KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Trevor Bayne is a pro at shifting lanes. He’s mastered both racing and roasting, but all the coffee beans in the world couldn’t grind down his first love.
“The racetrack is where I spent 90% of my life. And so, to go back and have a place there now is really cool,” said Bayne. “It's hard to go to the track and just watch.”
Bayne is in the analyst chair for a second season with NASCAR at Fox Sports One Studio in Charlotte.
“My wife has always said I needed to do that because I talk throughout the whole race when we're watching it.
"And, that's what pulled me back into the sport last year.”
All while their young family grew to six with another baby boy.
“We thought three to four would just be another kid running around, and three to four has been wild for me.”
And, never in his wildest dreams did he think Joe Gibbs Racing would call.
“Everybody expects that Ashton probably just put her foot down and said, ‘This isn’t happening, Trevor, you're crazy.’ But that wasn’t the case. Aston has always been super supportive of me and racing.”
Watch Trevor Bayne's HomeGrown story:
However, his wife, Ashton, did raise a caution flag to withhold excitement until the deal was final.
“She was the one to keep my feet on the ground and say, ‘Hey, let's wait until it's done.’”
Now, it’s reality.
“I'm a little rusty.”
Bayne’s back to his workouts and nutrition plan, but a simulator has replaced the stock car.
“It's a full race car, you get in and it moves and does everything that a race car should do. So, it’s very realistic. The only thing that you don’t get is a sense of speed.”
He’s glad his kids get to see the racing side of their dad.
“If anybody wants entertainment let's just video us going out to pit road with four kids.”
And, he’d love to pass on his passion to his children ages six, four, two, and two months old.
“I don’t think it would take much convincing for Levi (age 4) or Luca (age 2). They're obsessed with anything with wheels.”
And, they’re already lapping dad.
“Levi had his first flip the other day in his go-kart at four years old. So, he beat me on that!”
Mahalo Coffee isn’t on the back burner. Bayne is expanding with a third shop in Alcoa, a partnership with Harper Auto Square.
“As soon as constructions done, we're busting the doors open.”
And, he’s building a new roasting facility Mahalo Coffee near the intersection of Washington Pike and Murphy Road.
“Within this year, we’d like to have our building built for roasting and then also have a drive-thru and have a small café there for East Knoxville to have its own coffee shop.”
And yes, he’ll have plenty of caffeine come race day.
Bayne is thankful and returning to the sport with a new appreciation.
“We had been maybe burned out a little bit after 10, 11 years of chasing around the NASCAR circuit, 40 weekends a year. So now, we're refreshed and we're ready to go. I've got seven races to go try to win. Try to restart.”
Trevor will compete in seven NASCAR Xfinity races beginning with the Production Alliance Group 300 Saturday, Feb. 26, 5:00 pm at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Wife Ashton and the kids won’t be at this race but will do a victory lap if he takes the checkered flag.