After Travis Pastrana Jump, Social Media Freaks Out

Multi-time X Games winner Travis Pastrana successfully completed a 140-foot jump over the fountains of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, but many are calling out History Channel for not crediting Robbie Knievel’s successful jump years prior.

In a stunt that Evel Knievel failed to complete in 1967, multi-time X Games winner, NASCAR driver, and co-founder of the Nitro Circus, Travis Pastrana successfully jumped over the fountains of Caesar’s Palace on Sunday on a 340-pound customized Indian Scout FDR750. His accomplishment, however, is being overshadowed by social media users upset with History Channel’s decision to ignore Knievel’s son’s successful jump decades before.

“They have totally ignored Robbie Knievel’s successful jump of the Caesars Palace Fountains in 1989 during this Travis Pastrana – History Channel show #EvelLive. In fact, they keep saying it’s NEVER been done. Must be something political with Robbie for them to leave him out,” one person wrote on Twitter.

Evel Knievel had attempted the jump on New Year’s Eve in 1967. The jump resulted in a crash that left Knievel with serious injuries, including a crushed pelvis and femur. It was also rumored that he had been in a coma for nearly a month after the accident.

Just 22 years after his father’s failed attempt, his son, Robbie Knievel, successfully completed the dangerous feat on April 14, 1989 during a live televised event. The jump, which was meant to pay homage to his father, saw Knievel land 180 feet from his takeoff point.

“That was for you dad, I love you,” Knievel reportedly said following the jump, according to a report from Tulsa World following the televised event.

“Has everyone forgotten that Robbie Knievel successfully jumped Caesar’s fountains on April 14, 1989? After landing he embraced his dad, saying, “that was for you Dad, I love you.” Nothing will ever come close to paying tribute to Evel’s jump than that,” another Twitter user wrote.

“Not ONE mention of Robbie Knievel yet in this live show! Must be some sort of problem between Robbie and this event?” one person asked.

The Caesar Palace fountain jump was just one of three jumps that Pastrana completed on Sunday. In his first jump of the night, he made it over 52 crushed cars, breaking Knievel’s record by two cars. In his second stunt, he jumped 192 feet over a total of 16 school buses, beating Knievel’s record.