Daytona 500 champ Bayne can’t repeat on track

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne was hoping for a repeat trip to Victory Lane at Daytona. Instead, he got an early exit.

Bayne wrecked on the fifth lap of Saturday’s race and finished 40th, ending his return to Sprint Cup competition way sooner than he hoped.

Bayne was running in tandem with Brad Keselowski, but Keselowski turned Bayne around when he seemingly started pushing too close to the left rear. “I don’t know if I turned down more getting in (turn one) or if he kind of came up across our bumper,” Bayne said. “Either way, our bumpers caught wrong and it sent us spinning.”

Bayne’s season has been a whirlwind.

He became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in February, but he failed to capitalize on his surprise victory. He soon found himself in the Mayo Clinic being treated for what he believes was Lyme disease. After taking several weeks off, Bayne returned for the Nationwide race at Chicagoland but felt run down. He was hoping to find more normalcy at Daytona, but ended up with a short stint behind the wheel.

“I can’t explain what I’ve been through this year,” Bayne said.

Associated Press