Looking Forward to 2017: Key's to finding success for Bayne

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season will be one filled with many changes for Trevor Bayne on the circuit, but there are some key factors staying the same that will help him out through this season.

Bayne is entering his third full-time season on the circuit this year for Roush Fenway Racing after driving part-time for the Wood Brothers from 2011-2014 in the famed No. 21 Ford.  In Bayne's first two years at Roush, the organization has failed to provide the driver with cars to compete inside the top-10 on a regular base but changes made in the off-season to the organization might be some of the key pieces to get the No. 6 Ford Fusion up front this season.

No. 1 Crew Chief Matt Puccia:  This will be the second season that Bayne and Matt Puccia have been able to work together on the No. 6 Fords at Roush Fenway.  Last season, Puccia and Bayne had moments where it appeared they were coming around and showing signs of being potential contenders in the Cup Series.  They had top-five finishes at Bristol and Daytona and were competitive at tracks such as Dover and Watkins Glen.  The two kept their composure throughout the season and were able to come back several times after being wrecked to record solid finishes inside the top-10.

Puccia helped Bayne improve in every category of statistic except the win column last year by scoring more top-fives, more top-tens, better average start and finish and laps led than any year past.

No. 2 Restrictor Plate Tracks:    Probably the strongest point of Trevor Bayne and Roush Fenway's year in 2016 was on restrictor plate tracks.  Bayne was a solid contender in the four plate events last season.  He was up front battling for the win in the July Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.  Bayne battled himself through pack in the final laps and finished 3rd in the event.  He also was 10th in the Spring Talladega event but fell back at the finish of the fall event and finished 17th.

Considering Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500, six years ago, it will be a strong note that the team will continue to be contenders on the plate tracks this season.  Bayne has been strong since the get go on these fast paced drafting events and the Roush cars with the help of former crew chief Jimmy Fennig have remained fast at Daytona and Talladega.

No. 3 No More Stenhouse VS Bayne:  During the Media Day at Charlotte, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., both spoke about the importance of working together instead of against each other in 2017.  The two drivers have been teammates since 2010 when Bayne first arrived at Roush Fenway Racing after being let go by Michael Waltrip Racing after sponsorship issues.  For two years, Roush had a gimmick on social media called Ricky VS Trevor with many videos of them challenging each other to many things away from the track.

Bayne and Stenhouse worked well with one another in the NASCAR Xfinity Series together from 2010-2012 before Stenhouse was moved to Cup Series racing full-time in 2013.  The two have to share what they find with each other and make sure their crew chiefs and teams share the same line of thought.  Roush Fenway Racing's strongest years were when Mark Martin and Jeff Burton were able to work together as a solid pair in the sport and they made things work, along with their teams and crew chiefs.

No. 4 Remain Focused And Look Forward:  Last year, Trevor Bayne was able to work with an experienced spotter Roman Pemberton who finally was able to catch some of the issues going on while Bayne was driving the race car.  The biggest issue was his talking while driving the car and trying to telling Puccia and Pemberton what was going on every 2-3 laps.  Pemberton and Puccia calmed him down and got his focus more on the driving and letting them handle the car.  That needs to be more of the focus this season going forward.

No. 5 Roush Fenway Cars Need Improvement:  For the past few years, Trevor Bayne has had to hear the media and fans throw the comments at him and the problem is he has been driving cars that are midpack class since coming onto the Cup Series scene except for a few events.  The key changes in the off-season should provide some of that, as Kevin Kidd has provided some changes as the new Director for the Cup Series program. 

Both Bayne and Stenhouse have been acknowledged as mediocre at best drivers, but the fact is both drivers can race with the best of them.  It is the cars that are the biggest problem at Roush right now.  I think that some fans and media don't take into consideration that drivers who race cars such as these two have the last few years, it isn't always the driver, or even the crew chief for that matter.  If the team begins to get the cars better you will see the two drivers show a huge improvement on the track.

