Knoxville’s Trevor Bayne goes from coffee shop to the race track

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Back in December of 2020, former Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne hit the fast lane in the service industry opening his Mahalo Coffee Shop here in Knoxville.

While he’s been successful at it and having fun, it’s not quite like the the thrill of driving 200 miles per hour around the oval track.

Enter Joe Gibbs Racing, which recently fueled Bayne’s desire to get back behind the wheel by signing him to a 7-race Xfinity Series deal in their No.18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota Supra. He said his goal is to make it back to the show.

“I don’t know what comes of this,” said Bayne. “I don’t know if I end up back in a cup car full time or an infinity car continuing for championships. You know, I feel like in seven races I need to go win three to five races if that’s going to be if I’m going to have a shot at a comeback.”

The 2011 Daytona 500 champ will race this weekend at the Auto Club Speedway. He’s also scheduled to race at Phoenix (March 12), Charlotte (May 28), Nashville (June25), New Hampshire (July 16), Las Vegas (October 15), and Homestead, Florida (October 22).

Bayne last saw action in the Xfinity Series back in 2016 where he started 7th and finished 5th at Watkins Glen International Raceway.

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