DTR Leagues


Monday March 11, Paul Bayne returned to the DIRT Mudslide series for the season finale with one thought in mind...destroy the competition.  With Bridgeport Speedway playing host, Bayne kept his record unblemished at the fast 1/2-mile scoring easy wins in both 358 and Big Block competition.  Bayne now has won all three races he has entered at the facility.  Bayne also captured his respective heat races while setting fast time in both divisions as well.  "I was really surprised as to how easy and how much faster I was than most of the others.  In my previous visit here I ran a 17.09 in BBM but had plenty of company".  Bayne nearly got himself into trouble twice and he collided with a slower car in the BBM A Main, then spun in turn three with less than 10 laps remaining in the 50-lap BBM affair.

Saturday March 9, Scottie Campbell put an end to the Paul Bayne win streak, as he captured both the Late Model and Big Block modified A mains at Orange County Fair Speedway in Rush On Dirt league action.  Bayne settled for runner-up honors in both contests, and was quick to congratulate Campbell, who captured his first career online wins.

Tuesday March 5, Paul Bayne pulled off the double at Brockville Speedway in IDRL action, as he won both the 358 and Sportsmen division A mains.  Bayne started 9th on the grid in the 358 A main before rocketing up through heavy traffic and take the top spot by lap three.  From that point on it was all Bayne, with only Rick Buffham remaining on the lead lap.  In sportsman action, Bayne started on the pole and led wire to wire in gaining his first sportsman A main victory of his career.  The pir of wins marked the 40th time Bayne has found the winner's circle, and 33rd time online.

Saturday March 2,  Homer Wooten and Paul Bayne found victory lane yet again in Rush On Dirt league action, this time at the fast Dirt Track at Lowe's in North carolina.  Wooten held off Dustin Layne and Bayne to capture the 358 modified A main, while Bayne ran roughshod over the field in the Big Block A main.

Tuesday February 26, Bayne found the checkered paradise once again as he held off a stingy Andy Dame to claim the 358 A main at Autodrome Drummond in IDRL league action.  Dame would take the crown in the Big Block A main, while Bayne was forced to sit it out due to the time limit.

Saturday February 23, Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland was host to the Rush On Dirt tour, and Homer Wooten Jr. laid claim to both titles in Big Block and Late Model action.   Wooten, whose father just passed away the week prior, dedicated both victories to his late father, Homer Wooten Sr.  Paul Bayne would muster a third place finish behind Pete LeClair in the Late Model A main, while finishing fourth in the Big Block A main.

Tuesday February 19, Paul Bayne fell victim to Rick LaGrnage's stalled mount in the 358 heat #1 and was forced to run and win the B main at Merrittville Speedway.  The A main was won by Rob Mortier.  In sportsman action, apparent winner Andy Dame was disqualified after it was discovered he accidentally took to the track in the wrong class of car.  Marshall Feger's, who blistered the track throughout the night, thus scored the win ahead of Paul Bayne and Mortier.

Saturday February 16, Paul Bayne scores yet another 358 modified win in the Rush On Dirt Pro Dirt Series.  Bayne, a late arrival, settled in and ran second in his heat race, then made some adjustments to the Teo chassis and scored a trophy dash win that would earn him the pole for the 35-lap A main.  Bayne used that starting spot to edge out Homer Wooten into turn one as the green flag fell, and he would never look back en route to the victory.  Bayne also claimed fourth in the Big Block A main despite starting tail on the grid, with no laps under his belt.

Tuesday February 12, Bayne returned to the IDRL after a one-week hiatus, and had little trouble finding his way to the Ransomville Speedway's winners circle in big block modified action.  Driving the Boyle Boys NAPA/Teo Chassis owned by Bayne's cousin, Ransomville flagmanJipp Ortiz, Bayne started on the pole after scoring a heat race triumph earlier, and the Valparaiso, IN native raced out front of Rob Mortier of Rochester, NY to claim the early lead and never looked back despite pressure from Mortier and newcomer Dustin Helms of Monroe, NC.  A late race collision with Chris Papa proved to be futile, and Bayne coasted to victory over Helms and Mortier.  In other race action, it was Brian James scoring his first career IDRL victory in the 30-lap headliner for the DIRT Sportsman division.  James jumped out to the early lead and never looked back despite engaging in heavy battle with Andy Dame and Rob Mortier throughout the event.  

Sunday February 10, the Rush On Dirt Tour invaded Columbus Speedway for the "Mississippi Winter Classic, and in the end it was late entrant and league director Paul Bayne scoring a pair of titles in both Late Models and 358 modifieds.  Bayne also won both of his heats in each division, as well as winning the 8-lap trophy dash for Late Models.  Bayne was so impressive in his 358 modified dominance, that only one car escaped his wrath and remained on the lead lap... over 13 seconds behind!  The series moves to Volusia Speedway Park for Florida Speedweeks this coming Saturday, where the Big Block and 358 modified divisions will wage battle on the fast 1/2-mile clay oval.

Monday February 4, Paul Bayne captured his first career 358 modified victory in the newly formed DIRT Mod Mudslide Series at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH.  Bayne, winner of one of three heats, started on the pole position and led all 30-laps en route to the convincing win.  In Big Block action, Bayne did not fare as well, as he became entangled in an early race pile-up, thus damaging the front suspension.  Bayne was able to limp home in seventh position.

Thursday January 17, Bayne made his way out to an old stomping ground in IDRS action.  With him, Bayne brought a vivacious young rookie driver named Catie "Catie6M" Macombs, who electrified the capacity crowd with her hard-charging style of driving.  Not once did she back down to the big boys, and quickly she became a fan favorite and earned the respect of her competitors.  After the race, Macombs shared her thoughts on her first night of IDRS competition.  "All in all we had a good night, but we didn't do what we set out to do, and that was to win the A main.  We found misfortune early on in the feature, and the front suspension was badly damaged.  I thought all the drivers treated me very well, but expected to earn their respect and I think we accomplished that.  I'd like to thank my setup man Paul Bayne for providing the speed, and to all the IDRS league officials for allowing a woman to race in their league.  I think more girls would join in if they knew how much fun it was and how they can expect to be treated by the IDRS."  For the record on the night, Macombs won her heat and dash to earn the pole postion for the 30-lap A main won by Mike Hall, his second consecutive league win.  Bayne on the other hand, qualified slightly better than Macombs' 19.36, with a 19.33, but settled for third in his heat before winning one of the two consis.  An injury in the pits forced Bayne to withdraw from the feature event prior to it's start.

Monday January 14, Bayne made his debut in the DIRT Mod Mudslide League.  Starting on the pole of his heat, Bayne outdistanced Rob Mortier to the stripe in 358 modified action, while in big block's, Bayne took a second place finish to Chris Papa after his late race charge came up just short.  The 358 modified feature saw Bayne come home in second behind the man known only as "Nitro".  Trailing by two seconds, Bayne managed to carve off one second of that deficit in a 5-lap span butcould get no closer.  Bayne's car owner, Jipp Ortiz decided to pull the plug on the big block feature after the crew found debris inside the oil cooler.

Monday January 14, in unprecedented fashion, Paul Bayne saved the best for last in IDRL Offline Series action.  In 358 modified action at Cornwall Speedway, Bayne bested a small field in both 12-lap feature runs.  Meanwhile, the Big Block's were at Canandaigua Speedway to run their twin 10-lap features, and again it was Bayne sailing out to an early lead and cruising to easy wins.  The four combined wins give Bayne 30 career feature wins with 11 of them coming behind the wheel of a DIRT modified.  David Pickett, who looked to upset Bayne and take the titles from out of Bayne's grasp, could only manage a pair of runner-up finishes at Cornwall Speedway, a track where Bayne has never lost, and a pair of third place finishes behind Canadian Brian James at Canandaigua in big block action. 

