For some people, the idea of doing flips on a motorcycle or tearing around a racecar track at breakneck speeds is daunting. For Travis Pastrana, it’s simply a day in the life.
An accomplished professional athlete and stuntman, Pastrana has become a household name in the field of extreme sports. From FMX to rally racing to NASCAR, he’s achieved some of the most jaw-dropping feats in history across a range of disciplines.
But on his hunt for adrenaline, Pastrana has found something far greater: purpose. Over the years, he’s made incomparable contributions to his industry, even creating event series to give other athletes a platform to perform. Put simply, Pastrana has cemented himself as a pioneer of extreme sports.
So, what’s the story behind this living legend? How did he achieve such success? And what does the future hold for him?
Discover all these answers and more in this dedicated biography of Travis Pastrana.
Born to Ride: A Look at Pastrana’s Early Life
Hailing from Maryland, Pastrana was born in 1983 to parents Debby, a flight attendant, and Robert, a Vietnam War veteran. Intense, competitive, and boundary-pushing, Robert instilled a thirst for adventure in Travis from the moment he was born. By the age of four, Pastrana was already riding motorcycles, quickly developing the skills that would define his future career.
Although it seemed unusual to allow a toddler to do such things, Robert and Debby’s parenting style was extremely intentional. More than anything, they wanted Travis to try new things, make mistakes, and learn how to overcome his challenges.
“Travis has a real strong sense of who he is. And I think that’s because we let him make mistakes, we let him fall. But we were always there to support him and pick him up,” said Debby in the 2008 documentary, 199 Lives.
As he got older, Pastrana’s passion became clear: motorbikes. After receiving a motorcycle as a Christmas gift at the age of 4, there was no getting him off a bike. He spent the next three years improving his skills, eventually taking them from his driveway to the competitive track. His talent was undeniable. So much so that he even caught the attention of the local news.
As a child, Pastrana’s motocross talent began to attract attention, and local media occasionally featured his early riding skills. When asked when he thought he’d give up the sport, he replied, “I’ll get out when I’m about 26, 25.”
Little did he know at the time how mistaken he would be.
Where It All Began: The Start of A Historic FMX Career
With his parents’ support, Pastrana continued pursuing his passion throughout his childhood and teenage years. Eventually, his athletic prowess led him to the competitive stage.
Becoming an AMA Pro Motocross Championship Legend
In the early years of his career, Pastrana dominated the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
In 2000, at the age of 16, Pastrana became the youngest rider to win the AMA 125MX East Championship, a historic milestone in motocross. The following year, he claimed the 125cc East Coast title.
Between 2001 and 2005, Pastrana earned multiple AMA Pro Motocross wins and podium finishes in the 125MX East division, cementing his status as a rising star.
With such a remarkable track record, it came as no surprise when Pastrana was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2023.
Winning Gold & Making Waves at the X Games
In addition to competing in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Pastrana entered another major competition in 1999. In fact, it was one of the biggest stages known to extreme sport enthusiasts: the X Games.
Despite it being his debut, Pastrana smashed the competition, winning the first-ever MotoX Freestyle event after receiving the highest possible freestyle score of 99.00.
However, Pastrana’s most memorable moment from the event ended up coming after his gold-medal win. After the competition, Pastrana performed an unauthorized jump into the San Francisco Bay, but he had drained almost all fuel and oil from his bike, minimizing environmental impact; he kept his gold medal, though much of his prize money was used for cleanup.
The stunt sparked controversy, with many worrying about the environmental effects of oil seeping into the water. However, Pastrana had drained his bike of oil and almost all fuel before completing the jump. After a review, X Games allowed Pastrana to keep his gold medal, while most of his accompanying prize money was used to clean up the Bay.
In spite of the controversy, the jump remains a standout moment in history for both Pastana and the X Games. It also marked the beginning of a wildly successful X Games career; Pastrana went on to win gold medals in several of the following years, including 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005.
Defying Gravity at the Gravity Games
After the X Games, Pastrana went on to compete in the inaugural Gravity Games in 1999. Continuing his win streak, he ultimately secured two gold medals, one in the MTX Freestyle category and one in the Moto X Freestyle Team category.
In classic Pastrana fashion, the victory wasn’t a one-off. Throughout Gravity Games’ run from 1999 to 2006, he clinched five gold medals and one silver.
At the 2002 Gravity Games, Pastrana achieved one of his greatest feats of all: becoming the first-ever rider to land a motorbike backflip in the competition.
A Thrilling Pivot: Pastrana’s Rally Racing & NASCAR Career
In the early noughties, Pastrana began exploring a different passion of his: cars. And his entry point to this fast-paced, heart-pounding world was rally racing.
Shifting Gears into Rally Driving
Pastrana’s rallying career took off when he did a private test session with Vermont SportsCar. In fact, the test drive was actually gifted to Pastrana in celebration of his AMA 125cc Motocross Championship victory in 2000. With Pastrana in the driver’s seat and 2001 season Subaru Rally Team USA Driver Mark Lovell in the passenger seat offering pointers, the experience changed the trajectory of Pastrana’s career.
A couple of years later, Vermont SportsCar brought Pastrana back in for another test, this time assessing his abilities as a potential addition to its team.
While he ended up driving for Vermont SportsCar in the 2004 and 2005 seasons, Pastrana really hit his stride in 2006. In 2006, he signed with Subaru Rally Team USA and won the Rally America National Championship, a title he would also claim in 2007, 2008, and 2010.
It was also in 2006 that Pastrana first competed in the Rally Car Racing category at the X Games. One try seemed to be enough for Pastrana, given that he claimed the gold medal in the category that year. He later went on to score a bronze medal in 2007 and a silver medal in 2009.
Going Full Throttle in NASCAR
By 2011, there was one extreme sports arena that Pastrana had yet to enter: the NASCAR track.
“My life has always been about competition,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed challenging myself in racing, and NASCAR is that challenge for me now.”
That year, he made his NASCAR debut at the Toyota All-Star Showdown, ultimately coming in sixth. In collaboration with Michael Waltrip Racing and Gary and Blake Betchel, Pastrana formed the Pastrana-Waltrip Racing team, which competed in select NASCAR events. With that team, he went on to compete in the Blue Ox 100, finishing in the 33rd spot.
After a frustrating couple of seasons, Pastrana announced that he’d be retiring from NASCAR due to sponsorship constraints, disappointing race results, and a desire to spend more time with his growing family. By all appearances, it seemed that was the end of Pastrana’s NASCAR career.
But the reality was very different. In the years that followed, Pastrana went on to race again, appearing on the NASCAR stage multiple times. In 2023, he even realized one of his biggest dreams: competing in the Daytona 500. Also known as the Great American Race, Daytona is one of the most prestigious events in the NASCAR calendar. In Pastrana’s own words, getting to drive in it was “the greatest experience of my life.”
Other Notable Feats
In 2006, at the X Games, Pastrana became the first rider in history to land a double backflip in competition, a milestone that revolutionized freestyle motocross and inspired a generation of riders.
Also in 2006, Pastrana executed a stunt jump over the famous Caesars Palace fountain in Las Vegas during a Nitro Circus event, drawing massive media attention and showcasing his ability to combine precision and extreme risk in public stunts.
In 2022, Pastrana starred in Hoonigan’s Gymkhana series, taking the wheel of a modified 1983 Subaru GL Wagon called “The Family Huckster.” He executed a series of high-speed stunts across Florida, including a daring jump over a helicopter hovering between two bridges, reaching top speeds of 165 mph. This installment of Gymkhana 2022 showcased Pastrana’s incredible driving skill and reinforced his reputation for pushing the limits of extreme motorsport.
