Pastrana finds joy in his first stock-car outing

It's a guarantee even Travis Pastrana's sunshiny personality couldn't do much to warm the 20-something to 40-something temperature range he experienced at his first stock car test earlier this week.

It was in Florida, for God's sake, at New Smyrna Speedway -- a quick, high-banked half-mile that's 10 or 12 miles inland from the Volusia County coastline. And it's a challenge to newbies, so for sure Pastrana's already got one positive check mark on his resume.

Pastrana's first wide exposure to the NASCAR media corps came via a Tuesday afternoon teleconference in which Pastrana participated for more than half an hour. He was alternately humorous, straightforward, self-deprecating and humble. But make no mistake; his passion and competitive nature were never far from the surface.

"I didn't crash, and that was a good start," Pastrana said, obviously through a grin, in his opening remarks. "It was a really good car to get a base feel, I really felt good in the car and everybody was really happy with how it turned out."

Indeed, because the frigid temperatures were part of a record cold wave that still gripped the area on Wednesday. That was a day after Pastrana concluded his day-and-a-half, 350-lap intro to stock cars via a K&N Pro Series East Toyota tuned by Pastrana-Waltrip Racing crew chief Jerry Baxter.

Pastrana had planned to sample both the K&N car and a Nationwide Series version -- which is a fair bit peppier, though on a different tire. The cold temperatures nixed that plan and Pastrana was limited to sliding around on the K&N Series' bias-ply tires, which are allegedly more forgiving than the Nationwide Series' radial tires.

And that was a good thing, as Pastrana said he began his test "charging the corners too hard," as he would on a motocross bike or rally car -- two disciplines in which he's previously excelled. But those had some bumps and bruises early until Pastrana -- rather quickly, truth be told -- "picked them up."

He said he didn't so much as spin the car out, though his biggest "oh no" moment came when he over-drove the entry to a corner and put the car into a four-wheel drift so violently abrupt that it bent the car's front suspension. But to his credit, not only did it "not hit the wall," Pastrana said, "I actually slid it all the way around the corner to the exit. I'm sure it wasn't my quickest lap -- but it was fun."

To this point, that says it all about Pastrana -- seemingly the epitome of an honest straight-shooter. He repeatedly apologized to reporters for "talking a lot and probably not answering your question."

But the fact is; he left no question about what he's trying to do, and how he hopes to get there. In response to a question about how busy his schedule is (very), when he'd actually next like to be in a stock car and when it was scheduled to occur, Pastrana blurted out "tomorrow!" in response to his wishes.

But realistically, he said Baxter -- whom he'll no doubt work with when he reaches the Nationwide level, if not every step of the way before that -- with whom he formed an instant bond, had actually told him to "go home and sit on this and think about it."

Pastrana already had.

"I'm really looking forward to getting in with more people [on the track]," Pastrana said. "And seeing where it goes from there."

Pastrana's next test, which is scheduled in early January, will precede his first scheduled race -- the earliest one he could possibly do in a NASCAR stock car -- at the Jan. 28-29 Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

When the team was introduced, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing co-principal Michael Waltrip had promised repeated tests with Pastrana. They want to test at least a couple more times before going to the K&N East-West shootout, which was won a year ago by former East Series champion and current Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano.

More than anything, Pastrana seemed to have a good fix on what he's getting into. His planned 2010 schedule is for seven Nationwide races this season -- probably sprinkled with some K&N Series and Camping World Truck Series outings -- followed by 20 in 2012.

But questions about sponsorship and just how competent he's going to be -- and how quickly -- have put those announcements on hold.

Pastrana's OK with that, and even that candor is refreshing.

"NASCAR is the top form of racing -- maybe in the world -- definitely in the United States," Pastrana said on Tuesday, after taking a big taste of what it'll take and being satisfied with his start. "It's the highest competition. Everyone is so close. As a competitor, there is no greater thrill than to put yourself against the best. For me, it's a new challenge.

"This is the biggest challenge I've ever had. It's going to take a lot of time. I'm willing to put the time in."

He cites a willing list of associates in NASCAR, including multiple-time champions Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, whom he associated with at the Race of Champions, and Carl Edwards, whom he said he ragged on at the most recent RoC when Pastrana won two of his three early heats while Edwards, "with some tough draws," went 0-for-3.

"He said in my first Nationwide race, when he was lapping me for the third time, he'd put me in the wall," Pastrana said, laughing again. "That proves what I'll be in for, as far as getting up to speed and being competitive."

But Pastrana, whose coaches at New Smyrna included Truck veteran Matt Crafton, said some advice from Gordon maybe meant the most, when Pastrana said Gordon told him "it's not the driving [in NASCAR], it's the competition."

"That's why I'm in NASCAR," Pastrana said. "It's where the best go."

Anything else -- whether it's increased fans, increased viewers, more competition or more laughs -- will be gravy, all the way around.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

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