The last year has been a whirlwind since Spencer Bayston reprioritized racing.
“I want to buy a house and live a normal life,” he said. “When you don’t have a secure income and a solid ride, it’s pretty hard to prepare for any of that stuff. It came down to where I need to stop relying on the racing side and look at it as a bonus to do on the weekends here and there.”
Bayston accepted his first “legit” job as an area sales manager at Signing Day Sports in early 2021.
“It was always racing before that,” he said. “I’ve always helped and done stuff around the house with my parents and friends and family. I was always willing to go work and get my hands dirty, but it was my first legit job where I’m an employee of a company. I was not super thrilled to go clock in somewhere where I’d rather be at a race track, but it was kind of exciting to have a normal, structured life.
“I got a part-time job working with a tech startup company and working from home so I could go race if I got a call. The other part of me still really wanted to be a race car driver somewhere. I was trying to diversify a little and get a couple of options, so I wasn’t solely relying on racing. I was going to do this job and work for as long as I can and if something comes about, I can jump on the racing train.”
The Indiana native landed in the Sam McGhee Motorsports No. 11 winged sprint car in the middle of June. He proceeded to secure his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series triumph — topping 47 other drivers during the famed Brad Doty Classic. He also won two All Star Circuit of Champions features.
To those on the outside, the success seemed to catch eyes as Bayston’s dream opportunity — a full-time ride on the World of Outlaws tour — was announced in September. He finished the season with CJB Motorsports and the team plans to return to “The Greatest Show on Dirt” this year with Bayston behind the wheel.
“It’s funny how much things have changed (in the last year),” he said. “The last couple of Chili Bowls I’d gone to the question was always, ‘What’s your plan for this year?’ I’d get so frustrated and mad because I’d always have the same answer, ‘I’m not sure. I have to figure it out.’”
The question wasn’t posed this year as Bayston enjoyed success in the closing months of last season, including a World of Outlaws win during the Nittany Showdown at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. That triumph was his fourth of the season, nearly equaling the five features he’d won since his first 410 sprint car ride in 2016.
“It’s been a deal that’s been coming together longer than most people realized,” Bayston said. “Barry (Jackson) and I have talked on the phone for a long time, a good three years. It was almost a deal where I was trying to get into that car when they hired Brent Marks. Barry and I have always been close and talked on the phone periodically throughout each year. They were looking to restructure and get back to a one-car team and a World of Outlaws schedule. When the No. 11 (team) came to me and asked for me to run the remainder of last year, I actually consulted with Barry and the CJB team to make sure it was OK.
“The McGhees hired me early in the summer. We had some good runs and won some big races. The (CJB Motorsports) thing had been coming together the whole year. It was finally put together and finalized,” Bayston continued. “It sounds very confusing, but it all worked out best-case scenario. I got a lot of experience and had some success in the No. 11 car. That really prepared me for this coming season.
“They (at CJB Motorsports) look at the Outlaws deal as the best series to be part of from a scheduling standpoint. Trying to run two different cars was very taxing,” Bayston said. “You look at their program from years when David Gravel was part of it and they had tremendous success. Hopefully, I can be that missing piece for them and we can build toward something great.”
If the limited number of races the team ran late last season was any indication, Bayston and company should be just fine as he embarks upon his rookie season with the World of Outlaws.
“It’s definitely my best opportunity ever,” he said. “I think this is what any young racer sets their goal as; they strive to be a touring World of Outlaws driver. There’s only so few who get the chance to run on a full Outlaws basis let alone for one of the best teams on the tour. I want to make sure I make the best of my opportunity and do everything to make the most out of every race on our schedule these next couple of years and see where we go.
“They have the ability to go out and win races and contend for championships. With me and my experience level it may take some time, but I’m giving myself the best opportunity possible due to the people I’m surrounded by.”
Bayston noted that he and the team verbally agreed to a two-year commitment.
“We felt to do this right we’ll need to do more than one year,” he said. “It’s a two-year gentleman’s handshake to make sure we can go out and do everything to be successful and accomplish everything we want. Those two years are meant to give us the best opportunity.”
Bayston also brought along the company that gave him his first job outside of racing. Signing Day Sports is a primary sponsor for the team.
“After putting together the deal with CJB and presenting the opportunity to be a sponsor on a World of Outlaws team, with all the attention and exposure the World of Outlaws offers, it was a great opportunity for a new company,” he said.
The 23-year-old was the 2014 POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Rookie of the Year and the 2015 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series rookie of the year while driving for the Clauson family. Bayston spent the next three years piloting a midget for Keith Kunz Motorsports, earning the 2017 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series national championship.
Bayston made the shift to full-time winged sprint car racing in 2019.
“We’d won a championship and a lot of the big races,” he said in reference to racing midgets. “Guys are making a living running USAC stuff. My interest went to the winged sprint car world where guys could make a good living. Just the energy around sprint car racing, the big events you could participate in, I felt it was the next step. USAC is a well-rounded series and established. The next best thing was winged sprint car racing. I figured I’d jump on the train and see what happened. It’s been a long process to get established to a full-time deal, but it’s going to pay off in the end.”
Bayston has been announced as one of three drivers — along with former NASCAR star Kasey Kahne and Noah Gass — in contention for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award.
“My goal is to go out and belong,” Bayston said. “The guys who are competing night in and night out are guys I’ve looked up to.
“I looked up the number of 410 races I’ve competed in and I think I was less than half of (Carson) Macedo and (Giovanni) Scelzi. My experience level is just less than people my age because I haven’t had full-time opportunities to run.”
As for aspirations beyond World of Outlaws competition, particularly in the asphalt world, Bayston says he is focused on making the most of his current opportunity, which he hopes leads to a long and prosperous career on dirt.
“You’re not racing on Sundays and making the big checks, but this is the golden opportunity for every kid who grows up in the dirt world,” he said. “If I can make a good career with this, when I retire, I don’t think I’ll have anything to be ashamed of or regret.”