JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The career crossroads Spencer Bayston faced last year are well behind him.
Parting ways with Jason Meyers Racing in August left Bayston searching for a ride. Impressive runs on the West Coast in Kevin Kozlowski’s Works Limited Sprint Car and the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 reminded the sport of this 27-year-old’s talent.
Most importantly, he caught the eyes of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Richard and Jennifer Marshall as they hunted a new driver.
The two sides struck a deal for Bayston to climb aboard the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season, and the move is already paying dividends.
The Lebanon, Ind., native came out swinging with a win in the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park. Since then, he’s collected seven more top 10s and is fresh off his best weekend of the season. Bayston picked up a podium on Friday at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park before driving from 20th to fifth the next night.
“I feel like we’ve started honing on some of our weaknesses and determining what we need to change in order to improve on them,” Bayston said. “And I wouldn’t say we have it figured out completely yet, but I think it was a step in the right direction. Our off week over Easter, we did make some structural changes to our program to try to improve some of the issues we’ve been facing. I feel like the car responded well.”
The start to the season has given Bayston and the crew a positive outlook with plenty of racing remaining. The dynamic between he and crew chief Kyle Pruitt strengthens every week. Their lone weakness so far has been Qualifying, but they’ve proven to have no issues marching forward come feature time with 85 cars passed through 13 races. Bayston is confident they’ll put the complete package together sooner than later.
“If you have to pick one of the other, if you’d rather have race pace or qualifying speed, I would much rather choose to have a car that can contend in the features,” Bayston said. “I’m very optimistic we’ll figure it out. It’s only a matter of time. And in trying to figure out the car and getting it to handle and qualify with speed, obviously I’m trying to learn how to communicate and work alongside Kyle our crew chief just to understand each other’s language and when we’re making changes to make sure him and I are both on the same page of what I’m trying to say I feel to what he applies.”
Momentum is building with a special race ahead for Bayston. The 2026 calendar features two nights on home turf for the “Hoosier,” and this Saturday, April 18 marks the first. Haubstadt’s Tri-State Speedway has long been a staple of The Greatest Show on Dirt, and the tradition continues this weekend. It’s a chance for Bayston to race close to family and friends and continue to enjoy this opportunity with SJMR as he rejuvenates his sprint car career.
“Anytime I get to race in Indiana it feels special,” Bayston said. “Getting to run at Haubstadt this weekend is exciting because it’s got kind of a home track feel with a little bit of extra support, but also a place I’ve ran Midgets at and ran sprint car races at. It usually puts on exciting races. It’s a unique track.”
