Pastrana started his week on a high note, qualifying on speed and making the Daytona 500. Being locked into the field, he took it easy in the Duels, but still got a piece of a crash that broke out ahead of him.
He then began NASCAR's crown jewel event from 40th on the grid, and took a cautious approach for most of the event. He led two laps during a cycle of green-flag pit stops, but otherwise remained unseen. However, late in the evening with the checkered flag in sight, Pastrana appeared at the backend of the top-ten.
It looked like he might even come away with a top-five finish in the chaos, but one awkward push on the white flag lap sent him sideways down the track. A massive crash ensued, and Pastrana was in the heart of it. The incident ended the race, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was declared the race winner.
Pastrana regained control of his race car and made it back to the line, still nearly claiming a top-ten in the end. He finished 11th, and was the second-highest finishing rookie behind Riley Herbst in tenth.
“This was one of the greatest if not the greatest weeks or couple of weeks of my life, said Pastrana post-race. "Just coming here and even to go down to Volusia and camping with (Matt) Crafton and all the fans that came down there. Then realizing there were three guys that did the Clash and flew the red eye. These guys just love to drive. The Blocks came here just to watch me qualify and I’ve got all my friends and family here.”
But with all his excitement, also comes exhaustion after an intense week of racing. Along with dirt racing at Volusia and the 500, he also ran the Truck race on Friday night. He finished 13th in that event, which was shortened by rain.
“As excited as I am right now, I might sleep for the next week," he admitted. "I am mentally and physically completely drained. Even the Truck race, my heart rate was 170 in a three-wide pack. 182 was my high. That’s just on adrenaline. So, anyone that says NASCAR is boring, they’re full of crap. They’ve definitely never been in a car because this was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done.”
The 39-year-old entered this race with "no expectations," but by the white flag, he too thought a top-five was a real possibility. To be in contention "exceeded all my expectations," said Pastrana.
“These are the best drivers in the world. I’m not a great rear-wheel driver, I’m not a great pavement driver. Restrictor plate racing is a little different. We had a great team with this 23XI Toyota team, and it was an honor to be on the track with these guys. It was amazing that we were able to put it in the top-20. I’m proud of everyone involved and so thankful to be here.”
He later added: "It’s funny, I know how to drive a car so just drive. No expectations. Let’s see how far we can get up. I really wanted to give my teammate (Bubba Wallace) more help, but once he locked on the bumper of whoever was in front of him and I wasn’t on his bumper, I kind of left him so that was disappointing, but still made a pretty good run coming across the white flag. When that top started going, I thought, we might be top-five here.”
He also confirmed that this is a one-and-done deal. We probably won't see Pastrana back in the 'Great American Race', but he wouldn't rule out more starts with Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series.
“One and done," he declared. "Now if Cody (Efaw) from Niece Motorsports calls me up and says, ‘Hey, what are you doing this weekend?’ I’ll jump in, but I’m not good enough to be the best at this sport with my skill set. The amount of time that this would take right now and I’m trying to slow down. The reason I’m here right now is because I feel like this is the best I’ve ever been as a driver. We’ve been winning championships on the dirt, and I just wanted to experience the whole Daytona Speedweeks.”
