DARLINGTON, S.C. — Travis Pastrana earned a 17th-place finish Friday in his second NASCAR Nationwide Series race at what he described as a "scary" Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

Emerging from the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota after a practice session on the track, the driver told reporters that it was the "most scared I've been in a vehicle, in anything with a roll cage for sure."

He did two complete spins during his practice session, but was able to keep his car out of the wall. Pastrana, whose NASCAR program is partly sponsored by KMC, is new to the series. He took a 22nd-place finish at his debut outing in the Nationwide series last month.

In preparation for the race, the 11-time X Games gold medalist has been working with NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer David Pearson.

"I’m still learning the sport of NASCAR so to get some great advice from a legend like Mr. Pearson was extremely beneficial for me," said Pastrana. Pearson, who owns 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins and 12 pole positions at Darlington Raceway, educated the 28-year-old rookie on how to master driving the 1.366-mile South Carolina track, dubbed “Too Tough to Tame.”

Pastrana made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut April 27th at Richmond International Raceway. He started 25th and finished 22nd.

He said he's been awed at his welcome into the NASCAR community and is grateful for the support of big names in the sport including Jimmie Johnson, Matt Crafton and Ryan Truex.

"It’s just amazing all these people are willing to help me when they have to race against me each week," said Pastrana, who started his racing career on two wheels. "In motocross you never told another competitor your secrets. It just wasn’t part of the culture.”

Pastrana will race under the RAB Racing banner during the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Scott Zipadelli served as Pastrana’s crew chief Friday night at Darlington Raceway. In eight NASCAR starts Pastrana has one top-10 and two top-15 finishes. He has a career-best finish of sixth at the Toyota All-Star Showdown in January 2011.

SOURCE: Pastrana 199 Racing

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