Why Trevor Bayne is happy Nashville Superspeedway has reopened as he returns to NASCAR

Trevor Bayne's return to NASCAR isn't revving up exactly the way he wanted, but he believes having a race in Nashville will help him get back on track.

Bayne, 31, a Knoxville native and the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, will make his return in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Saturday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, as part of a seven-race deal he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Missing, however, from the schedule is a race at Bayne's favorite track - Bristol Motor Speedway.

The field was already full by the time Bayne announced his return earlier this month, but he is set to run in the second annual Xfinity Series Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25 on a track where he ran in the Nationwide Series the same year he became the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500.

"Bristol is probably my favorite track of all, but Nashville is kind of second best you could say," Bayne said Wednesday. "I'm so excited to have a home race here in Nashville close to Knoxville where I'm at currently."

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Bayne made his Xfinity Series debut in 2009 at Bristol. He won once before moving to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2010 and then won again in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2013.

By 2016 Bayne's career was slipping and he was sharing a ride with Matt Kenseth for Roush Fenway Racing. Not long after that he was completely out of racing. 

Bayne opened two coffee shops in Knoxville, but never lost his desire to race.

While still running his coffee shops, Bayne returned to the track in 2020 when he ran eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races for Niece Motorsports. 

He did not race in 2021.

Along with Fontana and Nashville, Bayne is scheduled to race at Phoenix (March 12),  Charlotte (May 28), New Hampshire (July 16), Las Vegas (Oct. 15) and Homestead-Miami (Oct. 22).

Some of Bayne's employees and costumers have never seen him race. That chance could come at Nashville Superspeedway.

"Whether it's my staff at my coffee shops or whether it's people who have just supported me for my whole career including the last three years of not being in the car they want to come to the race (at Nashville Superspeedway)," Bayne said. "They're excited there is a race that close by and why I picked that track."

Bayne got his start in the Xfinity Series with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2008 and later moved to Michael Waltrip Racing after Chip Gannassi Racing shut down its Xfinity Series program.

Bayne's first race with Michael Waltrip Racing came at Nashville Superspeedway in the Federated Auto Parts 300 in 2011. He qualified second behind Kyle Busch and finished 28th.

"I haven't been there in years because it was closed down and when it came back obviously I wasn't in the car the last couple of years," Bayne said. "But Nashville is one of those places I always really enjoyed racing and I think it's going to be a lot of fun there."

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.