Pastrana finishes 28th in Phoenix after early accident

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Travis Pastrana and the Roush Fenway Racing (RFR) No. 60 Ford Mustang finished 28th at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) after making contact with the wall on the second lap of the 200-lap race.

The Dollar General 200 fueled by Amerigas took the green flag shortly after 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, with Pastrana rolling off 12th. The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race did not remain under the green flag for long.

Travis Pastrana

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

On the second lap, there were two separate incidents on the track, one including the No. 60 Ford Mustang. Pastrana made contact with the wall, sustaining severe damage to the right side of the car.

“I thought I could get to the inside (at the start of the race), and I just wanted to try to get down,” Pastrana said.

“Once I got into the marbles on the first lap, the second lap I came in and saw them crashing in front of me. I kind of let off, but I just got in the marbles again, so, unfortunately, it was a pretty useless day for learning.”

The damage brought Pastrana to pit road six times under the caution. The crew changed tires, fixed the right side damage, along with adjusting the splitter and toe.

Pastrana remained on the lead lap until coming to pit road under the green flag on Lap 23. The No. 60 team took three laps to repair the splitter, which was dragging on the track. Pastrana returned to the track in 34th.

On Lap 33, the No. 60 Ford Mustang made its way to pit road under the green flag for more repairs. Pastrana regained the competition eight laps down.

“We just drove around all day,” Pastrana said. “The team did such a great job. If you see the front tire, it’s folded over completely, so I don’t know how the car survived.”

The caution flag flew again on Lap 39, but this time the No. 60 Ford Mustang remained on the track in order to gain one lap back, as the rest of the lead lap cars made their way to pit road.

The crew continued to work on the car for the balance of the race, taking four tires and fuel under nearly every caution period. As other cars fell out of contention, Pastrana was able to work his way up to 28th.

Kyle Busch won for the fifth time in the NNS at PIR, with fellow Sprint Cup Series regular Brad Keselowski finishing second. Justin Allgaier took third, while RFR teammate Trevor Bayne finished fourth. Elliott Sadler rounded out the top-five.

Travis Pastrana