05/01/2016
Bayne Leads 22 Laps, Finishes 10th in Strong Run at Talladega
TALLADEGA, Ala. (May 1, 2016) – Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, overcame a pit road speeding penalty and led 22 laps before finishing in the 10th position on Sunday afternoon in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) event at Talladega Superspeedway.
“They all went to the top and we ended up 10th,” said Bayne after the race. “I am proud of what my guys brought to the track this weekend and it was great to be out front. We had a great AdvoCare Ford today and I’m happy we were able to bring it home without a scratch on it. We’ll build off of this and be ready to run strong next week in Kansas.”
Bayne took the green-flag for the scheduled 188-Lap event from the 13th position and wasted little time making it three-wide and racing into the top 10. Bayne utilized the inside-line for much of the early portion of the event, drafting his way into the third position before the first round of green-flag pit stops on Lap 38.
Crew chief Matt Puccia called for a two-tire change during the pit stop but a speeding penalty forced Bayne back to pit road for a drive-thru on Lap 42. An opportune caution seven laps later allowed the Knoxville, Tenn. native to rejoin the lead pack.
Once back in the lead pack Bayne began to charge back through the field, working his way back into the top 10 on Lap 66. The driver of the AdvoCare Ford continued to climb the leaderboard, utilizing the outside of several rows of three-wide to move into the fifth position before the caution came out once again on Lap 95.
Bayne took the ensuing restart from the third position and then drove his way to the race lead on Lap 109. Once out front, Bayne proved to be a force as he fended off challenges from both the middle and outside-lines. Bayne continued to battle for the race lead for several laps before the caution came out on Lap 152.
After pitting for right-side tires during the caution, Bayne used a power move on the outside to re-take the race lead on Lap 156 before the caution fell once again on Lap 159. When the race was back underway, Bayne found himself on the inside-line of a three-wide battle for second and remained inside the top five until the caution came out on Lap 180.
In the closing stages, Bayne would be shuffled out as the outside-line gained momentum in the final laps but was able to narrowly avoid a multi-car incident to take the checkered flag in the 10th position.
With the result, Bayne improves two positions in the NSCS championship standings to the 16th and final position in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He currently holds a four-point advantage over Kasey Kahne.
Next up for the NSCS is Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 7.
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NEXT UP:
1.5-Mile Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kansas
Saturday, May 7, 2016
7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN
RACE SUMMARY
Trevor Bayne
Started: 13th
Finished: 10th
Complete Race Results:
