front. The car just handled so much different in the wet conditions, which made it difficult to stay on course. Ultimately though, what happened at the end was out of our control. We just need to need to stay positive and move on to Kentucky next weekend and go for the win.”

Bayne qualified the No.6 Ford in the 15th position but was forced to start at the rear of the field per the NASCAR rulebook for changing tires after flat-spotting his original set in qualifying. Taking the green flag in the 37th position, Bayne wasted little time maneuvering his way towards the front. By the completion of the second lap, he had already worked his way back up to his original starting position of 15th. Bayne’s charge continued as he cracked the top-10 for the first time five laps later, moving his way into ninth just prior to the first caution period of the afternoon on Lap 11. Bayne continued to fight for position inside the top 10, making his way up to the fifth  position as the caution waved for the second time due to rain just shy of halfway.

While under caution, NASCAR decided that the track was too wet for teams to continue using the traditional slick Goodyear tires and notified teams that they must switch over to Goodyear’s rain tires. Crew chief Chad Norris utilized the ensuing mandatory pit stop as an opportunity to make adjustments on the handling of the No.6 AdvoCare Ford. Once the changeover to rain tires was complete, Bayne found himself out front, leading the field to the Lap 27 restart. After battling with Sam Hornish, Jr. and Alex Tagliani for the top spot, Bayne settled into third until track conditions made navigating the 14-turn road course much more challenging as the rain began to intensify.

Battling for position inside the top 10 in the closing stages, Bayne was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop after going off-course due to the wet conditions on Lap 35. A caution two laps later proved opportune for Bayne, as he was able to stay out on the track while some of the race leaders chose to pit, moving him back into the top 10.

Bayne remained inside the top 10 until contact with another car on Lap 40 sent the No.6 Ford to pit road for repairs. After surveying the car on pit road, crew chief Norris told Bayne that the damage was too severe and to take the car back to the garage area, ending their afternoon early. Bayne was ultimately scored with a 27th-place finish. 

RFR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 44