For the umpteenth time in his adventure-filled life, Travis Pastrana accomplished something few might have ever expected: he led (and finished) the Daytona 500

WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS

It seemed like Travis Pastrana had done everything. He won 125cc AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross Championships. He won the Motocross of Nations with Team USA. He won X Games gold multiple times, and Rally America four times. He was the first to do a double backflip on a motorcycle. He launched a bike into the San Francisco Bay and then the Grand Canyon. He jumped the fountain at Caesars Palace, Evel Knievel–style. He did the Erzberg Rodeo in Austria. He jumped out of an airplane without a parachute. He founded the Nitro Circus and Nitro Rallycross. He’s been on The Tonight Show, he’s won an ESPY, and he’s crushed cars in Monster Jam’s Pastrana 199 truck. But on Sunday evening, February 19, 2023, Travis Pastrana did something else—something few thought he could ever do. He led a lap of the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest race—and just missed out on a top-ten finish.