Photo From Jared C. Tilton - Getty Images
Travis Pastrana Finishes A Respectable 11th
Travis Pastrana, a world-famous racer at many levels, made headlines early in January when it was announced he was going to attempt the Daytona 500 with 23XI Racing. A lot of NASCAR fans welcomed Pastrana, while many dismissed him and believed other drivers were more deserving of a shot. On Wednesday, he locked himself into the Daytona 500 on speed. After being involved in a wreck in the duels, more people started to doubt him.
During Sunday's Daytona 500 He got a lap down early after serving a penalty for driving through too many pit boxes. He stayed calm, got back on the lead lap, then finished the race in 11th- a great result. Although he was involved in the last lap crash, there is no way that anyone could blame him for that. The last lap many drivers were driving wild and could have started the big one, this time it just so happened to be the guy in his first ever NASCAR Cup race. Overall, Travis should be ecstatic with an 11th place finish in his NASCAR Cup Series debut and a relatively smooth weekend.
This wasn't Pastrana's first time in NASCAR. In 2012 and 2013, he made 41 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity series and scored 4 top 10 finishes. He also raced in the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night, and finished a solid 13th place - a new career best in that series.