HAMPTON, Ga. (Feb. 28, 2016) – Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, finished in the 22nd position on Sunday in the second event of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season at Atlanta Motor Speedway after suffering from a tight handling for much of the afternoon.
“We were just really tight,” said Bayne after the race. “Our car had good speed but it was just difficult to get through the center of the corner. I’m really proud of my guys’ effort on this AdvoCare Ford. We had a great qualifying effort and made a lot of gains from where we were to now. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in Vegas.”
Bayne took the green flag from the third position after advancing to the final round of knockout qualifying on Friday evening. In the early stages, Bayne reported to crew chief Matt Puccia that the AdvoCare Ford was very tight as he was shuffled back to the 10th position by Lap 10. Despite the tight handling condition worsening, Bayne continued to fight for position inside the top 15 when he was called to pit road for the first time under green on Lap 41.
As the green-flag run continued, so did the tight handling condition. Although the handling issues persisted, Bayne battled for position in the top 20 before ultimately falling down a lap to the race leaders due to a sequence of green-flag pit stops. Then, the first caution of the event came out on Lap 210, ending a green-flag run that started at the drop of the green flag. This caution gave Bayne and Puccia an opportunity to take a major swing at the handling of the AdvoCare Ford.
Although the adjustments initially helped the Roush Fenway Ford, Bayne would again face a tight handling condition and be shuffled back to 26th during the second long green-flag run of the day. However, a late-race caution gave Bayne the opportunity to take the wave around in order to gain track position.
Bayne took the final restart on Lap 328 from the 25th position and was able to narrowly avoid a multi-car incident on the backstretch to bring the AdvoCare Ford home in the 22nd position.
Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 6.
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NEXT UP:
1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday, March 6, 2016
3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and PRN
RACE SUMMARY
Trevor Bayne
Started: Third
Finished: 22nd
Complete Race Results:
www.roushfenway.com
