Travis Pastrana wants to put his best foot forwardliterally and figurativelyand that means no more participation in the X Games. In other words, Pastrana won’t do anything else to jeopardize his plans to race stock cars. Pastrana broke his right foot and ankle in the X Games Best Trick competition in July. The accident nixed his planned Nationwide Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. “To be perfectly honest, that was supposed to be my exit from X Games,” Pastrana said Sunday at Dover International Speedway, after hobbling into the media center on crutches. “Not exactly the exit I was looking for, but still an exit.” Pastrana plans to run approximately 20 races for Michael Waltrip Racing next season, with the exact number of events dependent on sponsorship. “Not to say my action sports career is done, but as far as anything taking risks, I’m definitely going to be in this car and trying to do the best that I can to put my best foot forward,” Pastrana said. “It was the most disappointing thing in my life, not only to have myself but to have an entire team waiting for me and banking on me being in the car.(Sporting News)(10-2-2011)
UPDATE: On Sunday, the Associated Press and other sources reported that Travis Pastrana “is about to say goodbye for good to the X Games” to focus on his new NASCAR racing career. That exit was news to X Games organizers and some of Pastrana’s sponsors, and came as a surprise to many action sports fans when it was reported: Pastrana has been one of the X Games’ biggest names and most decorated athletes since winning his first Moto X Freestyle gold medal in 1999. Turns out, it was news to Pastrana, too. On Tuesday, he told ESPN he meant he’d be taking a break from freestyle motocross competition. He plans to compete in the Rally Car Racing events at 2012’s X Games L.A. and beyond, and he may return to Moto X Freestyle competition when the time is right.(ESPN)(10-5-2011)