Bayne and Stenhouse ready to work together in 2017

Both drivers a year older, a year wiser and now having to do something that they have never done before at Roush Fenway Racing.  For the first time in Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse's careers they will be the two drivers going forward with the organization in 2017.

Trevor Bayne talks to the media on Tuesday

When Trevor Bayne first arrived on the scene at Roush Fenway in 2010, there was that little theme Ricky VS Trevor that went on for their first two seasons while running in the NASCAR Xfinity Series now the atmosphere and culture has taken a shift with the two drivers.  Now there is no Ricky VS Trevor, it is the two of them against the rest of the competitors. 

Bayne said during Roush Fenway's facebook live when he brought up the most asked question was what was going to be different being a two car team this year?

"We are excited to go to work together, I've been telling everybody early on when we were at Roush Fenway Racing it was always Ricky VS Trevor,  and I think we're kind of passed that.  That kind of mentality of which team is going to be the best on the race weekend and who's going to beat who, it's now going to be Ricky and Trevor verses every other organization, Roush Fenway verses Hendrick and Joe Gibbs and everybody else. 

"We know we have to work together to be the best we can be and help our guys out and keep them going through the whole season."

Stenhouse seemed to carry on Bayne's thoughts about the shift in the relationship at Roush Fenway for the new season. 

"Yeah I'm excited," stated Stenhouse.  "The guys in the shop are really working well together from both teams.  Even down to making parts for different generator carts, they'll make two for each of em.  They've just been really working really well together, so I'm excited to see that keep evolving over the year and I do think we have really good personnel in the right positions.  Everybody is wanting to make it the best year yet, that we have had, Trevor and I in our Cup careers and get Roush Fenway back to where they belong."

"With the people we moved around I feel like they are making their own race team, like they're working that hard; it's not just for someone else.  We all want to win.  I feel like we got the right people in the right places and we're ready for 2017."

Trevor Bayne 2017 Season Preview

Liberty National Life joins the 6 team in 2017

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season will mark his third full-time season in the premier series of NASCAR for Roush Fenway Racing.  After his first two seasons behind the wheel of a completely backed No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, there will be a change on the horizon for Trevor Bayne and his team this season with new sponsors on board for the 6 car.  November 30th, Liberty National Life joined the team, and just a couple of weeks ago it was announced that  Performance Plus Motor Oil will be a sponsor on Bayne's car.

The one thing staying the same this season is for the first time in Bayne's career he'll be able to have a familiary voice over the radio with crew chief Matt Puccia and spotter Roman Pemberton will be returning to work with Bayne this season on the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing team.  Last season both helped Bayne make big improvements on his first season in the premier division in NASCAR by having more top-fives, top-tens, laps led, better averages in start and finish, and a huge jump in his final position in the standings.

Matt Puccia returns as Bayne's crew cheif in 2017

This will be car owner Jack Roush's 30th season in the big leagues of the sport.  Dating back to when it first began when he signed newly inducted Hall of Fame driver Mark Martin in 1988, however, the team went through many changes in the off-season to try and help improve the team after another winless season went on the table in 2016.  Earlier this week, Ford's Global Director Pericak said that he was encouraged by the changes that Roush Fenway has made this off-season.

Kevin Kidd takes over as the competition director for the organization and Tommy Wheeler will now be the organizations operation director.  It was announced last week that Mark McArdle had parted ways with the team and went to Chip Ganassi Racing.  The other major change many fans probably have already heard went down, Roush Fenway Racing will go back to a two car team for the first time since 1995 when they were running Martin and Ted Musgrave in the 6 and 16.

The one thing that helps is Bayne and his teammate Ricky Stenhouse have worked together in the Xfinity Series as a two-car operation from 2011-2012.  They had great success as teammates in the series and the chemistry was well spread.

Bayne's strongest points last season was the two restrictor plate tracks and the concrete at Bristol and Dover.  If Roush Fenway can improve on its aerodynamic program and get the cars better on the intermediate tracks the competition line should be better at the organization. With Stewart Haas Racing joining Ford Performance this season it could be key for RFR to get back up front.  Ford has primarily relied on Roush and Team Penske for the last several years, now with a major four car operation moving in it could bring back a little bit of light to what Ford had in the late 90s with Roush, Robert Yates and Penske. 

