Nitro RX Series Concludes in Thrilling Fashion at North Florida’s The FIRM as Pastrana is Crowned Champion as Scott Speed and Timmy Hansen Finish Second and Third in Series Standings
Travis Pastrana is a legend. He has done more for the action sports community than anyone else. His list of accomplishments is so long, even he has probably forgotten one or two or them.
That list however has a new number one favorite accomplishment as Pastrana (USA) made history clinching the first Nitro Rallycross Supercar championship, a series he created and until this season, had never won a race.
The inaugural series culminated Sunday at North Florida’s The FIRM with action-packed, fast-paced racing. After the dust settled, Pastrana’s strong body of work throughout the campaign sealed his win, followed by Subaru Motorsports USA teammate Scott Speed (USA) and Timmy Hansen (SWE).
Launched in 2018 by motorsports icon Travis Pastrana and the innovators of Nitro Circus, Nitro Rallycross has revolutionized motorsport. With innovative purpose-built courses, banked turns inspired by the wide-open action of Supercross and short-form, head-to-head competition, Nitro Rallycross creates high-impact, thrill-packed racing. NRX’s custom-built permanent tracks – featuring the biggest jumps seen in motorsports – create unrivaled racing excitement. The full-throttle competition is now set to go global, as Nitro Rallycross expands into a full standalone championship series. Looking ahead to 2022, NRX will also add an electric Supercar circuit featuring the all-new FC1-X, the most powerful Rallycross vehicle ever built. For more information, visit NitroRallycross.com.
To kick things off, Pastrana had a special surprise for The FIRM crowd. When he invited NASCAR star Chase Elliott (USA) to join Nitro Rallycross for the Florida finale as a guest driver, Elliott quickly said yes – but had one condition: that Pastrana skydive. On Sunday morning Pastrana made good on his word, jumping from a plane piloted by Elliott.
Pastrana then went to work, winning a crucial first heat against Kevin Hansen (SWE). Not only did the victory put him directly into the Florida final, it also completed a sweep of his Nitro RX 2021 heats. Speed followed suit, locking in a final spot with a win in his first heat. Elliott then punched his ticket in the semifinal rounds as did Kevin Hansen.
Timmy Hansen set the pace early in the Florida final with Pastrana close behind him. The lead changed hands on the third lap, with Pastrana holding off his challengers until the final lap when he was overtaken coming out of the joker. Timmy Hansen crossed the finish line first followed by his brother Kevin, with Speed taking third.
While today’s race did not go Pastrana’s way, his prior victories in Phoenix and Southern California were enough to win the first Nitro Rallycross Supercar Championship. Afterwards he said, “Thank you to Subaru and thank you to the fans, thank you guys for coming out.”
Pastrana added, “It’s been an amazing year, it exceeded all my expectations as a driver. I want to win as a driver but even more I want Nitro Rallycross to be the best championship out there. Now we have a proven concept. We had the best rallycross drivers in the world, we had NASCAR Cup championship winners like Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott come out. It was a great first year, and I’m even more excited about the future.”
Timmy Hansen congratulated Pastrana on his historic win. “Massive congrats to Travis, not just today for wrapping up the series title but for this whole year. He has been the one to beat at most races and he put this whole championship together, so I couldn’t be happier for anyone.”
Nitro Rallycross looks to come back even stronger in 2022. For information on how and when to experience Nitro RX’s high-flying action, check https://www.nitrorallycross.com/.
