Bayne made best move long before Daytona 500 win

February 20, 2011 6 Comments »

The names of NASCAR could-have-beens stretch longer than the hauler ride from Daytona back to Charlotte.

Todd Kluever. Stephen Leicht. Eric Darnell. We could argue all day whether they didn’t quite have the talent, or if opportunity just didn’t present itself at the right time.

Regardless, their stories teach an important lesson. If that window to greatness cracks open just an inch, then loyalty needs to be discarded just as easily as a soaked oil rag.

When Trevor Bayne left Diamond-Waltrip Racing for Roush-Fenway Racing last year, he knew he would have to endure a stretch of being labeled as ungrateful. Diamond-Waltrip brought him to the dance and gave him equipment good enough to become a Nationwide qualifying juggernaut. The “right thing,” to many, would have been Bayne staying put even though Diamond-Waltrip couldn’t promise him a full Nationwide season in 2011, much less any sniff of a Sprint Cup cameo.

Bayne, clean-cut and religious as he is, was also savvy enough to see a part-time Nationwide ride as a potential career killer. Displaying mental toughness well beyond his years, he maneuvered through a difficult crossroads, just as handily as he negotiated the draft on his way to a storybook Daytona 500 win.

Talk about the stars aligning. From the full-time Nationwide ride with Roush-Fenway came the opportunity to drive for the iconic Wood Brothers, which needed something special to become relevant again.

Mission accomplished. You can just picture the Ford commercials with Bayne and David Pearson, talking about how the storied team has finally come full-circle. Additional sponsors will follow, allowing the Wood Brothers to return to a full-time schedule, either this year or in 2012.

Had Bayne not had the guts to walk, he’d be babysitting Travis Pastrana for Michael Waltrip right now.

If he’s always this instinctive on the track, we haven’t seen anything yet.

  • David Dubczak

    It wasn’t Bayne’s choice to leave Diamond-Waltrip Racing. They let him go. He had an option in his contract that needed to be picked up mid-season and Waltrip didn’t pick up the option.

    • admin

      Hi,

      Yes, it was Bayne’s choice to leave. You have to look past the contract and see what actually happened. Technically, he was released, but only because he had a full-season ride lined up someplace else. He could have stayed at Diamond-Waltrip because they did have partial sponsorship for 2011. Larry Mac specifically mentioned during a broadcast of practice that he could be facing some backlash for seeming disloyal. The post is accurate.

  • Joe White

    Well I don’t think their will be any backlash at all. It was presented to us fan as Waltrip cutting him loose. I see it as GREAT if Ford actually got a great driver from another make and the fact that it’s toyota makes it even better. I see Kasey Kahne as disloyal. He has dumped Ford twice and they brought him to the dance. Only a paid toyota spokesman like D.W. or Larry Mac would see it disloyal on Trevor’s part. Great race, great job Trevor, Wood Brothers, Roush Yates engines and Ford Racing!!

  • Buzz

    I don’t think there was a question of the “right” thing to do. One could argue that the “right” thing for Diamond-Waltrip to do would have been to provide Bayne a full-time Nationwide ride since he had also “brought them to the dance”, so to speak. I think as long as contractual obligations were fulfilled to each party’s satisfaction, then the rest of us have no business saying either party was disloyal. Diamond-Waltrip racing and Trevor Bayne mutually agreed upon terms of separation and it required nothing from the court system, unlike Kasey Kahne’s departure from the Ford camp (another driver deemed “disloyal”). Trevor Bayne’s situation and Kasey Kahne’s situation are a contrast, not a comparison.

  • Wayne F Vesely

    Seems to me like ” You can stay but we don’t have sponsorship and may not be able to field a car for you” is as good as letting him go. And by the way we have Truax’s younger brother waiting for your seat. Let’s face it, Jack Roush quickly picked him up and fielded unsponsored cars for him. If Waltrip really wanted him he could have kept him. You can’t blame Bayne for this, it’s Waltrip who seems to have made a huge mistake.

  • http://space-tours.crossfingers.info/ Richard Parker

    I’m not certain Pastrana will be a victorious driver. He is a skilled man in other fields, but I don’t see him winning a race. He has too many experienced opponents.