Martin Gracefully takes his place in the Grandest Victory Lane of All

I did over 100 tweets this week with memories of Mark Martin's many wins, accomplishments and other moments in the sport of auto racing.  However it doesn't add up until you listen to what this small icon of a man had to say in front of many people last night in the NASCAR Hall of Fame while being inducted.

Mark Martin being introduced by Jack Roush Friday night

I can remember just about every win Mark Martin ever had in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford.  There was a special relationship between Martin and former car owner Jack Roush and you could tell it last night when the two were on stage with one another.  There will always be a special place for Mark Martin in the No. 6 car, he is the man that helped build this organization for Jack Roush brick by brick, layer by layer.

You rarely hear of second chance drivers successfully coming back and making it in this sport but Mark Martin is proof it can happen.  He overcame the obstacles and Jack Roush gave him that second chance to make it.

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Monster Energy Cup Series champion, and the man Mark Martin seemed to have hand picked in 1997 to be his protege to come to Roush's team was who introduced Martin on Friday night.

Martin reflected on the 1984 year, standing outside of Daytona International Speedway and looking through the fence at the cars, drivers, and teams working after he had lost his sponsorship for the Cup Series.  And then discussing second chances.

"Jack Roush gave me that second chance," Mark Martin said last night during his induction.  "Jack we battled side by side for nearly 20 years and I never once questioned your will to win or your determination to succeed.

"We not only won a lot of races, but you helped mold me into the man I am today.  I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me, everything, for the opportunity to even stand up here tonight on this stage, but more importantly the role you played in me becoming the person I am today."

There is a golden line of respect that Mark Martin represents and he is a rare breed.  The type that doesn't come along but ever so often and he has earned his place in more ways than just statistics. 

Martin thanked the many people that helped get him to the grandest victory of all.

"To every person that ever worked on any of our teams, I salute you," Martin said.  "This is your moment.  Our moment.  The road was long, and sometimes the mountain seemed insurmountable; but in the end, here we stand.  In the Grandest Victory Lane of all.  We made it to the NASCAR Hall of Fame."

Once again Mark Martin as he has for many years laid the credit to other people besides himself. A very graceful and humble speech from the veteran who many consider the best to never win a championship in NASCAR's premier series.  

Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick both got up before Mark Martin, each car owner had praise for the driver who won 40 times behind the wheel of a Cup Series car.  During the 1990s, Martin and Roush had some of the biggest championship battles with Childress and Dale Earnhardt and Hendrick and Jeff Gordon.  He eventually went on to race for Hendrick in 2009 and win 5 times.

I now get ready for the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series with Trevor Bayne.  There's still that brick that Mark Martin laid to this foundation for the driver I go for today.  I hope everyone that is a fan of this organization knows what kind of a true champion Mark Martin is.  I am grateful that Trevor Bayne has a lot of the same respectful qualities that Mark Martin did.  Respect, honesty, a handshake, a graceful speech to thank everyone that got you where you are today. 

It doesn't take a trophy to make you a true champion.  This man did it in every way on and off the track.  Here's to you Mark Martin, you did make it to the Grandest Victory Lane!  

Mark McArdle no longer part of Roush Fenway Racing team

After spending two seasons to try and help Roush Fenway Racing get back up to speed, highly respected veteran Mark McArdle has taken a position else where in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for 2017. 

McArdle will now be the competition director with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2017.

Mark Martin deserves the Hall of Fame Jacket

I was a little kid from a little town outside of Mark Martin's wife Arlene's family hometown of High Springs, Florida from

Mark Martin and his wife Arlene now share time together

Springs, Florida and my dad worked for Winn Dixie and amazingly one of the people that he got to train as a supervisor was Arlene's brother.  That is how I began my journey as a Mark Martin fan, I knew of Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott, Cale Yarborough and of course the King Richard Petty, but I wanted to go for someone different in this sport, someone that wasn't well known in the sport and Mark's brother in law told my dad about him. 

