When Trevor Bayne stepped behind the wheel of the No. 6 AdvoCare Mustang for Roush-Fenway Racing at the beginning of 2013, everybody expected big things. After all, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led the team to back-to-back Nationwide Series Championships. Though Bayne didn’t have the big season , he had a win, seven top fives and 21 top 10s on his way to finishing eighth in points.
“We wanted that last year and a couple things took us out of it,” Bayne commented. “A couple of them were parts failures, a couple of them were driver failures and making bad decisions on the racetrack and those are things we have to eliminate.”
Bayne comes back this year looking to improve on that and put himself into the championship picture this year, possibly winning the championship.
“You can’t dig a hole for yourself, and I think I learned a lot about that last season, and that’s what’s going to help us be a championship contender this year,” he added.
There will be a change in Bayne’s program for 2014, though, as he’ll have a new crew chief in the form of Chad Norris.
“We finished off the season with a win at Texas, and then at the beginning of 2012 we ran about the first four races together, and I believe we were only four or five points out of the lead when we ran out of funds. So I know Chad can do it and I’m really happy with the guys I have going forward this year,” Bayne commented. “I think our team is probably the most set it’s ever been going into a season as far as funding, sponsorship, having our pit boxes and haulers already ready to go. It seems like normally Daytona sneaks up on you, and you aren’t completely prepared with your guys and cars and equipment and all that. But I feel like this season we’re the most prepared we’ve ever been for February to come around.”
To help with the championship effort, Bayne is looking to have a solid run at Daytona International Speedway to start the season.
Bayne was one of the drivers that took part in the two day test at Daytona to get ready for the season opener in February. Some of the testing involved single-car runs, though Bayne also did some drafting.
Coming into the year, NASCAR has changed the radiator systems in the Nationwide Series cars so therefore they release water if the car gets too hot from being tucked behind another car. Beyond that, NASCAR has banned tandem drafting – the art of two cars hooking up together and pushing each other.
“It’s going to be hard to hold yourself back from that and know that you’re not allowed to,” Bayne commented. “I think this is one of the first times I can remember a restriction on the drivers versus the cars, other than the double yellow lines and that’s something we’ll get used to and we’ll just figure out how to do it another way.”
Bayne added that it’ll take time to work out as they have to develop a new strategy now.
“So you have to be strategic in how you’re going to bump people or get them to roll faster without connecting to them, and that’s just the new game that we have to learn, kind of like 2011 when we came here and had to figure out how to tandem,” he continued. “New style of racing but the cars are still capable and very racy, so I’m looking forward to it.”
While some drivers are happy to see the tandem drafting go, Bayne says that he liked it because he felt like he had more control of his destiny.
“I could keep myself out of trouble more, lay back, go to the front,” he said. “When you wanted to pass, you could hook up to somebody and take off. With this form of racing you’re going to have to be more strategic throughout the whole race. I don’t think you can wait until five laps to go and hook up to somebody and go barreling to the front. I think you’re going to have to more or less do what Jimmie Johnson did here in the 500, get to the front and do everything to play defense that you can, to keep that track position and keep yourself in a position where if there’s a green-white-checkered, you’re in those first couple rows, because I think that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
Bayne has had success at Daytona before, winning the Daytona 500 in 2011 with the Wood Brothers. Even though Bayne is only 23-years-old, he is seen as a veteran in the series.
“It is weird being almost the old guy in the series now,” Bayne commented. “You see a lot of new faces coming through and a lot of guys getting opportunities in Cup and it’s exciting for them. We’re definitely ready for that opportunity but we’re also going to make the most of the fun that we have now. To have AdvoCare on board full-time this year, I think that’s probably the most special thing for me, to know that I have one sponsor all year that I can take care of and grow with. It’s a great company that I’ve used their products for a long time with the triathlon training and stuff like that, so it goes right over to my lifestyle.”
With having some experience under his belt, it gives Bayne the ability to help both of his young teammates – Ryan Reed and Chris Buescher. Bayne says that he has been an ‘open book’ to them as he knows what they’re going through.
“It wasn’t fun trying to learn on your own, so I try to help out as much as I can but I don’t know how much help I am. They’re smart guys and pretty successful race car drivers,” Bayne said. “Chris Buescher has been a great teammate, super humble kid that when he gets behind the wheel, he’s got the talent. Last year on the mile-and-a-halfs I think he really surprised a lot of us with the ability that he had. And then Ryan Reed, when he came to Richmond, his short track abilities, he was really strong, so they’ve both got their strong suits as far as my teammates, and I’m looking forward to seeing them grow.”
