In only his second NASCAR Cup Series start, a day after celebrating his 20th birthday, Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011. Ten years later, Bayne has since returned home to Knoxville, Tennessee, and back to his roots of dirt racing. He steers a 604 late model at nearby tracks, such as 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, Tennessee, last weekend.
“In 2012, when I was running with the Wood Brothers part-time [in the NASCAR Cup Series] and Roush [Fenway Racing] part-time on the Xfinity [Series] side, I ran a dirt [late model] eight races or so and had a blast,” said Bayne, now 30 years old. “I grew up around dirt late models and started in dirt go-karts. A lot of the people I raced against [in go-karts] … race dirt late models now.”
Trevor Bayne raced go-karts from age five to age 12, and then progressed through the ranks on pavement. In 187 starts across nine years in the NASCAR Cup Series, he earned five top-fives and 16 top-10s. Besides the Daytona 500 win, Bayne never punched another ticket to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“The fact I had the opportunity to do it at the highest level … and win the biggest race — that’s unbelievable,” Bayne said. “Do I wish I had won more races and had some opportunities with some of the teams that were on top of their game at the time? Of course. But, I had a great time doing it and I’m thankful for it.”
At the end of 2018, Bayne became a free agent. With no suitable opportunities available, he moved back home to Knoxville, Tennessee. For nearly all his life, Trevor Bayne focused on racing. Now, he had to transition into his next phase of life.
“To a lot of people, I’m still a race car driver,” said Bayne. “To me, I’m just a dad, a husband, and a business owner who likes to go race every now and then.”
A lot has changed in 10 years. Bayne, now married, has three kids, with another on the way. He owns a coffee shop, Mahalo Coffee Roasters, and operates a small farm.
“Now, it’s a lot more chaos,” Bayne said of his day-to-day life compared to his NASCAR days. “I didn’t know what a real job was until I opened my coffee shop. My kids are getting older. I’ve got a farm, this dirt racing … I am nonstop, but it’s good.”
Last year, Bayne got a call from an old friend and colleague, Cody Efaw. Efaw works as the general manager for Niece Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team.
“Cody was a car chief on my Xfinity Series car at Roush,” said Bayne. “[Niece Motorsports] was struggling last year and asked if I could help evaluate their program and give them some feedback. What started out as one or two races turned into eight. I had a good time doing it, but it wasn’t something I was trying to make a career out of again.”
Bayne notched two top 10s in Niece Motorsports livery, with a best finish of second at Talladega Superspeedway in October. Bayne, however, had his eyes set on another ride.
“I had started out last year wanting to do [dirt late model racing], wanting to build a car and go race,” Bayne said. “The Truck deal kind of sidetracked me for a year.”
Bayne made his dirt late model debut last month during the American All-Star Series event at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tennessee — coincidentally a track that held 12 events in what would become the NASCAR Cup Series, from 1965 to 1971. He started 21st at event that drew 39 entries. Bayne finished 21st of the 24 cars that took the green.
“I loved driving and missed it,” said Bayne. “I’ve got a lot to learn about track conditions. I did that [reading track changes] in go-karts, but that’s been years. I want to figure out how to set up my own cars. It’s a different approach than what I had in the Cup Series, where you have engineers and you’re just giving feedback. Now, I’m here, turning every wrench, working on this thing to dial it in.”
Bayne returned to the track this past weekend at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, Tennessee. Of the 35 cars entered, he qualified through the B-main and finished 15th in the feature. In addition to Bayne racing his dirt late model, his younger brother, Trey Bayne, 17, will also steer the car.
“My dad [Rocky Bayne] is a big part of this,” Bayne said. “We’ve raced together my whole life. My brother, Trey, they’ve got their pavement stuff in Florida. They’re trying to figure out if they’re going dirt racing or pavement racing. Trey’s going to drive this [dirt late model] at Smoky Mountain in July. If I can get them into the dirt stuff, it’ll be a lot of fun, for sure.”
Trevor Bayne seems more focused — and more grounded — than ever. He loves his family. He enjoys growing his business. And, he’s all smiles back in the seat of a race car.
“This is about fun,” said Bayne. “This isn’t about anything else, but having a blast doing it.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
