Trevor Bayne optimistic about future

Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Trevor Bayne has the best attitude for a 20-year-old guy. He's upbeat, positive and optimistic about the lessons he has learned this year. The media was excited to speak with NASCAR’S youngest Daytona 500 winner about his illness these past few weeks and Bayne was excited to be at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He told the press, “I missed you guys!” Not a quote you generally hear from celebrities or athletes.

Steve Newmark, President of Roush Fenway Racing, opened the press session by thanking press saying,  “...express sincere gratitude to everybody in this room and all the media for the respectful way in which you guys have treated this story." He continued to say, “We really do appreciate the fact that you guys respected the privacy of a 20- year-old and let us work through this.”

Eddie Wood, the co-owner of the Wood Brothers Racing, took the time to thank the press as well, “I am like Steve and want to echo the thanks to everyone for the respect they gave our race team as well as Trevor going through all of this.”

Carl Edwards flew to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to visit and bringing a guitar to him. Tony Stewart was using his plane to fly Bayne's family back and forth to the hospital while team owner Jack Roush flew him back and forth to the Mayo Clinic. Michael McDowell was there (at the Mayo Clinic) with him for five days and everyone in the garage texted him at least once to see how he was. Bayne told press that “it has been incredible to me and a real eye opener of how supportive everyone is in our sport.”

Bayne’s excitement, positive and optimistic energy was certainly inspiring and if you were in a bad mood or feeling sorry for yourself, you suddenly forgot that feeling after listening to him for a minute.

Bayne told press “I think I finally just had to accept that nobody knows. I can promise that if I was just tired or not feeling great I would have still been in the race car because I am a racer.”

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic treated Bayne for things they thought it could be. Initially the cause of illness was thought to be an insect bite. There was no evidence of Lyme Disease, but they treated it just to knock it out and since then symptoms went away. “Everything is 100% back to normal and that is pretty exciting.”

Bayne’s symptoms were double vision and inflammation, which was temporary. His biggest hope is that “it was an isolated event that is temporary and is gone now. The diagnosis, I don’t have it yet.” Steve Newmark interrupted by saying that he wanted to add that doctors that he has seen, which was multiple, particularly at the Mayo Clinic, have cleared him as being fit for racing.”

Bayne’s positivity could be because of his faith and told press he didn’t really ask why me? “I think this year is just helping me figure out what I am made of. I think that if you can handle the biggest high you can have the largest bottom you can have then the rest of the year should easy from here.”

Doctors told Bayne to stay hydrated. He told press that “Michael McDowell always says that hydration is the key to life, joking around with me, but now it really is.”

Bayne also told us that although he doesn’t know what the diagnosis is, it’s not terminal or cancer or leukemia. They thought it was Lyme but didn’t think it was as serious.

“Spinal taps at midnight is not exactly what your looking forward to but it happens.” He told reporters they did MRI's and at one point he had 16 needles in his body at once. They even had shock pads that he didn’t know exsisted.

With all that was happening, Bayne’s biggest concern was how fast he could get back. He asked doctors everyday how long it would take. “For some reason God put peace in my heart. You would think that the first day when I woke up my roommate and asked if I was cross-eyed or something that I would be freaking out. But I was just like, ‘Well, let’s go to the doctors boys.’ So we loaded up and went to the doctor and I had a peace about it.”

He is helping Ricky Stenhouse Jr., teammate and best friend get ready for his debut in the Coca-Cola 600. He says he’s an awesome kid and he’s pumped for him. “I texted him yesterday,” said Bayne, “and told him to own this thing because he deserves it. I think he’s going to do a great job.” Bayne went on to say that he told Stenhouse Jr. “To just enjoy it. It is his first Sprint Cup start. When I was in Texas I was so overwhelmed by everything “I was like, 'Man, I ran a Cup race.'”

Bayne told press that he is pumped about going back to Michigan and Chicago. He raced at Chicago twice so far and he said he has “a little experience there but not a ton.” He’s really excited about Michigan and getting back in both cars.