Travis Pastrana: Everything to Know About His Extreme Sports Career

Travis Pastrana became a household name for more casual fans of action sports when Nitro Circus first aired on MTV in 2009. Millions were introduced to the man that would do backflips on a motorcycle or in a monster truck. They were also amazed by the massive 20-acre plot of land that he purchased and turned into a playground.

Of course, Pastrana’s career began long before Nitro Circus. He is someone that spent a considerable amount of time in Freestyle Motocross before later transitioning to other pursuits. He earned gold medals in the X Games, recreated historic jumps, and tested his skills in the rally world. Pastrana even competed in NASCAR and put his driving skills to the test in an entirely different arena.

With so many pursuits on his resume, it’s easy to forget some of the highlights from Pastrana’s career. After all, this man has done numerous things from an early age, including attempting unique tricks. What are some of his biggest accomplishments?

Whether it was landing extremely dangerous tricks in freestyle motocross or trying to raise money following Hurricane Maria, Pastrana has made an impact on the world of action sports. He hasn’t always won, but he has created a number of fans in his career. Here are some of his best moments.

Double Backflip

Pastrana quickly made his mark on the sport of Freestyle Motocross. He won the first-ever MotoX event during the 1999 X Games. He also stunned fans when he became the first person to ever successfully land a double backflip on a motorcycle. He achieved this in 2006, the same year that he won his sixth gold medal in FMX.

Long Beach Jump

Pastrana is known as a record-breaking athlete, and he proved this to be true once again in 2009. He got behind the wheel of a Subaru and jumped from the Pine Street Pier in Long Beach, California, onto a barge anchored in the harbor. The previous record was 171 feet, but Pastrana shattered the world record by reaching 269 feet on New Years Eve.

NASCAR

Pastrana made a name for himself on a motorcycle and behind the wheel of a rally car, but he tackled a new sport in 2011. He made his NASCAR debut during the Toyota All-Star Showdown. Pastrana took part in the full 2013 Nationwide Series — which later became the Xfinity Series. He raced for Roush Fenway Racing and secured four top-ten finishes. He ultimately finished the season 14th in points while Austin Dillon secured the victory.

Pastrana left NASCAR following the 2013 season, however, after citing a lack of sponsorships and frustration with his performance. He explained that he hadn’t figured out the “finesse required in pavement racing” and that he would be returning to rally and off-road racing. Although Pastrana did leave the door open for a return to the Gander Truck Series in NASCAR.

Red Bull Straight Rhythm

Red Bull announced a retro-style event called the Red Bull Straight Rhythm, which first took place in 2014. This event pitted two riders against each other at a time on a 1/2-mile course full of rollers, whoops, doubles, tables and other obstacles. Pastrana did not make it past the Round of 16 after losing two of the three races to Josh Hansen, but he did impress fans with a backflip.

Helicopters

Back in 2017, Pastrana partnered with Black Rifle Coffee Company in order to pull off an extremely dangerous stunt. The premise was that Pastrana would drift his car underneath a helicopter while another person jumped a dirt bike over the rotors. Meanwhile, three cars were being blown up. The helicopter was also shooting more than 1,000 rounds while BRCC co-founder Jarred Taylor hung from the side of the helicopter. The end result became part of the film Action Figures 2.

Rallycross

Since retiring from full-time competition in Freestyle Motocross, Pastrana has dedicated even more of his time to Rallycross. He races for Team Subaru and has found considerable success. He won four consecutive championships (2006-2009) and won his fifth in 2017 during the inaugural American Rallycross Association season. His career in Rallycross has taken him around the country, from Oregon to Minnesota, Texas and Nevada. He has also competed in France and Scotland.

Nitro World Games

In 2015, Nitro Circus CEO Michael Porra and Pastrana announced their newest creation. The Nitro World Games was designed to serve as an annual extreme sports competition. It started slowly in Utah with FMX (Freestyle Motocross), FMX Biggest Trick, BMX Best Trick, BMX Triple Jump, Skate Best Trick, Scooter Best Tricks and Inline Best Tricks. The competition has since expanded to include Rallycross.

Motocross of Nations

Pastrana took part in the 2018 Motocross of Nations motorcycle race as part of Team Puerto Rico. His father, Robert Pastrana, is of Puerto Rican descent, so Pastrana was directly eligible to compete. He partnered with Kevin Windham and Ryan Sipes to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Maria. All three racers did ultimately reach the final round.