Nitro Circus' Travis Pastrana reportedly set to attempt NASCAR return at Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing
Samuel Coleman
Published Sep 04, 2026
FOR the first time since 2013, Travis Pastrana could be set to take to the track in a stock car.
The Nitro Circus star and former rally and motocross champion, who broke his pelvis in a parachute stunt last year, is reportedly set to look to qualify for the Daytona 500.
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According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Pastrana, 39, will be suiting up for the 23XI Racing team, with the team teasing in a video on Friday that they'll be fielding a third car for the race.
In a video that shows the back of what is believed to be Pastrana's head, the video shows the silhouette of a car and is accompanied by the caption "Three is the magic number."
With 42 Xfinity Series races under his belt, along with five Camping World Truck Series appearances, Pastrana is no stranger to NASCAR.
His sole full-time drive came in 2013 when he raced for Roush Fenway Racing, finishing the year fourteenth after four top-ten finishes including a best of ninth at Richmond.
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Pastrana has also won the Rally America National Championship four times, the American Rally Association Championship once, and both the AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Supercross Championship once.
Daytona would mark his first Cup Series appearance and his first stock car race since the Ford EcoBoost 300 in 2013.
But his time in the Cup Series could be short and sweet should he not qualify for one of the four openings available "to teams that do not hold a charter available only to full-time teams," as per Bianchi.
Assuming this is all announced next week as the report expects, Pastrana would be joining a team co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and 48-time NASCAR winner Denny Hamlin.
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Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick are set to drive for the outfit full-time in 2023.
Neither the team nor Pastrana has commented on the reports at this time.
The Daytona 500 is set to take place on Sunday, February 19.
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