Monday January 7, Selinsgrove Speedway (PA) was the site as the racing action boiled to a fury on this big 3/4 mile monster.  Once again it was point leader Paul Bayne taking the Big Block feature event over David Pickett, but Pickett responded in the 358 modified feature by walking away with it in unbelievable time.  No officials were on hand to discount Pickett's effort, so the victory was allowed to stand.  Next week the series concludes back at Cornwall Speedway (NY) for twin 12-lap features for the 358 modifieds, and to Canandaigua Speedway for twin 10-lap features for the Big Blocks.  Bayne still has a slight edge over David Pickett in both divsions, as he looks to sew up the titles in convincing fashion.  Bayne has yet to lose a race at Cornwall in the 358 class, and has proved very strong at Canandaigua in week long testing.

Monday December 24, it was round two of the IDRL offline mini series, and once again Paul Bayne proved too tough to beat at Cornwall Speedway edging Ron McGarry in a thrilling race.  In Big Block action it was McGarry who edged Bayne at Fonda Speedway to grab the win.  McGarry admittedly got away with an off track excursion that escaped officials eyes.   The series now moves to Selinsgrove Speedway for a double show of 358's and Big Block modifieds.  Bayne has moved out in front of both divisions in the points' standings.

Tuesday December 18, the IDRL series returned to the popular race haven known as Fonda Speedway to wrap up it's inaugural season of late model and big block modified racing action.  The night's victors proved to be familiar faces in victory lane, as Rob Mortier of Rochester, NY held off a hard-charging Paul Bayne in a fierce race to the checkers.  Later on, Bayne got redemption as he captured the 30-lap late model feature edging Brian James in the race's final laps.  Mortier's strong run ended prematurely after contact with Bayne on lap 22.  Bayne saw an opening entering turn 4, and dove to the inside of Mortier, who tried to slam the door on Bayne, but it was too late and something, someone had to give.  "It was an unfortunate thing to have that happen to Rob there like that," Bayne said, "we have raced hard and clean all year long, and we both had great runs going.  I hate for that to happen to someone like Rob, he deserved to be there at the end."  The series now will take some time off for the holidays but will return after the New Year with racing in three classes... big block modifieds, 358 modifieds, and late models... alternating on a two-class per week schedule.

Monday December 17, the IDRL officially opened it's offline season, and the results were much the same as they have been throughout much of the online campaign.  The 358 mods were in action at the tight Cornwall Speedway where veteran Paul Bayne captured his first career offline race and 22nd career feature victory.  Rob Mortier, another seasoned competitor,  came home in second while Homer Wooton settled for the bronze.  The big block mods were in action over at Fonda Speedway and though the top three remained the same, it was Mortier outdistancing Bayne and Wooton for the win.

Sunday December 16, the IDRS series opened its' winter season with a scheduled big block event held at the Brewerton Speedway.  Roy Wood and Sean McDavid captured preliminary heat race wins.  In the 25-lap feature event, it was Wood capturing his first career IDRS win.  Paul Bayne meanwhile, found trouble three times in the feature event, and each time came storming back to challenge for position.  His lap of 27.50 was the fastest lap recorded on the night, although Bayne would settle for a sixth place finish.

Tuesday December 11, officials at the Canandaigua Speedway were forced to cancel the scheduled IDRL show after four inches of snow fell across the region Monday afternoon.  The IDRL immediately went into action to schedule an event at the Bridgeport Speedway.  When the night was complete it was Paul Bayne proving to be top dog in both classes, much as Rob Mortier had done for the first time in league history one week prior.  Bayne simply was too much in late model action as he won by five-plus seconds over Devin Jones, Mike Brown, Brian James, and Ron McGarry.  Bayne and Bobby Lassetter, returning after a lenghty absence, claimed heat race triumphs, while McGarry captured the consi event.  In big block action, it was Bayne and Homer Wooton going tooth-and-nail for the better part of the thirty-lapper until Bayne finally wrestled the lead away for good on lap 26.  Following this duo to the line were Mortier, Jones, and James.  Bayne and Wooton claimed heat race checkers, while Rob Predmore took the consi race.

