As he’s matured in a sprint car, Bayston noted that the main catalyst behind his rapid growth — particularly over the past few months — has been largely from Swindell’s support from outside the car.

“Having Kevin as my crew chief and a driver coach the last two years has been phenomenal. It’s been huge for my growth as a driver,” Bayston pointed out. “Having a crew chief that can give you a good setup is one thing, but having one who understands it from my side of things (as a driver) and knows what I like and what I need has been so helpful.

“Kevin has been there from the first time I got in a sprint car, pretty much,” he added. “Working with him has been great and, now, I finally feel like I’m starting to understand what I need in the car, just like he’s understanding what I like and what I need. Regardless of what team I end up with, everything I know about racing a winged car is because of Kevin and everything I take away from him.”

Bayston doesn’t know yet what team he will be driving for next season, but noted that he could return to the Swindell Speed Labs No. 39.

“I don’t know where this road is going to lead for me, but I do know that next year I’m going to be in a sprint car, whether it’s with Kevin (Swindell) or another team,” he said. “I haven’t had any of those conversations with Kevin and Jordan just yet, as far as what they might want to do next year, but there will be a conversation with them in the near future.

“We should know more specifically what we’re doing in the next couple of months.”

As he works to define his immediate future, Bayston did express a specific long-term goal that he’s hoping to achieve.

“My main desire is to go full-time World of Outlaws racing and I’m hoping that I can do that here in the near future,” stated Bayston. “The good news is that I have plenty of time to make that dream happen and it’s just a matter of going down that road one step at a time.

“Everything that I’ve done in my career, I feel like has worked out just the way it needed to and I feel like (making) this move is no different.”

Regardless of when that goal arrives, Bayston is simply soaking in the moment and ready to get started with his new discipline of choice.

“I’m not sure what it is about them … whether it’s the raw power or the big wings or the high speeds, but I fell in love with this style of racing once I got into it and everything about it excites me,” Bayston said. “To put that on my résumé and make it a big part of my future means quite a bit.

“I wouldn’t have expected myself to be at this point 10 years ago, when I started racing quarter midgets. My dad told me that he would never let me run a sprint car because they were too fast and too dangerous and five years after that conversation I was getting in a sprint car for the first time.

“That’s just an example of how my career has gone and now, this is our next step.”