Travis Pastrana to NASCAR in 2011

jogiba · 11-11-2010, 08:00 PM

Quote:

After mining gold medals in the X Games, shattering jump records on both motorcycles and automobiles and starring as a cultural icon for the action sports world, the star of MTV's Nitro Circus is ready to turn his attention to America's most popular form of motorsports -- NASCAR.

Michael Waltrip Racing, Gary and Blake Bechtel and Pastrana announced Thursday the creation of Pastrana-Waltrip Racing that will field cars in the Nationwide Series beginning in 2011.

Pastrana-Waltrip Racing will focus on creating programs that expose the action sports world's fans and participants to NASCAR and develop youth marketing initiatives designed to create greater awareness of both sports.

Initial plans are for Pastrana to compete in seven Nationwide races in 2011 and 20 races in 2012.

"I've been following NASCAR closely for years as a fan of the sport with competing in the sport a life-long dream," Pastrana said. "I decided it was time to try and turn that dream into reality and with the help of the Bechtel family, Michael Waltrip Racing and Wasserman Media Group, I'm now one step closer."

Pastrana-Waltrip Racing will field Toyotas out of the Michael Waltrip Racing shop in Cornelius, N.C. Waltrip noted the importance of the youth demographic Pastrana brings to NASCAR.

"Travis has built an enormous and unique following all over the world," Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, said. "As a race team owner, we are always looking for ways to deliver to our partners and engage our fans better. This is an opportunity to showcase our company and our sport to a new generation of young fans. We're also looking for that next big star. Travis already is one and action sports is full of talented athletes. Having Travis as a part of our program adds another great dimension to our team and NASCAR."

Pastrana owns 16 X Games gold medals along with multiple supercross, motocross and rally championships in his career. Pastrana also created the Nitro Circus empire, which includes a television show, live tours and a soon-to-be-released feature film.

Pastrana to run seven-race '11 Nationwide schedule | NASCAR Nationwide Series

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5N7R9Wbe_E[/YT]

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBrdl2sZWs[/YT]

VaughnA · 11-11-2010, 08:13 PM

As long has he doesn't get bored with it compared to his normal stuff I bet he'll do pretty well. Rally drivers know how to drive and he's a pretty good rally driver. I wish him luck but I doubt it will get me back into watching nascar. In the early 90's I'd watch almost every race and go to a few each year. But after they dropped the short tracks more and more I stopped watching. I bet I haven't watched more than 10% of a race in the last 10 years.

r0ckstarr · 11-12-2010, 05:28 AM

Originally posted by VaughnA

As long has he doesn't get bored with it compared to his normal stuff I bet he'll do pretty well. Rally drivers know how to drive and he's a pretty good rally driver. I wish him luck but I doubt it will get me back into watching nascar. In the early 90's I'd watch almost every race and go to a few each year. But after they dropped the short tracks more and more I stopped watching. I bet I haven't watched more than 10% of a race in the last 10 years.

It's the long tracks + restrictor plates that did it for me. Just makes no sense to run a car wide open and restrict the speed and power. More wrecks happen with the restrictor plates than without. Now, they are all bunched together in packs, where-as without the plates they would spread out and get distance on each other.

jogiba · 11-12-2010, 10:33 AM

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbe12d6B5xY[/YT]

Travis Pastrana sets record for Mt. Washington hillclimb :
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdXJYc4CpXA[/YT]

Phil1 · 11-12-2010, 12:05 PM

Good luck to Pastrana an all round nice guy. I met him a few times at rallys and he booted his mechanic out of his car so my grandson could sit in it and we could get some pictures. He invited him into the pit motor home and BSed with him for 1/2 hour. A great PR guy. It seems WRC Rally would be a more suitable venue for him following Ken Block leaving Subaru for Ford to drive internationally in WRC. You can't beat NASCAR money though and more local recognition. I prefer rally hands down, they turn left and right and brake too. Real cars on real roads real fast.

jogiba · 11-12-2010, 12:41 PM

Originally posted by Phil1

Good luck to Pastrana an all round nice guy. I met him a few times at rallys and he booted his mechanic out of his car so my grandson could sit in it and we could get some pictures. He invited him into the pit motor home and BSed with him for 1/2 hour. A great PR guy. It seems WRC Rally would be a more suitable venue for him following Ken Block leaving Subaru for Ford to drive internationally in WRC. You can't beat NASCAR money though and more local recognition. I prefer rally hands down, they turn left and right and brake too. Real cars on real roads real fast.

Phil1 · 11-12-2010, 01:36 PM

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

A little Pikes Peak

You Tube

r0ckstarr · 11-12-2010, 02:04 PM

Originally posted by jogiba

I enjoy watching the road courses for sure.

jogiba · 11-13-2010, 01:13 PM

Quote:

First things first. Waltrip doesn't envision Pastrana making his inaugural NASCAR start until mid-to-late 2011, using perhaps races in the K&N Pro Series to get him acclimated to stock cars, with maybe some Camping World Truck Series events thrown in. Although Pastrana has extensive experience in rally cars, he hasn't competed on a traditional oval. Waltrip envisions a plan that places Pastrana in a support-series ride somewhere once a week.

"Hopefully, he can make all his mistakes and learn all the lessons that he has to learn, and get up to speed where we can be very comfortable when he runs his first Nationwide race or first Truck race, that he is in a position to be competitive," Waltrip said. "That's his goal. He wants to test and work really hard at getting up to speed."

Which, as other newcomers to NASCAR have discovered, is crucial to not only competing, but maintaining credibility among a fan base that can easily sniff out any driver who's in over their heads. Even the frenzy over Danica Patrick's venture into NASCAR has been mitigated somewhat by her struggles on the race track. Four-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson knows Pastrana from past competition in the Race of Champions event, and also shares a past in motocross. The two spoke as recently as two weeks ago about Pastrana's intentions to try NASCAR, and Johnson offered one bit of advice.

"Of course, it's seat time," Johnson said. "We've seen more examples of people coming in that are very talented from other forms of motorsports come in and struggle. I have just been advising him to get as many laps as he can. It doesn't matter if it's at a local Late Model track, if it's in the [K&N] East or West Series, but when you go into the Nationwide Series, you have to show up ready. I certainly hope he will take all the steps necessary, and you would think with the partnership with Michael Waltrip that they are very aware of that and have the established team. I'm excited for him and with all that being said, you won't find a nicer guy out there and somebody that really cares about motorsports. I think it will bring in some new fans and to our fan base here, he is plenty colorful and will keep everybody entertained. I'm excited for him."

Daredevil Pastrana has 'huge' potential in NASCAR | NASCAR Nationwide Series

Phil1 · 11-14-2010, 05:18 AM

""I'm excited for him and with all that being said, you won't find a nicer guy out there and somebody that really cares about motorsports. I think it will bring in some new fans and to our fan base here, he is plenty colorful and will keep everybody entertained. I'm excited for him.""

Perfect!

ftpaddict · 11-14-2010, 04:09 PM

IMO moving from to NASCAR is a definite prestige downgrade. Sure it might bode well for his career, but rallying is infinitely more exciting to watch or participate in than stock car racing.

jogiba · 11-14-2010, 07:08 PM

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9vJjPOqlaI[/YT]

johnmflores · 11-14-2010, 09:25 PM

He may be a nice guy and a maniac, but he's a stunt rider/driver, not a racer IMO. Before X-Games fame he was a very fast but injury prone Supercross rider. His rally career has thus far been mostly in the US. While exciting, it's certainly not on the same level as Europe.

As far as Nascar? In Nascar, good team and good setup have as much an influence on outcome as driver the does. And while he'll join a top team - he's likely there for the PR value as anything.

I'll be surprised if he leaves a mark.

Phil1 · 11-15-2010, 07:17 AM

John's observations may be valid. TP does have the drive and means to excel and he made the transition from MX to stunts to US rally pretty well. He is a very competitive rally driver in the US though that is not really playing with the really big boys and the big teams in the WRC. Ken Block is going through that transition now.

Pastrana will bring a huge fan base over to NASCAR and audience is what it is about. It's big business, big sponsors and expensive TV time.

Now if Dominos would just deliver warm beer with the cold cardboard pizza......

