Bayne continues to make the gains in 2017

Bayne has had a lot to smile about in 2017

It was a year ago that Trevor Bayne really began to start showing some of the same promise that he did when he first arrived on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit in 2010.  He is coming off an 11th place finish in the Food City 500 on Monday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway and continues to be in contention to make the playoffs. 

Where was Trevor Bayne at in 2016 at this points in the season compared to this season? 

He was five positions behind where he stands now in 15th.  He has gradually made improvement on his average finish position from a year ago.  Last year Bayne was at 19.0, this season he has a 14.2 average finish position in the first 8 races of the season.  Then there is a big 100% on a certain statistics that many fans don't look at.  He has completed every single lap so far this season on the schedule. 

Sure he only has one top-ten finish so far this season, however, Bayne remains consistent and keeps running top-15 finishes to the statistic sheet.  He was able to score a couple of stage points for finishing ninth in the second stage of the event on Monday afternoon.  His only finish outside of the top-20 this season came at Fontana when he and teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr., had a mishap in the final laps of the event and Bayne admitted later on about wrecking Stenhouse. 

There is a difference in Trevor Bayne this season when it comes to his aggression on the track.  On Monday afternoon, it didn't appear he was going to be making many friends; most especially with fellow Ford driver Clint Bowyer who he had contact with midway through the race.  However, that is one thing I believe Bayne has needed to have for several seasons.  He doesn't need to take any crap from others on the track and one of the biggest reasons that he has had to has been the cars he has raced since his first season in the No. 6 car. 

The equipment at RFR had been a very big issue when it came to the results for Bayne and his teammate Ricky Stenhouse.  I feel somewhere down the line there was something missing with some key personnel in the organization including a driver.  I think the two seasons before this year (2015, 2016) Greg Biffle might have been a big part of the issues that were going on with the team. 

The No. 6 AdvoCare Crew has been a big part of the
improvement in 2017 for Bayne.

Many questioned the move that was made last year when Jack Roush and long-time veteran driver Greg Biffle parted ways with a mutual agreement.  There was a lot of fans that didn't believe that the youth that was spread from Bayne and Stenhouse could improve the Roush Fenway Racing organization; however, the first eight races are a sign they are turning the team around with the changes that were made to the team on the inside in the off-season.

Crew Chief Matt Puccia continues to keep making the right calls during the events to get Bayne's
race cars better throughout the day.  The chemistry between the driver and crew chief continues to remain smooth and spotter Roman Pemberton continues to keep Bayne out of trouble.  The other huge improvement this season came from the No. 6 AdvoCare crew on pit road.  If the team isn't making gains on pit road, they're not losing spots, at least very often.  So that is a huge plus compared to 2016.

There's a lot to thank Jack Roush on his birthday

It was August 2010, Trevor Bayne had lost his deal with Michael Waltrip Racing because of sponsorship issues with Out! Pet Care not going through for the rest of the season.  It didn't take long for Jack Roush to come calling and put Trevor Bayne in one of his cars for the remainder of the season. 

It was the first of many times Trevor Bayne probably can thank his boss along the lines of his career to getting into the No. 6 car.  I don't think that there is another car owner in the garage area that would have stuck by his drivers the way that Roush has in these struggling times but for Bayne there's more to it than the struggling.

When Bayne came down with multiple sclerosis in 2011 after winning the 500, no one really knew at the time what he had.  Bayne first began to feel a numbness in his arm during a race at Texas in 2011, six weeks after he won the Daytona 500.  It was during that time he felt it was related to an insect bite on his elbow that had become irritated and developed into a rash on his arm. 

He was then admitted to the Mayo Clinic three weeks later for nausea, fatigue and double division.  He would undergo a spinal tap, the doctors at the clinic would rule out Lyme disease and discharged him with a diagnosis of "inflammatory condition." 

It would take almost two years before the clinic would eventually find he had MS.   The question is, had Bayne been with any other car owner during this time table would he still have kept his ride with the organization?  I highly doubt it.  Roush kept him on the roster and when the sponsorship came he was moved to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2015 with AdvoCare as his full-time sponsorship. 

Jack Roush celebrated his 75th birthday today.  And it doesn't appear he is going to be giving up anytime soon on his organization. So right now there is a lot to thank Jack Roush for if you are a Trevor Bayne fan!

Bayne looks to continue Bristol consistency

With just over 114 miles between Trevor Bayne's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee and Bristol, it has always been considered his home track on the NASCAR circuit.  It was where he made his first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2009 in the No. 52 Taco Bell Chevrolet and where he scored his first top-five in the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford for Roush Fenway Racing last April. 

The track has had its ups and downs on Trevor Bayne throughout the years but this weekend he looks to continue a string of solid finishes that he has been having at the concrete half mile in the last two years.  Bayne has finished inside the top-15 the last three events at Bristol, including a career best in this event last April where he finished fifth at the track. 

Don't look for Bayne's consistency at the track to slow down this weekend either.  Bayne and his team have been able to find a little more speed during the 2017 season with their race cars and if the cautions work out correctly and Bayne remains on the lead lap he can get another solid finish at the track.