Tuesday December 4, the IDRL resumed action at the Black Rock Speedway, a speedy little one-third mile clay oval.  Rob Mortier came away the victor in both 50-lap events.  Paul Bayne managed to show his consistency in the late model class, notching another runner-up finish, his fourth top-two finish in a row.  Mike Brown, Homer Wooton, and Devin Jones rounded out the top five.  Meanwhile, in big block modified action, Bayne struggled early on and never was a factor as he held on for an eighth-place finish.  Mortier was chased to the stripe by Jones and Brian James, while Brown and Roy Wood rounded out the top five.  Jones and James claimed late model heat race wins, while Mortier and Wood earned modified wins.  Wooton would claim the modified consi, while Bayne took the late model consi.

Tuesday November 27, the IDRL made it's inaugural visit to New Egypt Speedway.  In super late model action it was Rob Mortier earning his first victory of the season, and ending the two-race win streak of Paul Bayne, who finished runner-up.  Devin Jones recovered from a lap 17 tangle with Bayne to claim the third spot unchallenged, followed by Brian James, and Homer Wooton.  Mortier, Rob Predmore, and Roy Wood claimed preliminary heat race wins.  In DIRT big block modified action, it was Jones showing the way to earn his first series modified victory over James, Wooton, Wood, and Mortier.   Dustin Layne, Mortier, and Wooton took home preliminary heat race honors.

Tuesday November 20, the IDRL series did battle on the famed clay oval of Fonda Speedway in Eastern New York in front of a paid attendance of 5,624.  A field of 20 cars showed up for both divisions. For the second consecutive week, Paul Bayne, aka "The Hustlin' Hoosier", of Valparaiso, IN drove off with the checkers and first place prize money in the Super Late Model division.  Chasing Bayne to the finish was Homer Wooton of Clayton, NJ, and Canadian driver Brian James.  Rounding out the top five were Ron McGarry and Robert Mortier.  Zach Weaver, Dustin Layne, and James were credited with heat race wins, while McGarry picked up the consi.  In DIRT Big Block modified action, it was Keith Jesberger earning his first career triumph after holding off the charges of Layne, McGarry, Mike Brown, and Jesse Marks.  Weaver, McGarry, and Marks all scored heat race wins, and Saul Sawyer earned the consi win.  The series visits New Egypt Speedway next week in race #4 of the seven-week schedule.

Sunday November 18, the IDRS concluded their IMCA modified portion of the season schedule at Nocks Hill Speedway in Iowa.   While Jerry Carnathan of Oxford, MS was consumed in making a mockery of the race, stretching out to over a 13-second victory, it was Paul Bayne of Valparaiso, IN who would be a late race benefactor to claim the second spot, when contenders Rob Keller and Tim Heard got together on lap 21 of the 25-lap season finale.  Keller would right his ship in time to claim third, and clinch the seasonchampionship over Heard who came home fourth.  Ron Heard rounded out the top five, while Sean McDavid retired to the pit area with mechanical woes.  Heats were won by Keller and Carnathan, with Carnathan establishing the night's quick time at 19.88 seconds on the semi-banked 1/2-mile clay oval.  Congratulations to both Carnathan and Keller on their victories.

Tuesday November 13, the IDRL tour made it's way to the beautiful Lebanon Valley Sppedway in New York for a night of Super Late Model and Big Block Modified excitement.  A crowd of over 4,100 dirt-craved fans came out on what was a very pleasant November evening and they were treated with some terrific racing action on the 1/2-mile clay oval.  In late model competition, it was Paul Bayne of Valparaiso, IN and Robert Mortier of Rochester, NY scoring heat race wins, while Ron McGarry captured the consolation race.  In the 25-lap feature event, it was Bayne who muscled his way around Pennsylvania's Tom Bryner, who sat on the pole, to take the top spot heading down the back chute and never look back.  Mortier, who started ninth on the grid, worked his way through heavy side by side traffic to come home with a respectable fifth place finish.  Bayne would stretch it out by over a quarter-lap on his way to claiming his first IDRL victory, and 18th career win.  Chasing Bayne to the stripe were Roy Wood, Brian James, Jesse Marks, and Mortier.  Rounding out the top ten were Saul Sawyer, McGarry, Mike Brown, Homer Wooton, and Bryner, whose car suffered handling problems after opening lap contact with Bayne.  In Big Block Modified action, it was Marks who captured the 30-lap main event for his first career IDRL triumph, winning comfortably over Mortier, Bryner, Wooton, and Wood.  James, Sawyer, Brown, McGarry, and Nick Leach rounded out the top ten.  Bayne, who had transferred through the consolation race into the modified feature had to withdraw due to a broken rocker arm, thus enabling McGarry to fill the void.  Next week the series travels to Fonda Speedway for another action packed night of dirt racing action.  A large contingency of cars is expected.