Creating Nitro Circus & Nitrocross
Although he’s a fierce competitor, Pastrana has also found purpose in extreme sports entrepreneurship. Specifically, he’s founded two unique event series that are shaping the world of adrenaline sports.
Bringing Live Action Worldwide: The Birth of Nitro Circus
In 2003, Pastrana co-founded Nitro Circus, an action sports collective featuring athletes from various extreme sports, including BASE jumping, FMX riding, and skiing. Some of its most notable members include Johnny Knoxville, Jeremy Rawle, and Andy Bell.
Nitro Circus eventually turned into a TV miniseries of the same name, which aired on Fuel TV from 2006 to 2009. The series even acted as a launchpad for the creation of a 3D movie, which was released in 2012.
It was also in 2012 that the team got its own reality TV show called Nitro Circus Live, which followed Pastrana and his friends on their live performance tours. Although the show only ran until 2014, the live performances have continued to this day.
In fact, the Nitro Circus ‘Off the Rails’ season is kicking off in October 2025. With shows scheduled in Australia, the United States, and Canada, the Nitro team (including Pastrana himself) is bringing thrills worldwide, in disciplines like skateboarding, FMX, and BMX. Team Ignition is also an official sponsor of the tour, bringing live activations and games for added entertainment.
Redefining Rally Racing: The Birth of Nitrocross
In the late 2010s, Pastrana couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing in the motocross competitive landscape. That feeling was the catalyst for Pastrana co-founding Nitrocross, an annual competition that sees rally drivers race on unique tracks. The format sees drivers compete in four distinct categories:
- Group E
- Next
- SXS
- Baja Bugs
Since its inaugural season in 2021, Nitrocross has attracted some of the top global talent in rally racing, such as Kevin Eriksson, Robin Larsson, and Fraser McConnell.
For the History Books: Pastrana’s World Records
Throughout his career, Pastrana’s list of accomplishments has grown substantially, many of them including world records. At a glance, some of his current Guinness World Records include:
- Most gold medals won at a single X Games
- First double backflip on a motorcycle
- Most motorcycle backflips in 30 seconds (eight flips)
- Longest ramp jump in a car (268 ft)
- Fastest ATV side-wheelie (47 mph)
- Fastest time to do 10 donuts in an ATV (15.5 seconds)
- Longest motorcycle backflip with the engine off (17 ft)
- Longest tandem ATV ramp jump (52 ft)
- Lowest motorcycle backflip (3ft)
Life Beyond the Track: Pastrana’s Personal Life
For Pastrana, adrenaline isn’t just his career; it’s a major part of his personal life.
He’s married to fellow extreme athlete Lyn-Z Pastrana, a professional skateboarder who is set to perform at Nitro Circus this season, as she’s done in years past. In fact, it was at a Nitro Circus event that they got engaged, with Travis getting down on one knee at the bottom of a ramp in front of a cheering crowd.
Together, they have two daughters, Addy and Bristol, both of whom are taking after their parents’ love of action. You can often find any given member of the family riding motorbikes, driving ATVs, or drifting cars — anything to get the heart rate up.
Extreme sports are a central part of Pastrana’s home life. His family residence, known as Pastranaland, is a private extreme sports playground in Maryland, featuring a fully equipped backyard track for motocross, BMX, rally driving, and stunt jumps. With ramps, dirt tracks, and a variety of obstacles, Pastranaland serves as both a training ground and a safe space to experiment with new stunts, reflecting the Pastranas’ passion for adrenaline and action sports.
A Bright Ride into the Future
Dozens of medals, a laundry list of world records, and millions of adoring fans; Pastrana’s athletic achievements are too many to count. But what truly makes him unique is his relentless pursuit of excellence, his unwavering drive to test limits, and his insatiable need to create a brighter future for adrenaline athletes.
Whether he’s launching events like Nitro Circus or Nitrocross, raising the next generation of extreme athletes, or sharing his zest for adventure with his followers, Pastrana is making sure the next chapter in extreme sports is an unforgettable one.