11-11-2010, 08:00 PM	#1
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491	Travis Pastrana to NASCAR in 2011 Quote: After mining gold medals in the X Games, shattering jump records on both motorcycles and automobiles and starring as a cultural icon for the action sports world, the star of MTV's Nitro Circus is ready to turn his attention to America's most popular form of motorsports -- NASCAR. Michael Waltrip Racing, Gary and Blake Bechtel and Pastrana announced Thursday the creation of Pastrana-Waltrip Racing that will field cars in the Nationwide Series beginning in 2011. Pastrana-Waltrip Racing will focus on creating programs that expose the action sports world's fans and participants to NASCAR and develop youth marketing initiatives designed to create greater awareness of both sports. Initial plans are for Pastrana to compete in seven Nationwide races in 2011 and 20 races in 2012. "I've been following NASCAR closely for years as a fan of the sport with competing in the sport a life-long dream," Pastrana said. "I decided it was time to try and turn that dream into reality and with the help of the Bechtel family, Michael Waltrip Racing and Wasserman Media Group, I'm now one step closer." Pastrana-Waltrip Racing will field Toyotas out of the Michael Waltrip Racing shop in Cornelius, N.C. Waltrip noted the importance of the youth demographic Pastrana brings to NASCAR. "Travis has built an enormous and unique following all over the world," Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, said. "As a race team owner, we are always looking for ways to deliver to our partners and engage our fans better. This is an opportunity to showcase our company and our sport to a new generation of young fans. We're also looking for that next big star. Travis already is one and action sports is full of talented athletes. Having Travis as a part of our program adds another great dimension to our team and NASCAR." Pastrana owns 16 X Games gold medals along with multiple supercross, motocross and rally championships in his career. Pastrana also created the Nitro Circus empire, which includes a television show, live tours and a soon-to-be-released feature film. Pastrana to run seven-race '11 Nationwide schedule \| NASCAR Nationwide Series [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5N7R9Wbe_E[/YT] [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBrdl2sZWs[/YT]

11-12-2010, 10:33 AM	#4
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491 Original Poster	Pastranas Double Backflip - Memorable X Games [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbe12d6B5xY[/YT] Travis Pastrana sets record for Mt. Washington hillclimb : [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdXJYc4CpXA[/YT]

11-14-2010, 07:08 PM	#12
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491 Original Poster	travis pastrana nascar launch [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9vJjPOqlaI[/YT]

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11-11-2010, 08:13 PM	#2
VaughnA Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,363	As long has he doesn't get bored with it compared to his normal stuff I bet he'll do pretty well. Rally drivers know how to drive and he's a pretty good rally driver. I wish him luck but I doubt it will get me back into watching nascar. In the early 90's I'd watch almost every race and go to a few each year. But after they dropped the short tracks more and more I stopped watching. I bet I haven't watched more than 10% of a race in the last 10 years.

11-12-2010, 05:28 AM	#3
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Originally posted by VaughnA As long has he doesn't get bored with it compared to his normal stuff I bet he'll do pretty well. Rally drivers know how to drive and he's a pretty good rally driver. I wish him luck but I doubt it will get me back into watching nascar. In the early 90's I'd watch almost every race and go to a few each year. But after they dropped the short tracks more and more I stopped watching. I bet I haven't watched more than 10% of a race in the last 10 years. It's the long tracks + restrictor plates that did it for me. Just makes no sense to run a car wide open and restrict the speed and power. More wrecks happen with the restrictor plates than without. Now, they are all bunched together in packs, where-as without the plates they would spread out and get distance on each other.

11-12-2010, 12:05 PM	#5
Phil1 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,292	Good luck to Pastrana an all round nice guy. I met him a few times at rallys and he booted his mechanic out of his car so my grandson could sit in it and we could get some pictures. He invited him into the pit motor home and BSed with him for 1/2 hour. A great PR guy. It seems WRC Rally would be a more suitable venue for him following Ken Block leaving Subaru for Ford to drive internationally in WRC. You can't beat NASCAR money though and more local recognition. I prefer rally hands down, they turn left and right and brake too. Real cars on real roads real fast.

