WAYNESFIELD, Ohio — Wednesday night’s FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions stop at Waynesfield Raceway Park revealed a seismic shift in the traveling sprint car series’ driver roster.
Ian Madsen, who was second in All Star points entering the second half of Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek, was replaced by Spencer Bayston aboard the Sam McGhee Motorsports No. 11.
Bayston will serve as the McGhee family’s driver for the balance of the year, while Madsen’s next move is unknown as of Thursday morning. Ironically, Madsen scored his first victory of the season in the Speedweek opener at Attica Raceway Park.
It marks a bit of stability for Bayston, whose most recent ride was with Buch Motorsports as a substitute for Justin Peck during a four-race All Star weekend June 3-6 while Peck was recovering from concussion-like symptoms.
“I’ve been hopping around here and there lately, running for a few different teams the last few weeks,” Bayston explained to reporter Tyler Burnett Wednesday at Waynesfield Raceway Park. “I’ve had some good experiences, but I think this one may last a little bit longer. I’m grateful for the opportunity from Mike McGhee and Sam (McGhee Motorsports) and the consideration to fill the seat for the rest of the year.
“I’m looking forward to it. These guys want to race,” Bayston added. “They want to go up and down the road as much as possible, and that’s what I really would like to get out of this program. Their cars have been tremendously fast all year, it seems like, so we want to get in, get going and finish out this year strong for them.”
The McGhee ride marks the fifth high-profile 410 sprint car ride that Bayston has driven this season, joining the Alex Bowman Racing No. 55v, the Indy Race Parts No. 71, the CJB Motorsports No. 5 and the Buch Motorsports No. 13.
“In a perfect world, you want to be able to find your one team, one car, one group kind of situation to be able to race with throughout (a season or a career),” Bayston explained. “But without that, you want to be at the top of the list to answer the call when teams need you. It has felt good for me and I’ve been able to run with a lot of good teams that have a lot of good equipment.
“It’s a lot of different feelings between different crew chiefs and cars, but all the teams I’ve been with have been stout and a lot of fun to work with. Hopefully, we can make this [pairing] last a little longer.”
Bayston’s debut with Sam McGhee Motorsports resulted in a 15th-place finish Wednesday night after starting 18th. It was his fifth All Star Circuit of Champions appearance this season.
The Lebanon, Ind., native will return to action with the All Stars Thursday night as Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek rolls on at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio.
Attempts to reach team namesake and crew chief Sam McGhee have yet to be returned.