Veteran driver Travis Pastrana will attempt to qualify for next month’s Daytona 500 in a Toyota entered by 23XI Racing.
Pastrana, who will drive car No. 67, will be a teammate to Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. Eric Phillips will be the team’s crew chief. Sponsorship will be from Black Rifle Coffee Company.
Pastrana, who has raced in a number of series over a 25-year career, has not competed in the Daytona 500. He finished 10th in an Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway in 2013.
From 2011 to 2013, Pastrana raced in 42 Xfinity Series events. He had no wins, no top fives and four top 10s. He most recently competed in NASCAR in a Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the fall of 2020.
He has won seven championships across supercross, motocross and rally racing and has amassed 11 gold medals in moto and rally car events at the X Games.
Because his team does not have a charter, Pastrana will have to earn one of the four non-charter spots to make the 500 field. The competition for those positions will be intense, with seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Zane Smith and perhaps IndyCar kingpin Helio Castroneves in the group.
“I really want to have a great car, a great team and great people to help me get there,” Pastrana said. “To go to the event and earn my spot is really important. Did I think I might have Jimmie and Helio trying to qualify for four spots? No, but it’s going to be an amazing week.”
Pastrana, 39, said the 500 has been on his bucket list for decades.
“Above all, I want to be a part of it,” he said. “I want to add some value to this. This is bigger than anything I’ve done. These are the best drivers. To be able to line up beside them will be something I’ll be able to smile proudly about for the rest of my life.”
He admitted that “winning for me is finishing on the lead lap.”
In a release by the team, 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta called Pastrana “one of the most well-known and well-decorated action sports athletes of all time, and we’re looking forward to helping him in his quest to race in the Daytona 500. Attracting a driver of Travis’ stature speaks volumes to the success 23XI Racing has had in our first two seasons and points to the positive direction in which we are headed.”
