LONG POND — Trevor Bayne’s first visit to Pocono Raceway in June was somewhat successful. He won the ARCA Series race, then finished a respectable 24th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
The 24-year-old, first-year driver of the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing is eager to get back to the 2.5-mile triangular track in Long Pond this weekend for the Windows 10 400.
“I learned a lot,” Bayne said. “Obviously, I was at ground zero. I had never been here before, never seen the place before. I had to start at the bottom and learn everything there is to know about the place.
“Since Pocono, I feel like our cars have come to life. I think we’re making progress, so coming back here we’ve got something to look forward to.”
Bayne noted that the eight weeks between the season’s two races at Pocono are the closest together on
the schedule. So much of what he learned is still fresh in his mind.
“It’s not like Phoenix, where it’s the second or third race and then it’s the second-to-last race,” he said. “It’s almost like a new season by the time you go back.”
Although it is a different series, winning the ARCA race at Pocono seemed to give Bayne a boost. It was his first visit to Victory Lane since he won the Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series race at Iowa in June 2013.
In three of the next four Sprint Cup races after Pocono, Bayne posted his best stretch of finishes. He had a pair of ninth-place efforts at Michigan and Daytona and was 13th at Kentucky. He has taken a step back in the last two races, finishing 32nd at New Hampshire and 40th due to a late crash Sunday at Indianapolis.
While confidence and momentum are nice, Bayne believes the real reason for his improvement is a by-product of the team and organization’s hard work.
“(Crew chief) Bob (Osborne) and I have figured out our language together,” Bayne said. “I’ve learned the words that provoke him to make the right changes. He’s learned what my words mean and how big of a scale they’re on.
“Plus, our pit stops have gotten better, our crew guys have gotten faster making changes during practice so we’re not losing as much practice time.
“The bodies and aero have gotten better, our chassis have gotten stronger. All those pieces add up to results. It’s not one guy’s confidence or willingness to work harder. It’s such a group effort.”
It is difficult to believe that last month was the first time Bayne raced at Pocono. After all, he made his Sprint Cup Series debut in November 2010 at Texas. In his second career start, he won the 2011 Daytona 500 one day after his 20th birthday, becoming the youngest driver to accomplish the feat.
Until this season, however, he drove for the famed Wood Brothers on a part-time basis. While Bayne loved being with that organization, not running full time made it difficult to put together any type of consistency.
Winning the Daytona 500 at such a young age and so early in his career certainly created opportunities for Bayne. It also created a lot of expectations.
That is why Bayne considers this season, running full time for Roush Fenway, somewhat of a restart for him. He is not a rookie, but he is acting like one, trying to be a sponge and soak up as much as he can.
“You get a lot of hype, then if you don’t meet expectations within a year or two, they write you off,” Bayne said. “That’s why I’m starting fresh this year. There were a lot of expectations put on me, but we really were a part-time team running once every three weeks, which is hard to be competitive. Now, I get to come in a build a normal career that most people have. My career’s been anything but normal.”
In November 2013, Bayne announced he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He said he feels great and hasn’t had to take any medication or alter his routine.
“I can train as hard as I want to, get as hot as I want to, run, do whatever with no effects,” Bayne said. “I’ve been really blessed. I really don’t think about it daily.”
Instead, he can focus on learning lessons and getting better.
The Windows 10 400 weekend at Pocono Raceway kicks off Friday for Bayne and the rest of the Sprint Cup drivers. Practice is 11 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. with qualifying scheduled for 4:45 p.m. There are two practice sessions Saturday from 9-9:50 a.m. and 11:35 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. Sunday, the Windows 10 400 will get the green flag shortly after 1:30 p.m.
Pocono schedule
Friday
11 a.m to 12:25 p.m. —- Sprint Cup practice
12:30-1:55 p.m. — ARCA practice
2-4:25 p.m. — Truck Series practice
4:45 p.m. — Sprint Cup qualifying
6 p.m. — ARCA qualifying
Saturday
9 to 9:50 a.m. — Sprint Cup practice
10 a.m. — Truck Series qualifying
11:35 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. — Sprint Cup final practice
1 p.m. — Pocono Mountains 150 Truck Series race
3:15 p.m. — ModSpace 125 ARCA Series race
Sunday
1 p.m. — Driver introductions
1:30 p.m. — Windows 10 400 Sprint Cup race