Bayne Overcomes Adversity To Finish Ninth In Loudon

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In: Xfinity Series News

Trevor Bayne, driver of the No.6 AdvoCare Ford Mustang battled back from a Lap 4 incident in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event on Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to earn a ninth-place finish. With the result, Bayne has now scored top-10 finishes in three of his four career starts at “The Magic Mile.”

“Our No.6 AdvoCare Ford Mustang was fast all race long,” said Bayne after the race. “It’s unfortunate that we had our left-rear tire get cut down so early on and put us behind, but I am proud of all of my guys for not giving up all day long. Even after we got the damage to the nose of the car, my team never gave up. Chad [Norris] made some great calls in the pits and we were able to come out of here with a solid top-10 finish heading into next weekend in Chicago.”

Bayne started the Saturday afternoon matinee from the eighth position and looked poised to move his way towards the front. After quickly improving to seventh, Bayne’s left-rear tire was cut down on the fourth lap, following contact with the No.31 car. In an attempt to bring the car safely back to pit road, Bayne lost control and looped the No.6 Ford around in the middle of Turns 1 and 2, bringing out the first caution of the afternoon.

Once on pit road, Crew Chief Chad Norris decided to change just left-side tires in order to keep Bayne from losing more than one lap to the race leaders. The strategy call paid off as Bayne was able to return to the track the just one lap down and in position to earn the free pass.

That opportunity presented itself less than 10 laps later as the caution came out on Lap 12, putting Bayne back onto the lead lap. Now back on the lead lap, Bayne’s charge towards the front began. After getting off-sequence with the leaders and pitting for four tires and fuel, Bayne restarted in the 37th position and rejoined the top-20 just 17 laps into the ensuing green flag run.

Bayne continued to march forward, racing his way into the top 15 just shy of halfway as the race leaders began to make their way onto pit road for the first round of green flag pit stops. As a benefit of being off sequence with the leaders, Bayne was able to stay out longer than the rest of the field and move up to the second position. However, the amount of time Bayne lost on the track to cars with fresher tires cost the driver of the No.6 AdvoCare Ford Mustang as he went a lap down after pitting on Lap 85.

Utilizing a “Never Give Up” mentality, Bayne rallied and drove his way into the free pass position just prior to a Lap 101 caution, earning his way back onto the lead lap. Contact on the ensuing restart damaged the nose of the No.6 Mustang, forcing Bayne back to pit road for repairs. After diagnosing the damage as cosmetic, Bayne returned to the track in ninth and battled with NNS championship leader Regan Smith and Chase Elliott for position throughout the final quarter of the race.

At the end of the day, Bayne brought the No.6 AdvoCare Ford Mustang home with a hard-fought ninth-place finish. The result is Bayne’s second-consecutive top-10 finish and his third in the last four races at New Hampshire.                                            

Bayne remains sixth in the championship standings and trails championship leader Smith by 58 points as the NNS heads to Chicagoland Speedway next Saturday night.

RFR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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