Bayne drove the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 17 Sprint Cup Series races in 2011. He did not competing for the Rookie of the Year award because he was racing the full Nationwide Series season. Bayne won his first Sprint Cup Series race in his second race ever, the 2011 Daytona 500. This win makes him the second youngest driver ever to win a Sprint Cup Series race, and the youngest ever driver to win the Daytona 500. In 2015 Bayne started racing full time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing.