Youngest Daytona 500 Winner: Prodigy, or Lucky?

BY JENNIFER MECKLES

You're watching multisource sports news analysis from Newsy

“They get the 88 off the track and here we go -- final lap!
“Who... is... Trevor Bayne?! And the question would be, who is going to pass the rookie?”
“Bayne holds off the 99 to take the checkered flag! The youngest winner in Daytona 500 history... 20 years and one day!” (ESPN)

Just a day after his 20th birthday -- Trevor Bayne wins the first, and biggest race of the entire NASCAR season. Beating established pros like Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and Jimmy Johnson for NASCAR’s most coveted prize. (NBC)

But now, as everyone recovers from the shock and the champagne -- we’re all left wondering just how he pulled it off:

ANCHOR 2: “Who would’ve thought that a youngster in only his second Sprint Cup race, could come down here in that storied gold numeral number 21 and the win the race against the best in the business?!"
ANCHOR 1: “There are so many guys on the list that hadn’t won it that are superstars! This kid comes here the first time... and he drove like he’d been coming here... his whole life.” (FOX)

Bayne has become a media darling -- Some are calling it a “Cinderalla story.” But while nobody is questioning Bayne’s skill -- some wonder how much he owes to plain ol’ good luck. NBC puts us in the passengers seat during a crucial lap:

“The lead changed a record of 74 times, and earlier on -- the wreck they called the big one... Trevor Bayne survived the race as much as he won it.”

So possibly a case of right place, right time? A writer for the Florida Times Union says Bayne certainly added drama to the race this year, but credits other drivers for Bayne’s green light:

“Bayne didn’t get his first lead of the day until another long-shot driver, David Ragan, handed it to him by getting black-flagged for changing lanes on a restart just two laps from the finish... That’s what opened the door for a cherub-cheeked kid, who shaves all of once a week, to hold off Carl Edwards for the checkered flag.”

But a win’s a win -- says a columnist for the Detroit Free Press. He expects we’ll hear a lot more about “NASCAR’s Fresh Face” in the near future:
“Bayne is a future Cup champion. He just has arrived quicker than most expected... He is a smart, aggressive and extremely gifted young driver who has opened up a whole new world for himself with his fairytale victory”

CNN’s T.J. Holmes was still trying to make sense of it all on his “American Morning” interview with the 20-year old. But Bayne? Cool as that #21 engine now sitting on display.

T.J. HOLMES: “At some point you’re looking in that rear view, and you’ve got legends, literally, coming up behind you trying to win that race... You’re not supposed to have that experience, you’re not supposed to have the cojones to pull this off and keep them off of you!”
TREVOR BAYNE: “You set the bar high when you win your first ever Daytona 500 -- but you know what -- I think there’s still a lot of history to be written so hopefully we can keep going with it.”

This was the first Daytona win since 1976 for his team, the Wood Brothers. So what do you think of his victory? Did the stars align just right -- or are we looking at the next NASCAR prodigy?


'Like' Newsy on Facebook for updates in your newsfeed

Get more multisource video news analysis from Newsy
Transcript by Newsy

1. By: newsydotcom
2. Categories News & Events
3. Views 33
4. Added :25-Feb-11
   Report This Video