Pastrana adds NASCAR Truck Series race to Daytona program
Travis Pastrana has added the season-opening NASCAR Truck Series race to his appearance at Daytona International Speedway this month.
Pastrana, an 11-time X-Games gold medalist, had already announced he would attempt to qualify for the 2023 Daytona 500 with 23XI Racing.
On Tuesday, Niece Motorsports named Pastrana the driver of its No. 41 Chevrolet for the 17 February Truck Series race.
Niece plans to run the No. 41 full-time during the 2023 season, using a variety of drivers including Pastrana, Ross Chastain, Chad Chastain, Bayley Currey and others.
The 39-year-old founder of the Nitro Circus had a brief previous tour in the NASCAR world. He started 42 Xfinity Series races, running the full season in 2013. His best finish came at Richmond, finishing ninth, but he also won the pole at Talladega.
Pastrana also made five previous Truck starts, with a best finish of 15th at Las Vegas.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Al (Niece), Cody (Efaw) and the Niece Motorsports crew quite a bit since the team was formed,” said Pastrana. “I was looking to be part of as much racing as possible during Daytona Speedweeks this year and couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to drive their No. 41 truck with support from WWEX Racing in my first Daytona start in the Truck Series.
“Cody was my car chief when I raced Daytona for my first time in the Xfinity Series. We qualified third and finished 10th, despite being backward across the grass when I crossed the line!
“As always, we are approaching the race with optimism that we have the package to put in a great result, while having the most fun of anyone at the track!”
Niece has retained veteran crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. to lead the No. 41 team. Hillman has more than 450 starts as a crew chief across NASCAR’s top three series, with 23 wins in the Truck Series.
“This is shaping up to be a great season for Niece Motorsports,” said general manager Cody Efaw. “We’re really optimistic heading into this year. We are excited to have Travis in the truck in Daytona. He always brings a lot of energy and excitement, and it’s really an honour to work with him.
“On top of that, to be able to run the No. 41 truck full-time this season, anchored by Ross – that’s huge for our organisation.”
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