The 11-time X Games gold medalist broke his right ankle and foot while attempting a Rodeo 720 with a back flip during the Best Trick competition in Los Angeles, forcing him to miss his scheduled NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis last Saturday. He underwent surgery Wednesday evening at Riva Road Surgical Center in Annapolis, Md., with Dr. Tom Dennis calling the operation a success and adding that Pastrana should make a full recovery. His leg and ankle will be immobilized in traction for at least a month and he will be unable to bear weight on his right leg for at least another month.Pastrana Waltrip Racing co-owner Michael Waltrip had initially said Pastrana could return in time for the September 9 Nationwide event at Richmond International Raceway, but that time frame has now been ruled out.
“To give my ankle and foot time to heal properly, we have decided to wait until 2012 to make my NASCAR debut,” said Pastrana. “I probably could have been ready for the final couple of races in 2011, but it makes more sense to start fresh in 2012. We are already starting to talk about testing and what I need to do to prepare for next season. My sincere apologies go out to my NASCAR team, fans and sponsors for this delay. Thanks for all of the support. This will be a fun ride … eventually.”
Pastrana made his NASCAR debut on January 29 with a sixth-place finish in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at California's Irwindale Speedway. He was scheduled to run seven Nationwide Series races this season.
It simply shows his lack of commitment to the series—it’s just another series for him to try. Honestly, I was excited to see what he could bring to the sport. I tuned into the Toyota All Star Showdown race just to see Pastrana run, and I was impressed with his showing. However, to make the choice to hold your first NNS start the same week as the X Games revealed his true intentions. The week leading up to his first start should have been nothing but learning/testing/preparing for stock car racing, not an X Games gold medal. NASCAR is just another series for Pastrana to say he drove in. No one with a true commitment to the sport would ever intentionally schedule two such events in the same week. Pastrana: you blew it go back to where you came from!
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ...
ReplyDeleteHow can you commit to something without trying it out first? He is committed to his motorcycle career and that's why he was there to compete. This year was to just get his feet wet. I think the kid has great talent and will make a good showing here as well as bring a new generation to NASCAR!!!
I 100% agree he need a year to get his feet wet, but he had 30 some-odd races to plan his first start. Regardless if he was injured or not, he still CHOSE to make his first start the same week of the X Games-- to me that smells like a marketing gimmick gone bad. If he won the gold instead of getting injured, that hype would have rolled over to Saturday's race. With Michael Waltrip being the man behind the curtain, there's no way it wasn't strategic, but back fired like a carburetor full of blue gunk.
ReplyDelete