Yahoo Autos Pivoting from racer to TV analyst an involved process for Bayne
At 32 years old, Trevor Bayne is approaching a pivotal point in his life as he decides his future in racing.
Bayne still wants to be a race car driver. He was 28 when his NASCAR Cup Series career came to a sudden and unexpected end at Jack Roush’s organization. After not running anything in 2019, Bayne returned to NASCAR in 2020 and scratched the itch with eight Craftsman Truck Series races.
The itch was well-scratched last season. Bayne ran nine Xfinity Series races for Joe Gibbs, earning seven top-10 finishes. The performances left Bayne feeling content if he never got behind the wheel again, as though he proved he could get the job done.
But Bayne does want to get behind the wheel again, and that’s where a decision has to be made. As Bayne considers his future, he’s been working as an analyst for FOX Sports, which he greatly enjoys.
FOX Sports photo
Working on the television side is better for Bayne and his family. Based in his native Tennessee, it’s not hard for Bayne to get to Charlotte for FOX Sports shows when needed. But it’s hard not to be a race car driver.
“We’re in that wrestling stage right now, and I think I will probably have to make a decision within this next year of full-time (racing) anyways,” Bayne said. “FOX … they think there’s a lot of value to me running a part-time schedule just like Todd Bodine did last year. Going and running a truck helps him be a better truck analyst. Now, I think if my bosses there see me always jumping at every opportunity to go to the racetrack instead of being on a show, they’re probably not going to plug you in as a full-time commentator eventually. That’s probably not what they’re going to do.
“But I wrestle with it because you look at somebody like Matt Crafton, who’s had a long career in the Truck Series. (It’s) 25 races a year, not that much time away from your family or being gone, and those are the things I’m starting to weigh now.”
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How much Bayne wants to be a driver comes down to how much selling he wants to do. Having funding is the name of the game and Bayne knows that. So, Bayne questions how much he wants to call companies to try and put something together.
“And that’s the hardest part to me,” Bayne said. “I enjoy working with companies. I enjoy the whole deal. But the actual art of selling and pitching, I don’t know — it feels like you’re trying to take, and I don’t like that feeling. I want people to be excited to be there and see the opportunity because NASCAR’s great, but it’s kind of hard to sell it for me. Once they’re there, I feel like we can take great care of them. So, it really comes down to that.”
Bayne did have an offer with what he said was a good Truck Series team to be full-time this year. However, he turned it down because he expected to be full-time with Joe Gibbs. And he even sold the coffee business he’d started in Tennessee after losing his NASCAR ride to be prepared to focus on racing again.
“And then that didn’t happen; last minute, the sponsor backed out that they had,” Bayne said. “Actually, I think might have got catfished, I’m not sure. But yeah, the sponsor just wasn’t legit that had called and inquired and so that was late in the offseason.
“So, with that, we haven’t announced it yet, and I think at some point Gibbs will, but I will be back in the car at least for a race this year. Maybe a couple. We’re working on that. I still want to race. I still enjoy racing. But at the same time, I’m trying to now weigh … this race car driver versus TV side. They’re both enjoyable. I love them both. But you have to decide at some point where’s your future at, I guess.”
The full conversation with Bayne can be heard below:
