SB Nation New York - Daytona 500: 20-Year-Old Trevor Bayne NASCAR's 'Next Big Thing?'https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48977/ny-fave.png2011-02-21T12:09:42-05:00http://newyork.sbnation.com/rss/stream/17671372011-02-21T12:09:42-05:002011-02-21T12:09:42-05:002011 Daytona 500: Television Ratings Spike Significantly
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<p>Prior to Sunday’s Daytona 500, I asked ‘<a href="http://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/2/19/2003096/2011-daytona-500-television-ratings-nascar-dale-earnhardt-jr-jimmie-johnson?show_comments=true" target="new">Will You Be Watching?</a>’ Apparently the answer, at least in a lot more households than a year ago, was ‘yes.’</p>
<p><span class="caps">FOX</span> announced this morning that the Daytona 500 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/21/2005703/2011-daytona-500-tv-ratings-up-increase-nascar" target="new">received an 8.2 overnight rating</a>, up 17 percent from 2010.</p>
<p>You can’t really say that was because 20-year-old Trevor Bayne was the winner. No one knew that would happen. The race, however, was compelling enough to keep people who may have glanced at it in passing tuned to it.</p>
<p>The question for <span class="caps">NASCAR</span> now is whether it can capitalize on the solid ratings start and Bayne’s newfound status as the face of the sport to experience a growth spurt.</p>
<p>The sport is making a concerted effort to promote its drivers, and the emergence of a young star like Bayne could do wonders for <span class="caps">NASCAR</span>. He will be making the David Letterman/Jay Leno late-night circuit, and we will just have to wait and see if the sport can turn this temporary bump into something long-lasting.</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/2/21/2005868/2011-daytona-500-television-ratings-spike-significantly-foxEd Valentine2011-02-21T08:29:20-05:002011-02-21T08:29:20-05:00Trevor Bayne: 'The Kid Became A Rock Star'
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<p>In the end, NASCAR could not have asked for a better result in the Daytona 500. Twenty-year-old Trevor Bayne, someone many had never heard of, won his first-ever NASCAR race and then "golly-gee'd" his way through <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/20/2004957/trevor-bayne-daytona-500-winner-nascar" target="new">an entertaining victory press conference.</a></p>
<p>A star has been born. Just witness the 10,000 people who signed up to follow Bayne's Twitter account within an hour of the victory Sunday night.</p>
<p>The Miami Herald's Greg Cote <a target="_blank" href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/21/2077031/rugrat-trevor-bayne-races-to.html">said this about Bayne</a>:</p>
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<p><font face="georgia"><i>Sunday, the kid became a rock star. He’s Justin Bieber, at 200 mph.</i></font><i></i></p>
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<p>This could not have come at a better time for NASCAR, in need of a boost after years of television ratings declines. There was sentimental desire for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the race, understandable with this Daytona 500 coming on the 10th anniversary of his father's death at the track. Bayne, though, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/view.bg?&articleid=1318306&format=&page=1&listingType=sco#articleFull">might be exactly what NASCAR needs</a>.</p>
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<p><font face="georgia"><i>Earnhardt, of course, was one of NASCAR’s last big things, and there are those who believe Bayne may be the sport’s next big thing.</i></font></p>
<p><font face="georgia"><i>He has everything the critics say the sport is missing. He has personality. He has pizzazz. He has loads of humility but no fear. He has the faith, fun and family values that NASCAR fans crave. He is Tim Tebow at 200 mph.</i></font><i></i></p>
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<p>Pretty heady stuff for a kid one day past his 20th birthday. Now, we wait to see if both he and NASCAR can capitalize.</p>
<p><i>-- See <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/12/1989955/daytona-500-qualifying-nascar-2011-lineup-gatorade-duels">SB Nation's NASCAR hub</a> for much more coverage</i></p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/2/21/2005485/trevor-bayne-daytona-500-nascarEd Valentine2011-02-20T17:58:25-05:002011-02-20T17:58:25-05:002011 Daytona 500 Results: 20-Year-Old Trevor Bayne Wins First NASCAR Race
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<p>What were you doing when you were 20 years old? Well, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/20/2004821/trevor-bayne-daytona-500-winner-who-is-nascar">Trevor Bayne</a>, who just turned 20 on Saturday, won the Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon in a Sprint Cup event at Daytona International Speedway. Bayne, driver of the No. 21 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/20/2004928/wood-brothers-racing-daytona-500-trevor-bayne-nascar">Wood Brothers Ford Fusion</a> and Knoxville, Tenn., native, became the second-youngest and 35th different winner of the Great American Race. Bayne, who <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/20/2004957/trevor-bayne-daytona-500-winner-nascar">began the race in 32nd place, outraced </a>second-place finisher Carl Edwards, third-place David Gilliland, fourth-place Bobby Labonte (yes, that's the same old Bobby Labonte) and fifth-place Kurt Busch.</p>
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<p>"I keep thinking I am dreaming," said Bayne after the race. "I am so thankful for the job these guys did on this racecar... Wow, this is unbelievable."</p>
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<p>Bayne won a historic race that featured three different records: 16 cautions, 74 lead changes and 22 different leaders.</p>
<p>A storybook ending would have concluded with Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 car and son of legendary NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Sr. who died in a fatal crash at Daytona 10years ago, finishing first. However, Earnhardt, who was in contention all day, wrecked in the final laps and<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/20/2004868/dale-earnhardt-jr-finishes-24th-at-daytona-500-nascar"> finished 24th</a>. NASCAR favorite Mark Martin also had a shot, but finished 10th. Tony Stewart, who was Earnhardt's drafting partner late in the race, finished 13th.</p>
<p>SB Nation has the full <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/20/2004759/nascar-points-standings-trevor-bayne-carl-edwards">results and latest points standings</a>.</p>
<p><i>-- You can find everything you need to know about the race at </i><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/12/1989955/daytona-500-qualifying-nascar-2011-lineup-gatorade-duels">SB Nation's NASCAR Hub</a><i>.</i></p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/2/20/2004698/2011-daytona-500-results-20-year-old-trevor-baynet-nascar-wood-brothers-racingJared Smith2011-02-19T15:07:12-05:002011-02-19T15:07:12-05:002011 Daytona 500: Will You Be Watching?
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<p>Will you be watching the Daytona 500, NASCAR's premier event, Sunday (noon ET, FOX)? Some of you will, of course, but the real answer is that a lot less of you will watch than did a few years ago when NASCAR really went mainstream and was at the height of its popularity.</p>
<p>Here are some figures that show the nature of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/19/2666712/with-nascar-losing-viewers-fox.html">the problem NASCAR has driven head-long into</a> during the past few years.</p>
<p>In 2005, NASCAR averaged a 5.3 television rating, and the Daytona 500 garnered a 10.9. In 2010, those rating fell into the 3's overall and just a 7.7 share for the Daytona 500. The Kansas City Star summed up the situation by saying simply "NASCAR's not hot any more."</p>
<p>Once the fastest-growing sport in America,<a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nascar-races-to-win-back-fans-for-daytona-500-2011-02-18"> NASCAR is looking to reclaim the magic</a>.</p>
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<p><font face="georgia"><i>"We’re listening to our customer base — our fans," said Steve Phelps, chief marketing officer at Nascar. "We have to make sure we stay relevant and current."</i></font><i></i></p>
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<p>This season will bring some changes to the cars, a focus more on promoting the drivers and allowing them to mix it up a little more and allow more of the confrontations between drivers to play themselves out and other <a target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iaSCRgPvQRRRL4B4ZSo0rpKXFddQ?docId=6000234">changes geared toward appealing to younger audiences</a>.</p>
<p>There is also a school of thought that with this being the 10th anniversary of the death of Dale Earnhardt, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/155831926">the sport is suffering</a> because there is no other figure like him driving today.</p>
<p>Whatever the reason, and whatever the solutions, Sunday's Daytona 500 will provide a glimpse of whether or not NASCAR is back on track.</p>
<p>Will you be watching?</p>
<p><i>-- You can find everything you need to know about the race at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/2/12/1989955/daytona-500-qualifying-nascar-2011-lineup-gatorade-duels">SB Nation's NASCAR Hub</a>.</i></p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2011/2/19/2330065/2011-daytona-500-will-you-be-watchingEd Valentine