Jack Roush confirms Trevor Bayne is out at Roush Fenway Racing for 2019 NASCAR season

Roush Fenway Racing has made its decision on who will replace Trevor Bayne, but it isn’t ready to reveal the new driver of the No. 6 Ford just yet.

It’s been widely suspected that the relationship between Trevor Bayne and Roush Fenway Racing was moving in the wrong direction this year, and that fact was never more clear than today.

Team owner Jack Roush appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and confirmed (via Autosport) that Bayne won’t be back in the No. 6 Ford in 2019, a move that comes as no big surprise since the team opted to bring Matt Kenseth in to split time with him a few months ago. Bayne started the first 11 races of the NASCAR Cup Series season but has appeared in the car just five times since then, most recently in the Bristol night race.

Roush also strongly suggested that Roush Fenway Racing had already decided on Bayne’s replacement but didn’t want to reveal who it was until they had agreed on a contract.

"We’re making a search. We are in negotiations with drivers right now that would drive the #6 car next year.I think the decision’s been made. I don’t want to be breaking the story here, but I think the decision’s been made and it’s been announced that Trevor is not going to be in the car next year."

The 27-year-old Bayne rocketed to NASCAR fame with his thrilling victory in the 2011 Daytona 500 while he was driving part-time for Wood Brothers Racing. It wasn’t until 2015 that he landed a full-time gig with Roush Fenway, but he was never able to find his way back to Victory Lane in his three seasons in the 6, and he never finished higher than 22nd in the season-ending standings.

Bayne did show some signs of improved performance late in the 2017 campaign, coming in third at Talladega and sixth at Martinsville. That led to some optimism to start this season, but his first 11 races were worse than the same stretches the previous two years, and it was not exactly shocking when the team reached out to Kenseth.

Roush’s announcement now leads to two obvious questions. One is who is taking over in the 6, and whether it’s Kenseth making a definite return from retirement or if it’s someone moving from another team, as Ryan Newman has been heavily rumored as a potential candidate in recent days.

The other thing to watch is where Bayne goes next. He certainly could be attractive to smaller teams looking to step up a bit, or for a mid-pack team like Front Row Motorsports with another seat to fill for 2019. The XFINITY Series could be a home for him as well, as he performed pretty well at that level in the past. It’s not impossible to see an Elliott Sadler-esque scenario where he is the veteran still able to run up front against the sport’s next wave of talent.

Regardless of where Bayne’s next chapter is written, it sounds as if the driver following him will be named sooner rather than later. It won’t be the biggest piece of the Silly Season puzzle, but it’s one that could lead to more falling into places once it’s set.