Team: No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Matt Puccia
Twitter: @Tbayne6, @Bayne6Team and @RoushFenway
Bristol Motor Speedway – Saturday, Aug. 19 at 7:30pm EST. on NBC
ADVANCE NOTES
Bayne at Bristol
Bayne makes his seventh career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Bayne earned his best finish of fifth in the spring 2016 event at the half-mile oval after starting from the 10th position.
In two previous MENCS starts in the Night Race at Bristol, Bayne has recorded finishes of 15th and 12th in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
According to NASCAR’s loop data, Bayne ranks second in positions gained in the final 10 percent of races at Bristol with 17.
In 12 starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Bristol, Bayne recorded four top-10 finishes with a best finish of sixth in Aug. 2010 and Aug. 2013.
Matt Puccia at Bristol
Puccia will be atop the box for his 13th MENCS event at Bristol on Saturday. In 12 previous races, Puccia has recorded one top-five and three top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth coming in the spring of 2016 with Bayne.
Recapping Michigan
Bayne utilized a fuel mileage strategy to move into the top 10 before a caution on Lap 185 provided an opportunity to come to pit road in Sunday afternoon’s MENCS at Michigan International Speedway. After pitting for right side tires and fuel, Bayne returned to the track in the top five and survived a green-white-checkered to earn a fifth-place finish. The result is Bayne’s highest finish of the 2017 season.
Homecoming Weekend
This weekend at Bristol marks a homecoming for Bayne, who hails from Knoxville, Tenn., located just 109 miles from Bristol Motor Speedway.
QUOTE WORTHY
Bayne on Bristol:
“I love racing at Bristol. It’s home, which always adds a little bit of extra pressure and excitement whenever we come here. But, this is the Night Race. It just seems like the intensity is always ramped up when the lights come on here. I’m definitely looking forward to this weekend and seeing what we can do. We have run well here for the last couple of years and I am very confident that (crew chief) Matt (Puccia) will give me another great Ford Fusion this weekend that will let us run up front and be in contention for the win.”
