Travis Pastrana Calls It Quits

[CIRF]

Action Sports star (whatever that is), Travis Pastrana has announced that he will end his NASCAR career. It sounds as if lack of sponsorship and results led to the end of his tenure in NASCAR.

How things change in a relatively short time. Pastrana supposedly had a loyal following of the all important 18 to 24 male demographic and it was said at the time of his arrival onto the NASCAR scene would draw the X-Games crowd to the Nationwide series. Unfortunately after just 2 full seasons with Roush Racing the experiment is over.

Sounds like Pastrana will go back to rally cars and maybe off road pickup trucks.

[mudslinger47]

Well, that and he can't drive ovals for crap.....

[jog49]

A "traffic hazard" will be removed! LOL!

[15jr]

He is an exciting person to watch, just not in Nascar. I was pretty sure he would struggle with this considering how different it is to the other sports he excelled at. I think he will fit in good in an off road truck.

[racin6mod]

red bull has decided to bring the stunt show deal back and he can't do both nascar and the crazy stuff they do. red bull is his cash cow and they will not get back in to nascar . he will run GRS with a new car the dodge dart was to big for the type of racing they do but he finished the season and the last race for the dart in 3rd. this guy can drive anything and was used to racing hard not coasting for 200 laps and racing for 20. plus just look at who sponsored the car people he brought in Roush made no attempt to fully fund that team just as they did with Matt and look how he is doing with a good team.I also think nascar like to see driver/racers from other forms of racing come in and fail it makes it look like they're drivers are the very best behind the wheel.

[mudslinger47]

I disagree with your synopsis, it had nothing to do with the quality of his cars, he can't effin' drive an oval.... go back and look at every race, I doubt there were two that he didn't spin out at least once in....ovals just aren't his forie

[LITE-INN]

probably not accustomed to to the speeds or the whole envoirment

[CIRF]

I'm with you Mud and Jog. The guy had 2 seasons to prove how "great and exciting" he is and basically tore up hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment.

The X-games crowd was crowing how he was gonna' bring a new paradigm to NASCAR. Well we see how that went. Pastrana didn't fail 'cause NASCAR wanted him to, he failed because he can't drive a Nationwide car. He'll go back to the obscurity of drifting or whatever it was he was doing before he came to NASCAR. Those with the X-game mentality should be happy he'll be back stunt driving.

In regards to Matts success, or lack of it, while driving for Roush, he won a Cup championship so soundly that it caused the whole championship format to be changed.

[t.nie]

When he was young he was basically told by his team in Super Cross that he had to choose, X games stunts or focus on being a great Super Cross racer, but you won't be good at both. He chose X Games.

I think its the same thing with racing cars, he just doesn't focus on it enough to be a good racer. I think he is capable, but he does Nitro Circus, Off Road Trucks, Rally and other stuff in between, and that isn't going to get him where he needs to be to be competitive.

Whatever he deems his priority he seems to be good at. It just wasn't racing cars.

[big.ed]

seems funny other drivers can hop around

[big.ed]

I'm with you Mud and Jog. The guy had 2 seasons to prove how "great and exciting" he is and basically tore up hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment. The X-games crowd was crowing how he was gonna' bring a new paradigm to NASCAR. Well we see how that went. Pastrana didn't fail 'cause NASCAR wanted him to, he failed because he can't drive a Nationwide car. He'll go back to the obscurity of drifting or whatever it was he was doing before he came to NASCAR. Those with the X-game mentality should be happy he'll be back stunt driving. In regards to Matts success, or lack of it, while driving for Roush, he won a Cup championship so soundly that it caused the whole championship format to be changed.

some of those events he does have large crowds that other motorsports can't tap into

[CIRF]

Ok, so it was lack of concentration/dedication that wrecked all those cars and why he got in most everyone's way. And, he draws a crowd of kids that have yet to reach puberty along with their parents. Impressive, in a Hannah Montana sort of way.


Bottom line is the guy couldn't cut it in Nationwide, let alone Cup and all the excuses in the world can't change that.

[mudslinger47]

And dats duh name a dat tune.....

[t.nie]

Ok, so it was lack of concentration/dedication that wrecked all those cars and why he got in most everyone's way. And, he draws a crowd of kids that have yet to reach puberty along with their parents. Impressive, in a Hannah Montana sort of way.


Bottom line is the guy couldn't cut it in Nationwide, let alone Cup and all the excuses in the world can't change that.

You just described Danica.

[t.nie]

Funny. He finished 14th in the Nationwide points, 1 pole position and 4 top ten finishes. Now, how on earth can you do that if you spin at least once in EVERY race in 30 plus races?

Looks to me like he had a pretty good record for a rookie, considering how little pure oval experience he had. All the other 13 above him and all those below him were not crossovers from other sports and did nothing BUT drive ovals.....

I guess half of the other drivers racing in Nationwide spin MORE than once every race.......

So, just for laughs, and because I just love to educate the uneducated, I looked at Jeremy Clements record and compared it to Pastrana, the guy who "cant drive ovals." Clements is in his third full season in Nationwide, and has been racing ovals dating back at least 10 years. His record was 1 top ten, (a 9th place) and O pole positions. He finished 16th to Pastrana's 14th in points, and both ran full seasons.

Hmmmmmmmmmm..... The only question now is who thinks with their head and looks at the results, and who doesn't to come to a conclusion?