Bayne, Edwards Talk Daytona Strategy; Shootout Video

Bayne, Edwards Talk Daytona Strategy; Shootout Video

FEB. 21, 2012


This week marks the official start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season with the Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races on Thursday and the 54th Daytona 500 on Sunday. Pole-sitter Carl Edwards and defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne spoke about what kind of racing they’re expecting to see in both events.

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion -- WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING IN THE DAYTONA 500?

“It’s going to be a race of restraint for the drivers because you can really take chances and you can make some things happen. I think Kyle showed that to everybody. You can really hang it out there, but this isn’t gonna be the Budweiser Shootout, this is the Daytona 500 and there’s more on the line. People are gonna be thinking about their seasons on the whole and the chance of winning this race, so I think you’re gonna see one where people are patient and considerate and then for the last two laps it’s all gonna just go out the window.

WHAT ABOUT THE DUEL RACES?

“I have no clue how the duels are gonna go. I think until we understand exactly what everybody is racing for and who is trying to do what, there are gonna be guys in the duel that are racing for everything and they’re gonna take those chances, and there are gonna be guys with really good 500 cars are just gonna do what they can to survive that race.

DeeDee 02-22-2012 07:00 PM

Bayne Will Defend Daytona 500

Qualifying Mission Accomplished: Bayne Will Defend Daytona 500

February 19, 2012

For the past year Trevor Bayne and his No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion team have been referred to as the defending Daytona 500 champions. But to actually defend their title, they first had to earn a starting spot in this year’s Great American Race.

Since Bayne and his Wood Brothers team run a partial schedule, they’re not among the top 35 teams in car owner points, a group that is guaranteed a starting spot for upcoming races.

That meant Bayne had to either be one of the three fastest of those outside the top 35 in pole qualifying or race his way into the 500 in Thursday’s Gatorade Duels, a risky proposition at best.

DeeDee 02-19-2012 07:00 PM

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – Ford’s Bayne Makes Beach Course Run

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – Ford’s Bayne Makes Beach Course Run

February 17, 2012 Daytona International Speedway

Trevor Bayne, the defending champion of the Daytona 500, officially kicked off NASCAR’s portion of Daytona Speedweeks by driving the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion along the old beach course en route to Daytona International Speedway. Below are comments from Bayne and co-owners Eddie and Len Wood from today’s press conference.

TREVOR BAYNE – No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion – “This is probably the coolest thing I’ve got to do outside of actually racing on other tracks. As a racecar driver you watch races of the beaches and I wish we could come back here and get the groove all rutted up and try to miss the potholes, but this is an unbelievable feeling – being on the beach where it all started. This is history right here. I almost want to bottle up the sand and take it with me because this is where it started for Daytona, this is where it started for NASCAR and I’m just glad to be a part of it. I’m glad I get to be the first driver to do this because this is a really cool tradition. They also told me I get to do some donuts at an intersection a little later on, so I’m pretty pumped about that. The difference is the police are actually leading me this time, instead of following me when I do them. It would be one thing to drive a street car down this beach, but to be in the 21 car and sitting here I feel like I’m a part of history and that’s pretty cool.”

DeeDee 02-18-2012 07:00 PM

Bayne and the Woods Return to Daytona as Defending Daytona 500 Champions

Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers are back at Daytona International Speedway as the defending Daytona 500 champions, reflecting on the big win of a year ago, but, more importantly, focusing on this year’s Great American Race.

Eddie Wood, co-owner of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion, said he spent some of his first days of Speedweeks 2012 thinking about the team’s triumph last year, a victory that kicked off a strong year for both NASCAR and the Wood Brothers.

“It’s good to be back down here and re-live some of the simple things that didn’t seem that significant until you come back and start remembering them,” Wood said, explaining that even a couple of stops at of his family’s favorite restaurants, the Daytona Beach Steak ’n Shake and The Porto Fino Restaurant, evoke memories of their storybook Speedweeks.

DeeDee 02-18-2012 07:00 PM