Bill Fleischman: Bayne's Daytona 500 win should be a boon to NASCAR

SURELY A FEW SUCH phone and text messages were exchanged after Sunday's Daytona 500:

"Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500."

"Who?"

"Trevor Bayne."

"Kasey Kahne?"

"No, Trevor Bayne."

Bayne's upset victory Sunday at Daytona, in only his second Sprint Cup start, is exactly what NASCAR needs to create interest in a series that has grown stale the past few seasons. One race does not make a superstar, but Bayne could be the young talent NASCAR desperately needs.

Bayne, who turned 20 the day before the Daytona 500, clearly is a racing talent. Paired with Jeff Gordon in a two-car tandem during a 150-mile Daytona qualifier, he gained the trust of experienced Cup racers.

When Bayne was growing up in Knoxville, Tenn., Gordon was his favorite racer. Bayne's first race-car number was Gordon's 24.

Bayne also is polite, humble and happy. Asked to describe himself the morning after he became the youngest driver ever to win the Daytona 500, Bayne smiled and said, "A 20-year-old kid. I'm a normal kid that's been really, really blessed and fortunate."

As an example of his normalcy, Bayne "celebrated" his victory Sunday night by shooting hoops and briefly skateboarding with his buddies from Knoxville.

Following a Monday morning winner's breakfast in Daytona, the whirlwind began for Bayne. He visited ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., then traveled to Chicago for a promotional stop. Then it was on to San Francisco. And he says someone from the White House called, saying President Obama would like to speak with him this week.

He'll finally get back to racing this weekend at Phoenix.

Commenting on his new celebrity status, Bayne said on a Tuesday conference call: "At first, I was just in shock. I was nervous in my interviews. I want to stay humble. But now I'm enjoying it. The Daytona 500 is a big deal. It's so cool to win it."

Bayne said movie theaters in Knoxville listed his Daytona victory on their marquees.

While Knoxville is his hometown, Bayne has lived in North Carolina the past 5 years. Committed to a racing career, he thought he had to be where the NASCAR action is.

After signing with Dale Earnhardt Inc., he lived alone in a condo near Charlotte. His crew chief drove him to and from the race shop. His father, Rocky, visited regularly.

Bayne says he did his laundry for about 3 weeks, then starting inviting friends over to help.

"It's probably not good for my diet, but I've had to eat out every day since I was 15," he said. "I'm not a cook yet. I about caught my place on fire one time, so I decided that was a bad idea."

Even though Bayne left Daytona with the win, you won't see his name atop the points standings. This season, in a move to encourage development of younger racers in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series, drivers are permitted to race for only one series championship.

Bayne says he is sticking with his decision to pursue the Nationwide championship. Last season, Bayne finished seventh in Nationwide points, with 11 top-10 finishes (he won three consecutive poles).

This season, Bayne will drive the No. 21 Ford in the first seven Cup races for the Wood Brothers. He is scheduled for 18 total Cup races. He was loaned to Wood Brothers by Roush Fenway Racing for this season.

Adding to the special feeling of Bayne's Daytona 500 win was the Wood Brothers' return to victory lane. Longtime NASCAR fans cheered because Bayne gave the pioneering Woods their first Daytona 500 victory since David Pearson won in 1976, also driving a No. 21 Ford. The first Daytona 500 victory for Glen and Leonard Wood was with Tiny Lund in 1963.

So, we have the youngest Daytona 500 winner combining with NASCAR's longest-tenured team. For NASCAR, it couldn't be a better start to the season.

Bayne's victory was popular with television viewers. The 8.7 rating on Fox was 13 percent higher than last year's 7.7 (one rating point equals 1.1 million households). Daytona was the most-watched NASCAR race since 2008.

Philadelphia was one of nine top 10 markets with a significant increase over last year. Philly was up 19 percent with a 7.0 rating, compared with a 5.9 last year (one local rating point equals 30,158 households in the Philadelphia market). *

Send e-mail to fleiscb@phillynews.com.