By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
While teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was grabbing most attention Saturday night for good reasons and bad, Trevor Bayne was further back hoping to survive to the end at Daytona International Speedway.
Making his third consecutive start in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 this season, Bayne started the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from 20th spot. From there, the 2011 Daytona 500 champion maintained the mid-pack position, finishing Stage 1 21st.
Dodging the lap 54 Big One, Bayne went on to finish Stage 2 in 17th. At this point, a clean car was a fast car and Bayne drove to second place at one point before settling in the top 10.
With more drivers dropping out, Bayne was among the final guys left standing when Clint Bowyer was turned into the outside wall approaching the final lap. Bayne was clipped in the right rear and hit the tri-oval wall head-on, ending his night in a violent way.
A potential top-10 finish, which would have been his first of 2018, was out the window and Bayne left the beach in 20th spot.
Where does Bayne go from here? Not Kentucky Speedway this weekend, as Matt Kenseth returns for his fifth start of the year. For Bayne, this addition of a series champion has put his career on a balance. Performance is needed more than from Bayne and a third 20th-place finish of the year won’t be a thought-changer or momentum-booster moving forward.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk9OSGAAsip/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1mf7z7pw2dedn
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron
Texas: Gray Gaulding(2)
Bristol: Landon Cassill
Richmond: Ty Dillon
Talladega: DJ Kennington
Dover: Chris Buescher
Kansas: Michael McDowell
Charlotte: Kasey Kahne
Pocono: Clint Bowyer
Michigan: Jimmie Johnson
Sonoma: Kasey Kahne(2)
Chicagoland: William Byron(2)
Daytona: Trevor Bayne (3)
Mid-Pack With Zach: Trevor Bayne, Roush Fenway Racing
By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
While teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was grabbing most attention Saturday night for good reasons and bad, Trevor Bayne was further back hoping to survive to the end at Daytona International Speedway.
Making his third consecutive start in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 this season, Bayne started the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from 20th spot. From there, the 2011 Daytona 500 champion maintained the mid-pack position, finishing Stage 1 21st.
Dodging the lap 54 Big One, Bayne went on to finish Stage 2 in 17th. At this point, a clean car was a fast car and Bayne drove to second place at one point before settling in the top 10.
With more drivers dropping out, Bayne was among the final guys left standing when Clint Bowyer was turned into the outside wall approaching the final lap. Bayne was clipped in the right rear and hit the tri-oval wall head-on, ending his night in a violent way.
A potential top-10 finish, which would have been his first of 2018, was out the window and Bayne left the beach in 20th spot.
Where does Bayne go from here? Not Kentucky Speedway this weekend, as Matt Kenseth returns for his fifth start of the year. For Bayne, this addition of a series champion has put his career on a balance. Performance is needed more than from Bayne and a third 20th-place finish of the year won’t be a thought-changer or momentum-booster moving forward.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk9OSGAAsip/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1mf7z7pw2dedn
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron
Texas: Gray Gaulding(2)
Bristol: Landon Cassill
Richmond: Ty Dillon
Talladega: DJ Kennington
Dover: Chris Buescher
Kansas: Michael McDowell
Charlotte: Kasey Kahne
Pocono: Clint Bowyer
Michigan: Jimmie Johnson
Sonoma: Kasey Kahne(2)
Chicagoland: William Byron(2)
Daytona: Trevor Bayne (3)