RICHMOND, Va. -- Nitrocross, the series Travis Pastrana co-created, has featured multiple NASCAR drivers since 2021. This is a trend Pastrana truly hopes continues well into the future.
"We hope that more NASCAR drivers jump in," Pastrana said last weekend at Richmond while promoting the Sept. 7-8 races at the short track.
"I feel like the off-road drivers have been kind of doing the best to transfer straight in, but a lot of the NASCAR drivers do come from off-road backgrounds and dirt backgrounds, which is really cool. It's a good, good fit."
The Nitrocross cars have featured a variety of drivers from different backgrounds over the years. Some hail from IndyCar, others hail from Rallycross. A sample list includes Fraser McConnell, Scott Speed, Sage Karam (NRX Next), and Conor Daly.
Drivers from NASCAR have also gotten in on the fun with Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, and Matt Crafton all competing against the Nitrocross regulars. Former Xfinity and Truck competitor Steve Arpin also ran full-time in Nitrocross during the 2021 season.
Some of these drivers achieved success. Busch, in particular, made the final round at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in 2021, and he finished fourth. Crafton struggled to adapt to an all-wheel drive car with limited practice after decades in the Truck Series.
"When you get on the gas on an all-wheel drive car, it goes whatever direction the front end's pointed," Pastrana said. "So it is interesting to see which drivers adapt to the all-wheel drive."
Pastrana has a list of drivers he would like to see competing in Nitrocross. Working out these deals is no small feat considering the length of the NASCAR schedule. It starts in February and runs into November. The Nitrocross season begins in September and continues through March.
Take Joey Logano for example. The two-time Cup Series champ told Pastrana in 2021 that "he was in" when asked about competing in Nitrocross. So far, Logano hasn't made his series debut.
As Pastrana explained last weekend at Richmond, Logano still has an interest in the racing series where cars fly. The schedules just haven't worked out.
Kyle Larson was another driver who expressed an interest in competing in Nitrocross back in 2021. Like Logano, he hasn't made his debut just yet, but he remains Pastrana's white whale.
"When Kyle Busch came over -- Kyle Busch doesn't compliment a lot of people in the nicest way possible. He's very, very upfront about what he thinks," Pastrana said.
"And when he was there, he said, 'Kyle Larson is the single greatest dirt car driver on the face of the earth.' So since he said that, I've been very determined to get Kyle Larson out, just to see if he could adapt, how quickly he can adapt right away."
Pastrana doesn't currently have any NASCAR drivers signed up to make any guest appearances during the 2024-25 season. The hope is that this changes in the coming months, especially after the series takes on Richmond Raceway.