Pandemonium. That one word, used by Winder native Josh Shipplett, probably best describes his reaction as well as that of everyone associated with driver Trevor Bayne during the recent Daytona 500.
For it was Bayne, the 20-year-old driver who made history when he became the youngest person to win the Dayton 500, considered by most as the Super Bowl of NASCAR. Shipplett, a 2007 graduate of Winder-Barrow High School is part of Bayne’s pit crew, as a front tire carrier.
“Things have been crazy since the race,” Bayne told the Barrow Journal last week. “We have all received a great deal of attention.”
Having such a high level of success so soon in any profession is unusual. Perhaps even more so in NASCAR. Shipplett began the Motor Sports Program at Lanier Tech in Winder while a senior in high school. WBHS youth apprenticeship coordinator Pam McGee and Lanier Tech Motor Sports instructor Bud Hughes were two of the influences on Shipplett.
He later went to work for the Richard Petty Driving Experience based in North Carolina.
Shipplett now works for Rouse Fenway Racing and is working on his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. His parents, Bill Shipplett and Dana and Robin Brown, still live in Winder and Josh makes it back as often as his hectic schedule allows.
Leading up to Daytona, Shipplett said there was usual small talk about what would happen if Bayne actually pulled off the victory.
“Everyone joked about it,” he said. “Before the race we all huddled up and one of the guys gave a speech. It’s like any sport. You always go out there hoping to win. You give everything you have because you don’t know what might happen. That’s what makes competition so great. We figured we’d see what a bunch of scrubs could do.”
Approximately halfway through the race, Bayne was behind Robby Gordon.
“I figured if we could do that then we could do about anything,” Shipplett said. “It suddenly hit it us we really did have a chance.”
Shipplett’s actual view of the track was somewhat limited. A television on pit row was being utilized but it was actually on a delay of a few seconds. As the end of the race began approaching, Shipplett used the public address announcer’s updates as his most actual guide.
“I never heard anything about anyone making a move to pass us,” Shipplett said. “To say it was pandemonium at that point would be an understatement.”
The next couple of days didn’t provide much rest for Bayne, Shipplett or any of the team. Phone calls from friends, newspaper reporters and well wishers flooded in. Shipplett enlisted the help of his mom and girlfriend to help take all the calls.
“It took me a day before I really could believe what happened,” he said. “A general rule is that you get 24-48 hours to brag about a win and then it is on to the next race. We figured with it being Daytona we deserved three or four days to enjoy that one.”
The Bayne racing team was off to Phoenix this past weekend where a crash during lap 50 caused a 40th place finish. However, that has not overshadowed what took place the previous week in Daytona.
“That’s one that can never be taken from us,” said Shipplett, who one day would like to be his own crew chief.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
