20-Year-Old Driver Steals the Show at the Daytona 500

Shore-area native and racing fan Joseph Hyer offers his local's take on yesterday's Daytona 500. 

They call it the "Great American Race," but this year it was more like the "Great American Dream."

Trevor Bayne went to victory lane after Sunday's running of the 53rd annual Daytona 500. The victory came in just his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Bayne, who drives for NASCAR's oldest continuously operating team, the Wood Brothers, is youngest winner of the Daytona 500. The Knoxville, TN native turned 20 years old on Saturday.

The victory came after several race favorites fell out of contention early. Former Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick suffered a blown engine on lap 22. Just seven laps later, on lap 29, a 13-car accident took out: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, and Jimmie Johnson. No injuries were reported.

At the race's halfway point Martin Truex Jr., of the Mayetta section of Stafford Township, led the field. He led 17 laps in total, but on Lap 177, Martin Truex Jr. spun around in turn four. He sped down pit road, and had to slow down to avoid a speeding penalty. Despite late caution flags, the lost time would ruin his chances at NASCAR's biggest race. He went onto finish 19th.

The racing at the speedway was different – much different – this year. In 2010, the track was plagued by pothole issues during the Daytona 500. A $20-million off-season paving project changed the track surface.The new pavement allowed cars to pair up and tandem draft as a pair instead of drafting in large packs.

Before Sunday's race, Jeff Gordon told reporters that he liked the new surface. "It's got a lot of grip. It's changed how we're going to race here, which I think all of us expected. I think it's going to make for a spectacular race," he said.

For Bayne, his drafting partner late in the race was NASCAR veteran, Bobby Labonte. Labonte pushed Bayne through the final restart with three laps remaining. On the final lap, Carl Edwards and David Gilliland caught the leaders. With Bayne holding the bottom line, Labonte pulled outside looking for drafting help. Edwards and Gilliland stayed on the bottom, and Labonte was forced to fall back into fourth place.

In his post-race statement, Labonte said he was hoping Carl Edwards would help push him past Bayne. "Obviously, I saw them coming and I went into Turn 3 and I was just probably a quarter of a car length up too high, but I think of the No. 99 (Carl Edwards) and he might have went to the outside of us.  Carl Edwards was going so fast and he had a run on us."

The top-five finish was bittersweet for Labonte. “It means a lot (to finish fourth) and people may criticize me for not laughing or smiling enough, but I am disappointed we didn’t win this Daytona 500,” he said.

Carl Edwards said that finishing second was painful, but he was happy for the race winner.  “I think I can tell you guys that second-place in the Daytona 500 feels way worse than any other position I’ve ever finished in the Daytona 500, but that is made better by listening to Trevor and how excited he is. He is a really nice young man and a great guy to represent this sport with this win," he said in the post race press conference.

For Bayne, his only driving mistake came after the race. "I didn't even know how to get to Victory Lane," he said in his post-race interview. He is not expected to run a full Sprint Cup season. He will, however, run a full season for the Nationwide series, and he is expected to compete in 17 Sprint Cup races.

Despite being the Daytona 500 Champion, Bayne still needs a little help from his parents as he heads on a media tour to New York City this week. "His laundry wasn't done to go on his trip, because he'd used it all up in the last 10 days. So I had to go out at 3 o'clock in the morning and do his laundry for him," his dad, Rocky, told reporters on Monday.

The Sprint Cup Series is back in action next weekend at the Phoenix International Raceway. Green flag for Sunday's race will fly just after 3 p.m. est.