I am glad I took that chance on this amazing person that worked himself up through the toughest times, even overcoming alcoholism to become one of this sports biggest icon drivers it has ever had and most frankly ever will.  During the 90s, I can remember this little man coming through with Jack Roush in the No. 6 Fords, sponsored by Strohs Light, Folgers, Valvoline, Pfizer and AAA and he was called Mr. Intensity by many for his focus and deep determination.

Martin's career resulted in 40 Cup Series victories, 49 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and 7 truck wins.  Martin won five iconic IROC Series championships, three of which came in consecutive years 1996-1998 against some of the worlds greatest drivers.  While he did not get a Cup Series championship in his career, there are still some prestigious linings in Martin's career that helped get him into the Hall this year.  Mark Martin did something not even Dale Earnhardt did, he went 12 consecutive years finishing in the top-10 in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.

I wrote an article last week about how Carl Edwards fans were acting with his decision.  Drivers make their own decisions when to go, I thought in 2006 when Martin left Roush Fenway Racing his days were done.  He decided to come back and even came close to beating Jimmie Johnson in 2009 for the championship, but once again came up a little bit short.  It was the fifth time he had finished second to someone for a championship in his career (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2009.)

I go back to what I said about Edwards, drivers sometimes feel comfortable with their accomplishments in their careers.  Mark Martin had a career that started as a young kid, he had to come back a second time and make it into the sport again with a new organization.  I always go back to when Jack Roush first hired him and what the car owner says made his decision on hiring the Arkansas native to be his driver.

"When I sat down and talked with Mark, we talked for two-and-a-half hours and I gauged their interests and motivations," Jack Roush said during an interview with Claire B Lang a few years ago when Trevor Bayne was announced the driver of the 6 car.  "I drove away and we had not discussed how much money Mark would get paid.  He was more interested in who was going to work on the car, how many times we could test and if I could really afford to buy all the tires he would need and how long would I stay.

Mark Martin and Jack Roush shared a long-term relationship

"So they we interviewing me as I was interviewing them and we kind of made a handshakedeal and walked away and we had not made a commitment for Mark to get paid.  Of Course we got back together on that later and Mark helped develop the relationships we had sponsors later," Roush said.

Martin would go on to run Roush's cars over 600-plus events, and some of the most iconic paint schemes in the sport were in the red, white and blue Valvoline colors that Trevor Bayne has paid tribute to Martin with the last two seasons at Darlington.  I think of one word when I describe Mark Martin.  RESPECT.

He earned that from everyone around him in this sport.  If you grew up watching this sport in the 90s, you know exactly what I mean by that.  This was the guy that could beat you by being a smart driver, not by wrecking you.  He wouldn't race you hard the first five, the first 100, or even 200 laps, Mark Martin beat you the last miles of the race.  He was able to do it many times against Dale Earnhardt on the track.  I can remember their battle at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1990.  Also the Darlington Southern 500 in 1993 was another incredible battle that Martin and Earnhardt had in their careers, as Martin out dueled Earnhardt at the track.

I can remember Mark Martin during that 1998 season when his father passed away, he was heart

Martin's Winn Dixie Ford was a dominate force in the sport

broken when he lost at Michigan the weekend he lost his dad.  But he came back at Bristol Motor Speedway the week later and dominated the field and he thanked the fans.  He dominated the Busch Series at the time, not Xfinity Series with the iconic No. 60 Winn Dixie sponsored Fords, and had Martin ran the amount of races that Kyle Busch did through the years, who knows the win total he would have amassed compared to Kyle Busch right now.  Martin only ran 10-14 races per season because of his sponsor being located in the Southeast United States. 

So this Saturday when Mark Martin and the other four are inducted into the Hall of Fame, he'll finally garner that title he deserved.  No it's not the championship everyone thought he deserved, it will be Hall of Fame driver Mark Martin.  Well done Mark!

