Team: No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Matt Puccia
Twitter: @Tbayne6, @Bayne6Team and @RoushFenway
Martinsville – Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1
ADVANCE NOTES
Bayne at Martinsville Speedway
· Bayne will make his eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start at Martinsville Speedway this weekend.
· His last two starts at the famed Virginia short track have resulted in his all-time best finishes at the half-mile speedway of sixth last fall, and 13th last spring. In last year’s fall race, he charged to the front from the 34th starting spot, securing the fourth short track top-10 of his career.
· In 20 MENCS short track races, Bayne has four top-10s and one top five finish, with an average finish of 19th.
Recapping Fontana
Bayne rolled off the grid 13th in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, but an accident halfway through ended his day early. Just when Bayne and the No. 6 Performance Plus crew were starting to figure out the handling, Bayne looked to the outside of the No. 31 on lap 108 and was squeezed into the fence. With moderate damage to the right side of his Ford Fusion, Bayne tried to get it to pit road, but a blown tire sent him into the fence and subsequently the garage for a 37th-place result.
Matt Puccia at Martinsville
Puccia will call his 14th MENCS event at Martinsville on Sunday. In 13 previous races at the paper-clip shaped oval, Puccia recorded a best finish of sixth last fall with Bayne. He’s been atop the pit box for four top-10 finishes for Roush Fenway Racing at Martinsville, including three previously with Greg Biffle.
QUOTE WORTHY
Bayne on racing at Martinsville:
“Martinsville is always a wild race that features plenty of action. Last year we had solid success there with a 13th-place finish in the spring race, and a top-10 in the fall. We’re looking to build on that momentum and use our short-track success to get a great result this weekend.”
