In 2010 he competed in the Texas 500 for the Wood Brothers team. He started 26th and finished in a creditable 17th position. So with his name starting to be heard among teams and fans alike , in 2011 he had to make an impression.
He stayed with the the Wood Brothers and entered the most prestigious event in NASCAR. The Daytona 500. If there was ever a stage to make a name for yourself this was it. And he succeded. The 20 year old in just his second race and the day before his birthday became the winner of the Daytona 500. His name was being spoke of all around the world. He was in constant interviews and being praised by the fans.
But after that the question was could he repeat such a performance or was it just a one off? In race 2 of the season Bayne could only manage a disheartening 40th place. But every driver has bad days and people had to remember he was just 21 years of age.In the aftermath of the Samsung 500 , Bayne was hospitalized with a spider bite. He was released on the Wednesday and still raced at Talledega showing his racing spirit and passion for his job. However the illness caught up with him after Nashville and he was back in hospital for 5 weeks!
Overall 2011 was a topsy turvy season for the hotshot. He has been at the very highest of points and the lowest. But in his debut season he has shocked crowds , taken a win at one of the most renowned events in motorsport , fought off an illness to compete and made some fantastic overtaking moves.
In 2012 the focus needs to be consistency. He has to constantly be at his best and stay out of trouble and that will come in time. Right now he needs to keep his head focused on testing and getting the car ready for Daytona. Who knows , maybe he could repeat last years result and produce many more. All he needs to do is keep calm and steer clear of incidents. If he can learn this within the 2012 season , we could see a new major contender for the Sprint Cup!
