Bad News for Travis Pastrana Fans on Leaving NASCAR

If you were a NASCAR Travis Pastrana fan, you might be in for a rude (or not) awakening.  If you followed Travis to NASCAR from his other ventures, well, you can stop fretting about following him on the paved circuits of NASCAR.

It's been announced that after trying to learn the ropes of NASCAR over the last two years, Jack Roush driver Travis Pastrana will not be returning to the tracks of NASCAR in the 2014 season, as he announced via his Facebook page.

In his announcement he said,

"...my results were not good enough to get the sponsors I needed to appropriately fund next season."

"I've never been able to figure out the finesse required in pavement racing and that is disappointing, but I'm looking forward to driving more rally and racing more off-road trucks and there will be some announcements on those fronts shortly!"

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To be honest, I liked seeing the fresh face on the circuit, but I also have a ton of respect for Travis recognizing this moment and making the right choice for both himself and his NASCAR fans.

It's a rare kind of driver that can step up and actually wheel a NASCAR machine.  A few have been able to show up in the sport and make it work, right off the bat.

Case in point, as one example of someone who could, Jimmie Johnson has never finished outside the the top-5 in Sprint Cup points at the end of a season, except once, where he finished the season in 6th.

Since 1992, Jeff Gordon has only finished a season outside the top-10 twice in the Cup series.

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Then there's folks that come to the sport and you would love to see them do well, but eventually, only frustrate the their hopeful fans.

Juan Pablo Montoya is one example, where since 2007, he's finished around 20th each year.  (20,25, 8, 17, 21, and 22nd.  He's currently 21st in points this year.

And then there's the lime-green attired draw for all, Danica Patrick, whose foray into the Cup series is debated by many as a joke.  Last year her average finish in her 10 races was 28th.  This year she has shown "improvement," by averaging 26th in finishes.

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Regardless of how much you like or dislike a driver, if they have the ability, it seems to shine immediately, and if not, well, there's that.  (I can't tap my brain and recall anyone who has come into the series with a slow start and improved over time.  Can you?  I'd love some help on this one gang!!!)

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So as it stands, Travis is headed back to the dirt where he shines and more than likely, has more fun doing.  And for me, since I love both venues of paved and dirt, I win regardless.

But I will miss that extra draw of fans that Travis brought with him to NASCAR.

Good luck and have fun bud!

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Facebook: TravisPastrana/
Racing-reference.info

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