11-12-2010, 12:41 PM	#6
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491 Original Poster	Originally posted by Phil1 Good luck to Pastrana an all round nice guy. I met him a few times at rallys and he booted his mechanic out of his car so my grandson could sit in it and we could get some pictures. He invited him into the pit motor home and BSed with him for 1/2 hour. A great PR guy. It seems WRC Rally would be a more suitable venue for him following Ken Block leaving Subaru for Ford to drive internationally in WRC. You can't beat NASCAR money though and more local recognition. I prefer rally hands down, they turn left and right and brake too. Real cars on real roads real fast.

11-12-2010, 02:04 PM	#8
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Originally posted by jogiba I enjoy watching the road courses for sure.

11-13-2010, 01:13 PM	#9
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491 Original Poster	Quote: First things first. Waltrip doesn't envision Pastrana making his inaugural NASCAR start until mid-to-late 2011, using perhaps races in the K&N Pro Series to get him acclimated to stock cars, with maybe some Camping World Truck Series events thrown in. Although Pastrana has extensive experience in rally cars, he hasn't competed on a traditional oval. Waltrip envisions a plan that places Pastrana in a support-series ride somewhere once a week. "Hopefully, he can make all his mistakes and learn all the lessons that he has to learn, and get up to speed where we can be very comfortable when he runs his first Nationwide race or first Truck race, that he is in a position to be competitive," Waltrip said. "That's his goal. He wants to test and work really hard at getting up to speed." Which, as other newcomers to NASCAR have discovered, is crucial to not only competing, but maintaining credibility among a fan base that can easily sniff out any driver who's in over their heads. Even the frenzy over Danica Patrick's venture into NASCAR has been mitigated somewhat by her struggles on the race track. Four-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson knows Pastrana from past competition in the Race of Champions event, and also shares a past in motocross. The two spoke as recently as two weeks ago about Pastrana's intentions to try NASCAR, and Johnson offered one bit of advice. "Of course, it's seat time," Johnson said. "We've seen more examples of people coming in that are very talented from other forms of motorsports come in and struggle. I have just been advising him to get as many laps as he can. It doesn't matter if it's at a local Late Model track, if it's in the [K&N] East or West Series, but when you go into the Nationwide Series, you have to show up ready. I certainly hope he will take all the steps necessary, and you would think with the partnership with Michael Waltrip that they are very aware of that and have the established team. I'm excited for him and with all that being said, you won't find a nicer guy out there and somebody that really cares about motorsports. I think it will bring in some new fans and to our fan base here, he is plenty colorful and will keep everybody entertained. I'm excited for him." Daredevil Pastrana has 'huge' potential in NASCAR \| NASCAR Nationwide Series

11-14-2010, 05:18 AM	#10
Phil1 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,292	""I'm excited for him and with all that being said, you won't find a nicer guy out there and somebody that really cares about motorsports. I think it will bring in some new fans and to our fan base here, he is plenty colorful and will keep everybody entertained. I'm excited for him."" Perfect!

11-14-2010, 04:09 PM	#11
ftpaddict Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Yurp Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,666	IMO moving from to NASCAR is a definite prestige downgrade. Sure it might bode well for his career, but rallying is infinitely more exciting to watch or participate in than stock car racing.

11-14-2010, 09:25 PM	#13
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	He may be a nice guy and a maniac, but he's a stunt rider/driver, not a racer IMO. Before X-Games fame he was a very fast but injury prone Supercross rider. His rally career has thus far been mostly in the US. While exciting, it's certainly not on the same level as Europe. As far as Nascar? In Nascar, good team and good setup have as much an influence on outcome as driver the does. And while he'll join a top team - he's likely there for the PR value as anything. I'll be surprised if he leaves a mark.

11-15-2010, 07:17 AM	#14
Phil1 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,292	John's observations may be valid. TP does have the drive and means to excel and he made the transition from MX to stunts to US rally pretty well. He is a very competitive rally driver in the US though that is not really playing with the really big boys and the big teams in the WRC. Ken Block is going through that transition now. Pastrana will bring a huge fan base over to NASCAR and audience is what it is about. It's big business, big sponsors and expensive TV time. Now if Dominos would just deliver warm beer with the cold cardboard pizza......

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