Sunday March 18, the DIIRT tour made its way to Green Speedway in California for a 30 lap A main event.  Again it was Paul Junkersfeld picking up his second win in as many weeks as he simply ran away with the lopsided victory.  Chasing "Junk" to the stripe were Shane Maddie, Jerry Carnathan, Ron Heard, and Paul Bayne.  Carnathan and Maddie each picked up heat wins while Junkersfeld  won the dash.  Junkersfeld and Rob Keller advanced from heat one, while Bayne and Paul Whitten advanced from heat two.  The night saw some big names load up early having failed to qualify for the A main.  They included Chris Zeigler, Bobby Lassetter, and Cory Mahder.  Bayne grabbed second in both his heat and the dash.  In three weeks of action only Bayne and Junkersfeld have qualified for all three trophy dashes.  The series takes a week off before returning to action at the extremely fast Muskogee Speedway in Iowa.

Indiana Late Model driver Paul Bayne returned to the IDRS series for the running of "The Intimidator" held at Nocks Hill Speedway March 15 to honor the late Dale Earnhardt.  The night  looked promising as Bayne won his heat race in convincing fashion.  However, the night took a turn for the worse in the 10 lap trophy dash when Bayne had passed Shane Maddie for the runner-up spot only to make contact with Maddie in turn three on the final lap.  Bayne staggered home in the 6th spot where he would start the 100 lap A main, divided into two 50 lap segments.  Bayne jumped out to a quick start and quickly moved into the third spot where he would remain until the mid-race break.  In the second segment, while running fourth with four laps to go, race leader and fast qualifier Jerry Carnathan Jr. got into a lapped car and slammed into the turn three wall.  This was followed by Bayne colliding with Carnathan resulting in the two of them upside down on the frontstretch.  Both drivers were unhurt in the mishap.  Bayne went on to record an 8th place finish and was followed by Carnathan.  This all but gave the win to Bobby Lassetter, who was followed to the line by Maddie, Rob Keller, Ron Heard and Paul Whitten.

The DIIRT series invaded the 3/4 mile Roush Speedway in the desert of Arizona this Sunday.  DIIRT rookie Paul Bayne impressed with a fourth place finish in the 30 lap A main,  thus vaulting himself from 7th place to 4th place in series points.  Bayne finished second in heat number two behind Paul Junkersfeld of Texas.  Junkersfeld's win would prove to be no fluke, as he also won the trophy dash and A main.  Finishing second was last week's winner Scott Naslund, who rallied to pull close to Junkersfeld, but could not make the pass.  Chris Zeigler finished third, followed by Bayne, and Rob Keller of Pennsylvania rounded out the top five.  Junkersfeld and Naslund now share first place in DIIRT points with 196, followed by Zeigler with 180, Bayne with 173, and Jerry Carnathan Jr. with 170.  Carnathan Jr. experienced motor problems and was forced to retire before the A main got underway.  The top three cars all clocked sub 23.00 laps during the A main.

The 2001 DIIRT campaign opened up at Eldon (IA) Raceway and a large field of cars made the trip to the Corn State.  Paul Bayne, who is a DIIRT newcomer, returned from a three week absence in an all new Rocket Chassis sporting the #1.  Bayne picked up right where he left off, capturing both his heat and trophy dash races.  In the A main, Bayne jumped out to an early lead over eventual winner Scott Naslund, before the two got together in turn two of lap 3, sending Bayne up over the cushion and into the wall.  This knocked Bayne back to 7th spot where he would remain for the 50 lap event.  "Considering the level of competition here in DIIRT, I think the team did very well with the new ride.  We showed we can run with them and if not for a bit of bad luck there in the A main, we may have had a top three car.  But like I said, we're very pleased with just making the show".

