Bayne started 15th after the line-up was set based on practice speeds, and after just seven laps, Bayne had the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion running in the top 10. He was in sixth place a lap later, and after dropping deep in the pack moved back into the top five by Lap 13.
On lap 125 of 188, the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway was red flagged due to rain. The following Team Chevy comments were captured during the delay:
New to the No. 54 Monster Energy seat this week, Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Joey Coulter and the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series team maintained their Owner’s Point lead despite a disappointing 21st-place finish, due to an accident just short of the race finish.
A potentially-strong run for Danica Patrick ended early when an issue with the tandem draft occurred. Patrick started the race on the outside of the second row in the fourth position and had high hopes for a strong finish for the AccuDoc Solutions/Go Daddy team. Just 14 laps into the Aaron's 312, Patrick was logging laps when she and her drafting partner lost contact, sending Patrick spinning in turn three. The damage to the No. 34 was to severe to repair, relegating the team to a 39th-place finish.
A rain-delayed, incident-filled race at Talladega Superspeedway resulted in a disappointing finish for Kyle Larson. After a blown tire put the No. 32 Cessna Chevrolet in the garage for a majority of the race, an 11-car pileup late in the event brought the Turner Scott Motorsports team's night to an end, relegating Larson to a 38th-place finish.
Brian Scott and the No. 2 Armour/Hungry Man team settled for a 27th-place finish after being collected in the "big one" at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. The 25-year old took the green flag from the eighth position for the restrictor plate event.
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Are you happy with your Camry for Sunday's race? "We had a good plan in practice yesterday. Our car felt really good. Obviously, Gen-6 car's first time at Talladega."
MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 Aaron's Alabama National Championship Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing - How do you prepare for Talladega? "Well, yesterday was big -- usually important for me because when you take off from Daytona until May, there's so many things you need to orientate yourself with -- something as simple as just being able to see the water temperature and water pressure gauges in your peripheral without having to pay attention to them, understanding how the cars move when other cars come around you."
Veteran Ontario short-track racer and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) star J.R. Fitzpatrick will drive an OSCAAR Super Late Model on a regular basis throughout the 2013 season. Fitzpatrick is expected to pilot the Roy Passer-owned #27 in as many as 10 races throughout the upcoming campaign.
Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, is currently in a battle to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Chase, which will begin at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6.
It was just three years ago that one of the sport’s most iconic venues, North Wilkesboro Speedway, was revived to welcome NASCAR back to its hallowed grounds.
