Travis Pastrana Joins Nascar
| Blog Listng |
From: rallyfix.bnqt.com November 10, 2010 |
Prev Post | Next Post |
Travis Pastrana - NASCAR in 2011
A bit more sleuthing and the cat's out of the bag.
Earlier today we told you that Travis Pastrana had ended his partnership with long-time rally partner Subaru. There was also speculation that he may be checking out Nascar. And a Twitter account linked Pastrana to Waltrip Racing, along with a URL for his new website. Now if we put it all together, it looks like TP is a part owner in the former Michael Waltrip Racing and now Pastrana Waltrip Racing. That's kind of like a promotion, I'd say.
Thanks to Nelson Ireson at affiliate Motor Authority for this:
The Twitter account, @pwr99, contains a profile pic of Pastrana sitting next to his NASCAR Nationwide series ride, which bears a caricature of Pastrana asking, "When do I get to backflip this thing?" A visit to the URL shows the page isn't live yet--likely because the deal isn't due to be announced until tomorrow, according to motorsports marketer Mike Nelson via his Twitter account, @mikenele.
Nelson posted "@mikenele NASCAR announcement is tomorrow. It's a done deal. See @pwr99" earlier today in response to talk about Pastrana's potential NASCAR move.
It will be interesting to see how Pastrana's foray into oval-track racing plays out, especially since it's all-paved, and his forte to this point has been almost exclusively in the dirt. Speculation as to why Pastrana might be interested in the move to NASCAR include his numerous injuries making the more extreme physical nature of rally racing too painful to endure, though with the frequency and severity of 150-mph-plus crashes in NASCAR, injury avoidance seems low on the list. Money, exposure, and competition seem to us to be more likely motivators for the motorsports superstar.
Back in June, Pastrana drove a Late Model car at Eldora Speedway for the Gillette Profusion Prelude to the Dream race, where he finished 23rd, three laps down on winner Jimmie Johnson, and bracketed by Jeff Gordon in 22nd and Tony Kanaan in 24th.
A gallery of Pastrana's Rally Car Career
Announcement that Pastrana Leaving Subaru
Link to Pastrana Waltrip Racing
By the way, for an S-ton worth of Rally Content, check out BNQT's own Rallyfix.com
NASCAR Coach Reveals Winning Strategy: 'Drive Fast'