My Letter To Carl Edwards Fans

So I've been putting a lot of thought into what I would write this week since all of this got announced over the past few days about Carl Edwards giving up full-time racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the future.  So I've been reading comment after from fans about this situation, some have some heartfelt thought put into them, some are just plain ignorant and egotistical when you read them.

Mark Martin was a big reason I became a Trevor Bayne fan

First thing I really think about is a comment that I read when all of this first came out "I won't be watching NASCAR now that Carl Edwards has given it up."  I am going to say this to every fan that has posted this comment or even thought about it, by golly you must not have been a NASCAR fan if one driver was the reason you watched it.  I was a Mark Martin fan longer than any fan Carl Edwards has and let me tell you, it was hard the day Mark decided in 2006 to give up full-time racing with Roush Fenway Racing.  However, I picked up a new driver and began to go for him and yes it was Edwards until he left Roush a couple of years ago.  I have a lot of memories of Mark Martin from the first time he ran at Roush until the end, he was the driver that I admired and respected because of what he went through to get to become a Hall of Fame driver.

He is a big reason I became a fan of Trevor Bayne.  While I followed Bayne from the first time he ran at MWR, I didn't know much about him until he got into one of the Roush cars.  Then Mark Martin did his little announcement about Bayne becoming the driver of the 6 and I knew I had made the right decision for my future driver. 

The second thing is, fans that want to say it is "owed to them to know all the reasons why Edwards is giving this up," has something that they need to realize as well.  These guys do work themselves up to get to where they are at, it is their decision when and where to call it quits.  Yes we fans buy jackets, diecast, t-shirts and everything else with their name and number on it, however; it isn't none of our business if they don't want us to know their reason for giving something up.  It is no different than you or I walking away from a career after 13 years. 

I cringe when I read comments from some of Edwards fans that really think that they're owed

Trevor Bayne shaking Carl Edwards hand in 2011 in Victory Lane

something for being a fan all of these years.  Let me tell you, I supported Mark Martin for 20-plus years and never once did I think I was owed a dime for supporting him or he needed to explain a decision to me.  However, I knew when Mark said something it was honestly given and he was going to do something right.  He may have stepped a little out of the way when he decided to come back in 2007 and yes run for the team at the time I couldn't stand the most, but I still respect him to this day.

Thirdly, this is not football or baseball folks.  If you root for a driver you know sometime down the line that driver is going to at one point step away from this sport at some time or another.  Unless you are like myself, who followed one particular player his entire football career (Peyton Manning) you probably go for a team in football and people are always being replaced in ball sports.  In auto racing, most of the time fans stay with a driver until they retire unless something happens (yes it did with me and Edwards in 2014, I don't need to explain.) 

I know many people that were fans Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki that had very deep emotions of those two drivers dying in air accidents in 1993.  However, they moved on and found new drivers to go for in this sport.  It is part of the sport, it changes, the drivers come and go every year that time passes by and Carl Edwards is just another one to go through that line up. 

Performance Plus Motor Oil becomes the third sponsor for Bayne in 2017

Roush Fenway Racing and Kleen Performance Products announced today that they have extended their partnership to become a team wide partnership.  The deal will make Performance Plus Motor Oil, it's premium brand oil the official oil of Roush Fenway Racing and become a primary sponsor on Trevor Bayne's No. 6 Ford Fusion for multiple events in 2017. 

"We are extremely pleased to continue our relationship with the Performance Plus brand and have them on board as our official oil partner," said team owner Jack Roush.  "The partnership reflects Roush Fenway's commitment to using the highest-quality products in our race cars.  Performance Plus not only protects engines, but it provides us a competitive edge on the race track."

"This partnership allows us to continue our affiliation and showcase the performance of our oil under the demanding conditions of of NASCAR racing," said Mark Bouldin, president of Kleen Performance Products.  "Running our oil in military vehicles around the globe and in race cars across North America provides today's drivers with the confidence to use our oil in their everyday vehicles."