The CORS league returned to Southlake Speedway on Valentine's Day, February 14.  Winning the opening street stock A main for the third week in a row was Paul Bayne over Stephan Danielson who was dominant all night long.  The two engaged in what was a crowd pleasing side by side battle over the final 10 laps of the 25 lap A main special, before Bayne was able to wrestle away the top spot and hold on for the victory.  The victory marked the 6th career CORS triumph, and 17th overall for Bayne, now in his second year with the CORS league.   In super street action it was Doug Lee, aka "The MudMan" taking home the checkered flag.    In late model action, Bayne charged hard through the field over the final 10 laps to catch leaders Jason Lehman and Jim Bennett, and took the lead but with less than two laps to go, Bennett and Bayne made contact in turn two sending Bayne spinning.  Bennett went to score his second win in as many weeks, followed by Lehman.  Bayne was able to gather it back up for a third place effort followed by Russell Lovett to the line.  In modified action, the birthday boy, Stephan Danielson of Houston, TX took home the checkers in the make up A main from last week for his first career CORS modified win.  In the nightcap, it was another first time winner as Russell Lovett of Tennille, GA led wire to wire and was never really pressured from runner-up Paul Bayne, who was fast qualifier for the third week in a row, and started sixth on the grid.

The CORS league was back in action on Wednesday, February 7 and again Paul Bayne dominated the street stock division taking the clean sweep to build a large points lead early on in the campaign.  In late models, Bayne settled for a third place showing in the A main.  Once again Bayne was fast qualifier in the modified division but after winning his heat race, Mother Nature came a calling and put an end to an almost flawless evening of dirt track action.  RPM teammates Russell Lovett of Tennille, GA an Kent Nations of Missouri picked up their first late model wins of the year in heat race and trophy dash action respectively.

The IDRS ran it's modified portion of the "Ice Bowl" last Sunday February 4th in front of a packed house.  Twenty drivers from across the U.S. traveled to Talladega, AL to try to lay claim to the coveted prize which was renamed to the "Jerry Hinson Memorial" in honor of a relative to UnderDog teammate Bobby Lassetter of Newnan, GA.  Paul Bayne took both his heat race and trophy dash wins earning the pole for the "Ice Bowl".   Bayne jumped out to an early lead before backmarker Chris Zeigler lost control in turn 4 on lap 8, thus collecting Bayne, sending him spinning down the frontstretch into the wall just beneath the flagman's stand.  Bayne was then hit by several other drivers before flipping his mount in turn 2 on lap 9.  Bayne suffered mild injuries in the mishap and was transported to a Birmingham hospital where he was treated for head and neck injuries before being released three days later.  The race itself then saw fellow teammate Rob Keller of Shippensburg, PA take the checkered flag in front of runner-up Tim Heard of Daytona Beach, FL.

The long awaited CORS league season opener finally took place at the all new Southlake Speedway on Wednesday, January 31, 2001.  Track officials and crews worked feverishly to finish renovations to the 1/3 mile high-banked clay oval, but Mother Nature had other plans and the opening date was pushed back better than two months.
Nevertheless, a enthusiastic crowd braved cool temperatures and witnessed some hot dirt action.  In street stock competition, Paul Bayne of Valparaiso, IN scored an easy A main win, the first of his CORS career.  In late model action, Bayne again scored his 3rd career A main leading wire to wire.  Bayne also set fast time in the modified division but was unable to run that event due to track curfew.  This event will be made up at a later date.

Elsewhere, in the IDRS on February 1, Bayne took 3rd place honors in the prestigious "Ice Bowl" event held at the Talladega Short Track in Alabama.  The race was not without incident however, as all drivers had their share of misfortune at one time or another.  Shane Maddie was crowned "Ice Bowl 2000 Champion" in victory lane, and followed to the line by newcomer Dustin Layne and Bayne in third.

