What the Pastranas Will Bring to the Brickyard

When the NASCAR circus rolls into town this July 2013, it will return with motocross superstar Travis Pastrana. Pastrana had been scheduled to compete in several races in 2012, but was not able to due to an ankle injury. With television ratings and ticket sales on the decline in recent years, the racing world has been struggling with how to get younger fans to the track. A glimmer of hope appeared Thursday afternoon, when motocross star Travis Pastrana and NASCAR team Roush Fenway announced Pastrana would be suiting up for all NASCAR Nationwide series events in 2013. Every year a new crop of drivers try to break into NASCAR, but Pastrana brings a huge fan following and charisma which may be the CPR necessary for the auto racing industry. In 2011, Scarborough Sports Marketing reported a significantly younger fan base for motocross/supercross when compared to NASCAR. Almost one third of motocross fans are under 30 while less than one fifth of NASCAR and IndyCar fans are under 30. As of the publication of this article, he has more twitter followers than Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson combined. He also rally races to promote multi-million dollar charity Race 4 Change. Pastrana does more than bring the X factor to Indianapolis; he defines the "X factor." He began competing in the ESPN X-Games in 1999 and has since won 11 gold medals for motocross. He is married to professional skateboarder Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins. Mrs. Pastrana is a fierce female shredder with a very successful extreme sports career. She has won eight X Games medals herself and is featured as a character in the Tony Hawk skateboarding video games. The dynamic duo has also toured together for the popular Nitro Circus series. Together, this mega-talented, well liked and extreme family are breathing much needed life into the world of auto racing.