This is the third sponsorship announcement for Trevor Bayne and the No. 6 team for the 2017 season, as of today.  It was announced in early November that AdvoCare would serve as the Anchor partner in the deal for the next three seasons with Bayne and the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford Fusion.  Earlier in December Liberty Life announced that they would be on board for five races in 2017.

2016 Paint Scheme Review

Trevor Bayne ran several paint schemes through the 2016 season with AdvoCare as his only main sponsor on the No. 6 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the No. 60 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in one event this year.  AdvoCare has been the only primary sponsor on Bayne's No. 6 car since 2014, that will change next season when Liberty National Life joins the team.

The Primary AdvoCare Paint Scheme:

AdvoCare's primary paint scheme consisted of a blue and white paint scheme, with red numbering on the car; while it had a checkered pattern down the side of the car.  The paint scheme ran in all but five of the 36 races this season, Bayne collected his first top-five finish since winning the Daytona 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in April driving this paint scheme under the lights at his home state track when the rain came in during the afternoon.  Bayne also scored a top-five finish at Daytona in July. 

AdvoCare/Seal Legacy Chief Warrant Officer (CW4) Jason McCormack paint scheme:  Trevor Bayne piloted a special blue, red, and silver AdvoCare/Seal Legacy Ford Fusion at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May in the Coca-Cola 600.  It was part of the "600 miles of Remembrance" at the 1.5 mile speedway. 

Bayne's car had Chief Warrant Officer Jason McCormack on the windshield of the car, and an American Flag and Blue hood.  Sgt. McCormack enlisted in the United States Army as a Ford Observer on June 21, 1995.   He died while conducting a training flight in South Korea on November 23, 2015.  He was survived by his wife, Sadie, and their two children son Cameron and daughter Addison.

Bayne finished 25th in the Coca-Cola 600 in the car.

No. 6 and No. 60 AdvoCare Blue Raspberry Spark 

AdvoCare gave fans and their distributors a surprise at Watkins Glen International in August when Trevor Bayne ran both events at the 2.45 mile road course in New York.  AdvoCare wouldn't let it out until the race weekend what was on their two cars for the weekend.  

On Friday afternoon, Bayne showed up with matching paint schemes at the track for AdvoCare's new flavor Blue Raspberry in Spark.  Bayne would qualify 32nd in the Sprint Cup Series side, and 7th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series side.  His qualifying efforts did not reflect his goals, as Bayne would finish fifth, even after an early incident with Brad Keselowski on Saturday.  On Sunday, he would finish ninth after starting back in the 32nd position with a little bit of strategy from crew chief Matt Puccia.

Mark Martin Throwback

For the second consecutive season, Roush Fenway Racing and Trevor Bayne paid tribute to their legendary Hall of Fame driver Mark Martin at Darlington Raceway.  This time with a paint scheme that reflected Mark Martin's 1996-1997 seasons, where he would record 3 wins and finish third in the points in 1997.
Bayne looked to have a strong race going at Darlington before the engine let go 161 laps into the event and he would finish in 40th.
 
 #AdvoStrong Ford Fusion

 AdvoCare gave fans a chance to have their image put on the paint scheme of the No. 6 #AdvoStrong Ford Fusion at Talladega Superspeedway in October.  Fans could submit their image and get it put on the solid blue Ford Fusion with white lettering and red numbers.  

Trevor Bayne would start the event in 11th and finish 17th while racing the paint scheme at the fastest and biggest track on the circuit.  


AdvoCare/Seal Legacy Ford Fusion

Trevor Bayne showed up to AdvoCare's home track with a special paint scheme honoring the Seal Legacy program at Texas Motor Speedway in November.  It was the second time during the season that AdvoCare & Seal Legacy had partnered together.

The paint scheme was a golden/yellow and blue with a shadow of a Navy Seal diver under the AdvoCare logo on the rear quarter panel.  The AdvoCare logo on the hood was shadowed in as well.  Bayne would pilot the car to a 30th place finish at the track.


Fans Tell us what your favorite paint scheme from Trevor's 2016 season was in the comment section below!