NASCAR drivers Alex Bowman and Hailie Deegan are waiting to take part in dirt races at Bristol Motor Speedway, but they also have another exciting event on the horizon. They will join Travis Pastrana for a special pay-per-view race called the Freedom 500. Bowman and Deegan will trade in their NASCAR rides for Ford Crown Victoria sedans.
Cleetus McFarland, the man organizing the Freedom 500, was part of a group of people that purchased an oval track at auction in March 2019. The abandoned track was previously known as DeSoto Speedway, but it became the Freedom Factory after the purchase. It will serve as the home of the Freedom 500. Drivers will race each other around the oval in “NOS powered” Fords.
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“Who’s excited for the [Freedom 500] [raised hand emoji]” Pastrana wrote on Instagram. “Goal 1 – don’t get beat by [Hailie Deegan] Goal 2 – be fast enough to punt [Alex Bowman] into the cheap seats at some point in the race. Goal 3 – beat [Tanner Foust] (potentially with the help of a solid bribe to [Diesel Dave] to help block him if necessary.”
The declaration from Pastrana prompted several responses on social media. Some fans said that they approve of his goals. Others simply said that they would only see pure carnage on the race track.
The Freedom 500 PPV event will take place on Friday at the Freedom Factory. The drivers will compete for 100 laps while trying to avoid massive wrecks. The broadcast will begin at 6 p.m. ET and then the race will take place at 7 p.m. ET. Viewers can preorder the PPV by paying $14.95. After Thursday, the price will increase to $19.95.
Pastrana, McFarland, Bowman, and Deegan will join a stacked list of competitors for the PPV race. The group includes HEAVY D and Diesel Dave of Diesel Brothers, Whistlin Diesel, professional drifter Ryan Tuerck, and Murder Nova (Shawn Ellington) from Street Outlaws among others. Former Top Gear USA and 10-time X Games medalist Tanner Foust will also take part in the entertaining evening of racing.
Pastrana and his group of friends have often entertained fans with unique races that test their skills on a variety of vehicles. In August 2020, a group of talented extreme sports athletes headed to the former Nitro Circus host’s home for the Pastranaland Pit Bike Championship. This event featured a group of stars racing around a custom-built track on small Kawasaki KLX110 pit bikes.
