#67 Black Rifle Coffee Toyota driver Travis Pastrana (left) and #84 Carvana Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson speak on the grid during qualifying for the Daytona 500. (Getty Images)
Daytona Beach, Florida — Travis Pastrana jumped out of a plane without a parachute But I’ve never driven a car in NASCAR’s Top Cup series over 40 mph. He never spun his car once on the high-bank high-speed track at Daytona International Speedway. Despite previous tussles with NASCAR, Pastrana never had Tried to run the Daytona 500.
When the action sports star found himself on the grid, he was just a car away from good friend and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, a perfect opportunity for Pastrana to ask for last-minute advice from the two. It may have been. Winner of the Time Daytona 500.
Johnson had just returned to NASCAR after a two-year stint in the IndyCar Series, and like Pastrana, the aging superstars weren’t guaranteed a spot at Sunday’s season opener.
But the duo skipped small talk about entry or exit, throttle or speed. Her two daughters of Johnson were attending a nearby horse race. Pastrana is at the cheerleading camp. And that’s what the father of two spoke before him in one of the most pressure moments of both NASCAR lives.
Pastrana saw Johnson make several starts this season and attempt a lap on the video board. What took Johnson by surprise was the rough and bumpy ride in his new Legacy Motor Club team.Johnson has no idea what the next-gen car should feel like two years later.
“You’re a professional man!” Pastrana gushed to Johnson after the session.
When it was Pastrana’s turn to qualify for 23XI Racing’s Toyota, his run was much smoother and, like Johnson, the two qualified for four open spots in the 40-driver Daytona 500 field. We were fast enough to get two of them.
so, Daytona 500 Champion and X Games Champion Race for one of the biggest prizes in NASCAR.
Six drivers battled for the spot, with Johnson and Pastrana winning two in the time trial. The other four were set for a pair of Thursday night qualifying races to finalize the field.
“Of course I want to win. I get in the car, that’s the norm and that’s what I like to do,” Johnson said. “But this is a long-term story.
Nearly 40 years old and with his eyes set on landing a slot in the Dayonta 500, Pastrana cheered after his qualifying lap. He was contacted by former Cup champion, Daytona 500 winner and current 23XI/Toyota coach Kurt Busch, who suffered a concussion in July and was forced to retire last season. I got
Bush gave Pastrana reality.
Pastrana’s definition of a job may not fit the usual terminology within NASCAR.
this is the same hellraiser YouTube videos with 1 million views Dedicated to his most dangerous crashes.so take the wheel Probably the safest car in NASCAR history They don’t necessarily offer the same challenges. A daredevil backflip to the Grand Canyon.
However, Pastrana was expected to win all those gold medals and leave fans gasping for breath with each and every terrible trick. Pastrana is willing to try the race, unlike Johnson, who is 47 and believes she can win on Sunday. Co-owned by Michael Jordan, his team was capable of racing Pastrana, and Toyota had an engine fast enough to take him to his dream race.
“If you can get this car on the lead lap all the way to the finish line, it’s going to be a win, even though I didn’t say anything other than a win,” said Pastrana.
If Pastrana stays to the end and manages to see Johnson win his third Daytona 500, it might be fitting. I went to see Johnson race on one of my first dates with. Pastrana said he was talking to Johnson late one day about running his own NASCAR career.
He attempted a career in NASCAR ten years ago and joined the full Xfinity Series schedule in 2013 with Roush Fenway Racing. Pastrana finished 10th in his 2013 Daytona second tier Xfinity race. The car has evolved and he’s still a stock car newbie but there’s a little chance he’ll be competitive on Sunday.
That is, if he can make it to the end.
“I said to my wife, ‘I want to spend more time at home.’ It’s a success,” said Pastrana.
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AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this article
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