Action sports star Travis Pastrana is expected to enter next month’s Daytona 500 in a car fielded by 23XI Racing, sources familiar with the plans told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
While Pastrana is most known for his exploits in RallyCross and motocross as well as being a noted stunt performer, he’s also previously competed in NASCAR.
Pastrana ran a full season in the second-tier Xfinity Series in 2013, plus select starts in the third-tier Truck Series, but the Daytona 500 would represent his debut in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series.
Across both the Xfinity and Truck Series, the 39-year-old has made 47 combined starts with a best finish of ninth in the 2013 spring Xfinity race at Richmond Raceway.
An announcement is expected next week, according to those familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly. The official Daytona 500 entry list is not released until the week of the race.
Backstory
For Pastrana to make his Cup debut at Daytona, he’ll have to earn a spot in the 40-car field by claiming one of four available spots open to teams that do not hold a charter available only to full-time teams. He can do so by either being one of the two fastest qualifiers among open teams or being the highest finisher in one of two qualifying races among drivers not guaranteed a starting position.
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23XI fielding a car for Pastrana is the latest in a series of high-profile moves by the team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, which like 23XI, is backed by Toyota. 23XI formed in 2021 around Bubba Wallace, the lone Black driver to compete full-time at NASCAR’s top level. The team added a second car in 2022 for former Cup champion Kurt Busch. For the 2023 season, Jordan and Hamlin signed the in-demand Tyler Reddick to replace the injured Busch.
Both Wallace and Reddick are assured starting positions in the Daytona 500. Wallace nearly won the 2022 Daytona 500, finishing second by .036 seconds to race winner Austin Cindric, the fourth-closest finish in Daytona 500 history.
(Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)