In TNS action this week, Bayne took runner-up honors in the late model division, getting edged out at the line by .1 seconds by "The Modern Day Outlaw" Chris Zeigler,  while winning the street stock division at Aztec Speedway in New Mexico on January 30.

Over the past two months Bayne has been one of the hottest drivers in the IDRS TNT series.  In a pair of non-point modified races held at Arlington, MN and Paris, TX, Bayne took home 3rd and 2nd place finishes respectively.  Next the mods took to the 3/4 mile oval at South Iowa Speedway where Bayne took home runner-up again after being passed with just a couple laps remaining by current modified points leader Chris Zeigler of Mansfield, OH.  Bayne also captured his heat and trophy dash races en route to his 2nd place finish in the A main.  At Oldero, Bayne again took home the number two spot, this time being outclassed by Louisianan Shane Maddie.  Again Bayne won his heat and finished second to "The Ragin' Cajun" in the trophy dash. 

When the series moved to Eldon, IA on January 14, Bayne had his sights set on his first career modified win as he won both his heat and trophy dash.  From his pole position, Bayne led every lap of the 30 lap A main en route to a 4 second margin of victory, and scored his first ever modified A main win and moved into second place in series points behind Zeigler.

In IDRS late model action, beginning with the big show at Nocks Hill, Bayne clearly was the man to beat as he romped to easy wins in his heat and the trophy dash.  This set up a terrific battle with "The Rebel" Jerry Carnathan, Jr. of Oxford, MS.  Going into turn 4 on the final lap the two fine drivers touched and Bayne slid up just enough to allow Carnathan Jr. to slip by underneath to steal the victory at the line.  The race may very well have been the most fierce in IDRS TNT history.  Carnathan Jr. called it "maybe the toughest race I have ever had to run for a win".

Next, the IDRS series moved to Muskogee, OK where Bayne was determined and fortunate enough to garner a third place finish.  Bayne encountered difficulties in his heat race when he and Shane Maddie got together, thus relegating Bayne into the B main where he took second behind UnderDog teammate Bobby Lassetter of Newnan, GA after starting 8th on the grid.  Bayne also started 8th in the A main, but worked his way through traffic in the latter stages of the race thanks to a terrific setup and good tire selection. Bayne posted the fastest lap of the A main with a 18.02 mark.

The IDRS series then moved to Kings Speedway in California where Bayne continued his recent display of muscle.  After setting quick time in qualifying, Bayne walked to easy victories in both his heat and the trophy dash.  Starting from the pole of the A main, Bayne opened up a slight lead early on before Shane Maddie made his way by on the inside.  Bayne gave chase before coming in contact with the outside retaining wall on the frontstretch thus collecting Jerry Carnathan Jr. in the process.  The collision was hard enough that it righted Bayne's Rocket Ford Mustang and for all practical purposes ended Carnathan's night.  Bayne came away with another bridesmaid finish, although in the closing laps an incident in turn 1 nearly collected Maddie, allowing Bayne to close the gap to just over a one second margin of victory.
The IDRS series made its way to Iowa's 34 Raceway where Carnathan scored an easy win while Bayne managed to hold on to a 7th place finish.  California's Green Speedway, the 4/9 mile D-shaped clay oval, was the next site on the winter tour where Bayne won his heat race over UnderDog teammate Paul Whitten of Camp LeJeune, NC.  In the A main Carnathan Jr. and another UnderDog teammate Rob Keller of Shippensburg, PA proved too strong as Bayne had to settle for a third place finish.  "A third place finish here feels like a moral win to us as the team has struggled here on handling for quite awhile".

Elsewhere, in WROL street stock action at Shawano Speedway in Wisconsin, Bayne drove a car prepared by teammate Rob Keller to heat, trophy dash, and A main wins.  Bayne credits his teammates knowledge of street stock setup for his victory, his first career WROL win.

In High Noon Gang action, Bayne has won A mains at Dodge County, Roush, Kings, Muskogee, and Eldon.
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This page was last updated on: December 5, 2002

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