Travis Pastrana seeks new thrills, Jimmie Johnson reclaims old sensations at Daytona 500
Travis Pastrana, driver of #67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota(L) and Jimmie Johnson, who drives #84 Carvana chevrolettalk on the grid while qualifying for the Daytona 500. (Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Travis Pastrana has jump out of a plane without a parachute but never drive NASCARThe flagship Cup Series car of more than 40 mph. He’s never driven the car so much as a spin on the high-speed, steep track at the Daytona International Freeway. And despite a previous feud with NASCAR, Pastrana has never tried to qualify for Daytona 500.
So when the action sports star finds herself standing on the grid, just a car away from good friend and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, it could be a great time for Pastrana to ask some Last minute hint from two-time Daytona 500 winners.
Johnson just returned to NASCAR after two years on the IndyCar Series and, like Pastrana, the aging superstars weren’t guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s season opening spectacle.
But the duo left out the small talk of entry, throttle or speed. Johnson’s two daughters were participating in a nearby horse competition; Pastrana is at cheer camp. And that’s what several dads talked about before one of the most stressful moments in both of their NASCAR lives.
Pastrana watched Johnson, who started this season’s pick, try out his lap on the video board. It was a tough and bumpy ride with his new car. Heritage The Motor Club team worried Johnson, who after two years apart had no idea what the Next Generation car would feel like.
“You are a professional man!” Pastrana talks to Johnson after the session.
When it was Pastrana’s turn to qualify for a Toyota from 23XI Racing, his ride was much smoother and, like Johnson’s, fast enough for the duo to win two of the four available spots in the Daytona 500 school. for 40 riders.
Just like that, one Daytona 500 Champion and X Games Champion will race for one of the biggest prizes in NASCAR.
There were six riders vying for spots, with Johnson and Pastrana winning two prizes after the trial period. The remaining four were set for a pair of qualifying races on Thursday night to complete the field.
“Sure, I want to win. I get in the car, that’s the norm, that’s what I want to do,” Johnson said. “But this is more about the long game. It’s more about being part of a growing team than about the fiercely competitive side I’ve always run.”
Pastrana, who at nearly 40 has his eyes on winning the Dayonta 500 spot, celebrated after his qualifying lap. Kurt Busch, former Cup champion, Daytona 500 winner and current 23XI/Toyota coach, has approached him, who was forced to retire last season after suffering a concussion in July that has yet to heal. .
Busch offers a dose of reality to Pastrana: “Finally, Kurt Busch came to me and said, ‘OK, now let’s get to work.'”
Pastrana’s definition of work may not be consistent with the common language in NASCAR.
This is the same hell upgrader who was YouTube video has 1 million views dedicated to his most gnarly accidents. So get behind the wheel of arguably the safest car in NASCAR history may not necessarily provide the same challenge of, say, a daring back flip into the Grand Canyon.
However, Pastrana is expected to win all those gold medals and leave fans breathless with each terrifying dribble. Unlike Johnson, 47, who believes he can win on Sunday, Pastrana is happy to try his hand at the race. His team, which is co-owned by Michael Jordan, is likely to join Pastrana, and Toyota has the engine fast enough to put him in the race of his dreams.
Pastrana said: “If I could get this car to take the lead to the finish line, I’ve never said it before about anything but winning, but it would be a win.
It would be fitting if Pastrana could hold on to the finish line and somehow see Johnson win his third Daytona 500. Pastrana had one of his first dates with his wife at the NASCAR track in Fontana, California, years ago to watch Johnson race. Pastrana said he kept Johnson up late talking about someday making his own NASCAR career.
He tried his hand at NASCAR a decade ago and raced the entire Xfinity Series schedule in 2013 for Roush Fenway Racing. Pastrana finished 10th at Daytona back in 2013 in the second-place Xfinity race and – while the cars have evolved and he’s still a novice with classic cars – perhaps it offers a bit of potential. that he can compete on Sunday.
That is, if he can get to the end.
“I said to my wife, ‘Listen, I want to spend more time at home. I want to step back a bit. But right now, this is the best chance I have, the best success I’ve had across the means to give it my all,'” Pastrana said.
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AP Auto Racing writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this story
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