Trevor Bayne, No. 99 Aaron's Dream Machine - Nashville Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Tennessee driver Trevor Bayne heads to Nashville Superspeedway for Saturday night’s Nationwide Series race that promises an extra $25,000 in the winner’s purse for any series regular. The Knoxville native qualified second at Nashville in June in just his second start. Bayne’s qualifying effort and performance the rest of the season led owners Michael Waltrip, Gary Bechtel and Blake Bechtel to select Bayne as the driver for the newly created Diamond-Waltrip Racing team for the 2010 season. The new team enjoys partial season sponsorship from Aaron’s but is aggressively pursuing additional sponsorship opportunities. Bayne, one of NASCAR’s rising stars, already posted three top-10 finishes in just 19 career starts including a sixth-place finish in Las Vegas this season.

QUOTES

BAYNE ON NASHVILLE: “Nashville is where I made my debut for Michael Waltrip Racing so it’s going to be cool to go back there where it all started. We qualified on the outside pole last year which was way over our expectations. During the race we raced in the top 10 until we got wrecked. I know we can run good there and I really love the race track. It really fits my driving style. I have a lot of confidence in our team after the car they brought me in Bristol. I am really excited to see what kind of car the Diamond-Waltrip team will bring for me this weekend. The Bechtels and Michael are giving me a great opportunity here and I think we have a chance to do really well and hopefully bring along some corporate support in the coming days. We’ll be a great deal for a sponsor for sure.”

WHAT IS YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING THE DASH 4 CASH AT NASHVILLE? “I really like the Dash 4 Cash program. I think it gives us and extra incentive go out there and try and win the race. It also bring some extra attention to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I think we have a good shot at winning the extra money. We have had some really good race cars lately and we have proven that we can run up front. Now we just need to be around the top five at the end of the race. I am really excited for this weekend and hopefully we can come home a little richer.”

BAYNE ON THE NASHVILLE TROPHY: “The Gibson Guitar is probably one of the coolest trophy’s that you can win. I think everyone wants to win at Nashville just so they can get a guitar. I don’t think I could smash the trophy like Kyle Busch did last year. Sam Bass does such a great job painting the guitar I just don’t think I could see all that hard work go to waste. It’s a one of a kind trophy that I would really like to hang on my wall one day soon.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• For the non-Aaron’s races, the Diamond-Waltrip team will alter its paint scheme running a plain hood and moving the Diamond-Waltrip logo to the quarter panel.

• Bayne made his Michael Waltrip Racing debut last June at Nashville Superspeedway. He started the race second and was involved in an incident with just under 100 laps remaining and finished 28th.

• Last weekend, Bayne and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. visited Jackson Hole, Wyo. to snowboard and snowmobile in Yellowstone National Park. For additional pictures contact Stacie Fandel at sfandel@michaelwatlrip.com.

• This weekend Bayne has a chance to win an extra $25,000 for his team thanks to Nationwide Insurance’s “Dash 4 Cash” program. This program is a bonus program implemented to develop and support NNS regulars, up-and-comers and those who compete part-time in the series (Sprint Cup drivers must compete in every Nationwide event in order to qualify for the individual race payout. Should a winner not be eligible for the $25,000 bonus, the prize money will roll over to the next “Dash 4 Cash” race.

• Bayne will sign autographs and participate in a Q & A at the Nashville Race Fan Festival. The event will take place at the Camping World on 2633 Music Valley Dr in Nashville, Tenn. from 5-8 p.m. local time.