When Trevor Bayne came on the NASCAR scene a few years ago, many people had no idea who he was. The only thing that people knew was that he was an 18-year-old looking to make his way into one of NASCAR’s top three divisions. He has done that and so much more since joining the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2009.
Michael Waltrip Racing signed Bayne to a contract to drive the team’s #99 Toyota for the rest of 2009 and all of 2010. It took Trevor a few months to get going with his new team, but once the team chemistry was figured out, there was no stopping the team from running in the top-5 almost every week. With his consistently strong runs, many people in the garage area started to take notice of Bayne’s driving talent and they knew that he would be in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series before long.
Michael Waltrip Racing had planned to run Trevor in a few Cup races in 2011, but because they couldn’t find a sponsor for his Nationwide team for the season, the team and Bayne came to a mutual agreement that would allow each party to get out of their respective contracts. Within days of leaving the #99 team, Roush Fenway Racing came calling to inquire about Bayne’s availability to drive one of their cars. Bayne would sign a contract with Roush to drive the #17 Nationwide vehicle for the rest of 2010 and a full-schedule in 2011. Bayne will team with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carl Edwards as the third driver in the team’s Nationwide Series stable of drivers. That, however, is not where this story ends.
Ford and Roush Fenway wanted to see what the 19-year-old could do in a Cup car because they feel like he could be the face Roush Fenway Racing in the future. The only problem was that Roush couldn’t run more than four full-time teams on the Cup level so they had to find another Ford team that would be wiling to let Bayne wheel their car for a weekend. It took some time to figure out all the details, but in the end, Bayne would get a chance to drive the #21 in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in the fall of 2010.
There was a lot of pressure on Bayne to perform during his first race, but he was able to strap on the helmet and let the nerves subside. He worked his way up through the field and came home with a respectable 17th place effort. Many people thought it was a great run for such a young driver, but they didn’t know when his next Cup Series race would take place. Bayne went into the off-season not knowing what his schedule in NASCAR’s top division would look like for the new season.
This week, Wood Brothers Racing announced that it had come to terms with Trevor Bayne to drive the #21 car in the first five Cup races of 2011, beginning at Daytona. If the team can get enough funding, Trevor may run in as many as 17 events throughout the season. Wood Brothers Racing has always been a legendary team and if you are asked to drive their car, then you jump at the opportunity. Drivers such as Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Morgan Shepherd, Kyle Petty and Ricky Rudd have all had a chance to wheel the #21 at some point throughout their careers.
I couldn’t think of a better way to start your career. Bill Elliott will be working with the team as a consultant, so Trevor will already have someone in his corner who knows what being a Cup Series driver is all about. I think that being in the Cup car for a few races will help make Trevor an even better Nationwide driver because he will get to have more practice time at a track because of being in a Cup car. Trevor Bayne is a rising star in the world of NASCAR and you better believe that I am looking forward to seeing what he accomplish in the Nationwide and Cup Series in the years to come.
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