X Games Legend Travis Pastrana Finally Makes NASCAR Debut

Normally whenever a driver starts in the 25th position and finishes 22nd in the race it is not news. When that driver happens to be a legend in another sport making his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut it does.

Last year one of the more intriguing stories in NASCAR was the partnership that was formed between Motocross/SuperCross/X-Games legend Travis Pastrana and Michael Waltrip called Pastrana-Waltrip Racing.

The idea was for Pastrana to drive the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota car for seven Nationwide races during the 2011 season. However, injuries suffered during the 2011 X-Games in July delayed his entry into the Nationwide Series till this year.

Pastrana started on his path to becoming a household name when he won the gold in the first Motocross Freestyle X-Games event in 1999. He'd go on to win the event in 2000, '01, and ‘03 and only failed to win gold for the fifth time when he crashed trying to do a 360 (he still won the silver).

In total he has won gold at the X-Games 10 times and 16 total medals to go along with a successful career as a motocross and supercross champion (5X-time U.S. amateur motocross champion, 2X-time Canadian amateur champion, 2000 AMA Motocross, and 2001 AMA Supercross).  He became the youngest driver to win the Rally America Championship in 2006.

So suffice it to say, the 28-year old Annapolis native has a series need for speed. Time will tell if he can get it satisfied in NASCAR.

(Want to ride along with Travis Pastrana during his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut? Just click play!)

Article by Travis Pulver