MWR NEWS: Trevor Bayne - US Cellular 250 Preview

NOTES:

This week’s No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota at Iowa Speedway … Trevor Bayne will pilot Chassis No. 052 from the Michael Waltrip Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable this weekend at Iowa Speedway. A new chassis for the 2009 season that Bayne drove at Nashville Superspeedway. The Knoxville, Tenn., native qualified this No. 99 Aaron’s Dream machine second and was involved in an incident just past the halfway point and finished 28th.

Nationwide Stats … In seven NNS starts, the 18-year-old driver has a 9.4 starting average coupled with a 17.3 finishing average. He has completed 1,454 of the 1,574 total laps run this season.

Iowa Series Debut … This weekend the Nationwide Series rolls into Iowa Speedway for the inaugural NNS race at the .875-mile track, as Bayne jumps behind the wheel of the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota. In 2008, Bayne competed in the NASCAR Camping World East Series race. The rookie driver stared sixth and finished third.

Vote, Vote, Vote … Go to www.nascar.com and cast your votes for Bayne as the 2009 Most Popular Driver of the Year Award. Fans may vote or submit a write-in candidate once per day and are encouraged to vote throughout the season. Voting ends Oct. 31 for the NNS. Results will be announced at each of the respective series’ season-end banquets.

After 20 … Over the season’s first 20 races, the No. 99 team has notched four top-10 and 11 top-15 finishes. The MWR team sits 16th in the owners’ point standings. They are only 76 points behind the No. 27 entry owned by Mike Curb in 15th.

Online with the Times … To keep up with the latest news and information about Bayne visit his official website at www.trevorbayne.com. For minute-to-minute info about Bayne and the rest of the MWR crew, check out www.twitter.com/aaronssports.

Meet the Press … Bayne will be available inside the Iowa Speedway infield media center Sat., July 31 at 2:45 p.m. local time to field questions from the gathered media.

Autograph Signing … Bayne will sign autographs on Sat., Aug. 1 from 10 – 11 a.m. local time under the Manatt Grandstand at the north end of the Iowa Speedway concourse.

Race Broadcast Information … The US Cellular 250 will be televised live on ESPN Sat., Aug. 1 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Qualifying for the 21st event of the 2009 NNS season will air on ESPN2, the same day, at 1 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will also air live updates of time trials.

TREVOR BAYNE QUOTE:

What are your thoughts on racing at Iowa Speedway?
“I am actually pretty excited to final go to a track that I have raced on before. I raced the Hooter Pro Cup and Camping World East cars there before. I have been able to pick up some solid finishes and I think I am going into this race with a lot more confidence. I also think we can be a little more aggressive on the initial set-up than being so conservative with the car at the beginning and having to free it up all day. I think we can go there with something like what he’d (Jerry Baxter, crew chief) take David Reutimann to the take with and just go out and try to bust off some laps early.”

Do you think Thursday’s initial test/practice at Iowa is important to the teams?
“A lot of these drivers have been to that track in ARCA, Hooter Pro Cup or the Camping World East/West Series. For the teams, I think it is crucial because I don’t know how many of them got to test there. I’m sure a few of them did before the NASCAR testing policy because that was a good track to go test. For teams that haven’t been there at all it’s going to be very crucial because they don’t have the five or six years of notes to go back on. It’s going to be kind of a guessing game for what the track is going to do for the race. No one knows if it’s going to tighten up or free up or just gain more grip as the night goes on. I think you’ll see a lot more adjustments as the race goes on.”