“I talked about maybe even racing the truck series and doing some other stuff,” Pastrana teases. “I know it’s all coming up quick, but it’s cool with the sponsors that we have and it’s not like this is the only race ever. It’s not about winning, it’s about going down, experiencing the Great American race, bringing in veterans, fans, friends, and family.”
That zeal for fun provides plenty of confidence, too.
“I’m the best I’ve ever been in a car,” Pastrana says, completely deadpan, even after breaking his back last year, which proved to be a challenging recovery.
Still, between when we spoke and qualifying at Daytona, Pastrana faced numerous challenges, including squaring off against arguably the greatest rally racer alive, Mattias Ekström, in the snow at Norway’s Race of Champions. Luckily, he’ll come flying into Daytona qualifying with the help of two proven Nascar vets and the grit of an experienced team behind him in the pits.
“Tyler Reddick is just such a great wheelman,” Pastrana gushes, “and Bubba [Wallace] has had such good results there. Denny [Hamlin], heck, he’s won there I think more times than any active driver. These are gonna be the most fun and exhausting two weeks of my entire life.”
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