When Trevor Bayne was in the process of switching race teams last season, his cell phone rang one day while he was home in Tennessee.
Trevor Bayne Still Impressed By NASCAR Driver Phone Calls
On the other end was Carl Edwards, who encouraged him to join Roush Fenway Racing and told the young Bayne the organization wanted to help his career.
Bayne hung up, secretly thrilled by the call, and his friends looked at him in amazement.
“My buddies at home are like, ‘Dude, you were just on the phone with Carl Edwards?! What is that!?’” Bayne said with a wide grin. “I’ve just lost perspective because I’m in Mooresville a lot and around the shop, and I’m just used to it. But when you get outside of that (bubble), it’s like, ‘Wow, this is a big deal!’”
Bayne is planning to drive 17 Cup races for Wood Brothers Racing this season – though he could drive more if additional sponsorship is found.
He’s been recognized throughout the garage as an up-and-comer in the sport – a rarity in the current climate who has worked his way up to Sprint Cup based on talent, not money.
Because of that, several top drivers have offered Bayne unsolicited advice behind the scenes – Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick among them.
“(Johnson) has always been out-of-his-way nice to me, which is something you wouldn’t expect a five-time champion to do,” Bayne said. “If I’m walking down pit road, even if I’m on the other side, he always comes to me.
“At Texas, I was standing there before qualifying and he was like, ‘Hey, just keep your blinders on. Stay focused on your goals.’ That’s something he’s incredible at – being able to block out everything. So I gotta take that advice and run with it.”
Bayne drew Harvick’s attention at the spring Dover Nationwide race last year. After a wreck in which Bayne hurt his foot, Harvick asked to speak with the young driver.
"Kevin Harvick, believe it or not, has played an instrumental role," Bayne said. "A lot of younger guys think he pushes them around, but for some reason, we've clicked.
“He called me over to his trailer at Dover and said, ‘Man, I don’t know what’s going on, but I feel like I want to help you.’”
Harvick told Bayne not to race every lap like it was the last lap, and instead find a rhythm to pace himself throughout the races. Bayne said he took the advice to heart.
And though Bayne has made only one Cup start (he finished 17th in the fall race at Texas last season), the youngster is bursting with optimism for 2011.
“I would love to say we could be a competitive, top-15 team,” he said. “I don’t know that, because we haven’t been on the track yet. But if it’s anything like Texas, there’s no doubt in my mind we can be a top-15 team every week.”
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