For Travis Alan Pastrana (b. October 8, 1983), it all started as a 15-year-old ironically breaking his spine from his pelvic bone during a routine practice before a race in Arizona in 1998. He broke over 20 bones before another accident, this time crashing his 2003 Chevrolet Corvette into a tree in his hometown at 19. He was already in too deep by then though, achieving tremendous fame as just a teenager.
To put it into perspective, Pastrana had won gold in the MotoX Freestyle event at the X Games from 1999 to 2003, 2000 AMA 125cc National championship, and the 2001 125cc Rose Creek Invitational 125cc East Coast Supercross Championship all before the big crash. Breaking the infamous Evel Knievel's three stunts without injury in one event is nothing short of amazing either.
These injuries and the determination to continue with stunts and risky races have not been without rewards. While it's a new lesson after every injury, financially speaking, Pastrana has won enough gold, literally and figuratively, for his lifetime, but there's no stopping him.
Travis Pastrana's Net Worth
According to sources, Travis Pastrana is worth $25 million, earning his wealth from his several wins across different race and stunt modes. It's just not taking part in these events that he gains his massive wealth from. He runs his own MTV series, Nitro Circus, which only went for two seasons but has continued under different versions to this day.
Pastrana idolizes Even Knievel, for obvious reasons.
Photo Source: Getty Images
In addition to producing and participating in the Nitro Circus saga, Pastrana has appeared in dozens of shows and documentaries. Nitro Circus itself has coordinated with stunt shows other than with cars and motorbikes, particularly on Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, which also featured in the Nitro Circus.
Pastrana's earnings also come from sponsorships, which is common knowledge in his particular line of business. His cars in Rallys and NASCAR always needed to be sponsored (more often by Red Bull), which again, no doubt, he later did it on his own, like the Pastrana 199 monster jam truck. He was excessively loyal to Suzuki since he was 8, using it for every motorcycle race he did until December 2019.
Also See: Rob Dyrdek's Net Worth Makes Him the Second Richest Skateboarder
As for the car, he's currently a part of the Subaru Rally Team USA in the Global RallyCross Championship. It's also the car he set the record for the fastest ascent of Mount Washington in a car and then had to break the record of another racer, David Higgins, who broke his record. And of course, it is quite known that he's raced under number 199 for his famous motocross and rally races.
Pastrana Proudly Represents His Heritage of Puerto Rico at Motoraces
Freestyle stunt riding since 13, his career was built up in that particular category despite the countless injuries to his body. With his Suzuki, he's won at least seven gold in the MotoX Freestyle events from the first event in 1999 to 2010, successfully doing double backflips in 2009 and 2010 at the X Games. He did win gold at MotoX Best Trick and Rally Car Racing events of the championship quite a few times as well.
This crash in the X Games 15 in 2009 is probably one of the lightest he's been in.
Photo Source: Jeff Gross, Getty Images
When it comes to motorbike events, he always was committed to representing Puerto Rico due to his father's background, and the Puerto Rico Motorcycle Association was all the more accommodating to his decision. He debuted for the territory in 2008 and participated in the Motocross of Nations event in 2018 to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Maria that struck the year before. He raced for Team Cernic's Suzuki until late 2019.
He Doesn't Say It Much, But He Sure Does Love Subaru As Well
Pastrana started his rallying career in 2003 in the Race of Champions for the Vermont SportsCar rally team the next year. Subaru was his first choice and the only choice for a long while. It wouldn't be long until he would be named the captain of their Subaru Rally Team USA in 2006. X Games was his hunting ground for rally as well and won gold in their very first rally race here as well that year.
The team completed 2006 with first place in almost all their races in the Rally America National Series, and Pastrana continued to shine throughout the series in 2007, '08, and '09 as well, the team ranking first overall. 2010 wasn't the best of his Rally America career, which would subsequently lead him to participate in the Global RallyCross Championship in 2011.
Travis Pastrana and David Higgins edged each other out in Rally America 2016 in their 2016 WRX STI rally cars, Pastrana ultimately taking the lead.
Photo Source: Adventure Subaru
The 37-year-old didn't really shine in RallyCross though, winning only one race in the entirety of three seasons he participated in. He stuck with his Subaru Impreza GR WRX STI for 2001 and then formed his own Pastrana Racing team for the next two years to use a Dodge Dart SRT. 9th in 2012 was his best finish. But it was a category he was not prolific in, having done "horribly" in the World Rally Championship events in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Not the Best NASCAR Career Either
Pastrana's NASCAR debut came in 2011 at the Toyota All-Star Showdown and followed it up with Denny Hamlin’s Short Track Showdown and K&N Pro Series East. The races weren't that great for him. Neither were they in 2012 when he'd make his Nationwide Series debut. He started nine races, eight for RAB Racing and one for "the" Roush Fenway Racing, with the best finish of 13th.
In 2013, he stuck with Roush Fenway Racing and the No. 60 Ford Mustang for the Nationwide Series' all 33 races, with the best finish of 9th, a pole, and 14th overall. After disappointing results in all his NASCAR participation, he announced in November 2013 via Facebook that he was leaving NASCAR due to lack of sponsorships and family reasons.
Travis Pastrana and his wife at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Virginia 529 College Savings 250.
Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw, Getty Images for NASCAR
However, he did express his interest in competing in the Daytona 500 and continuing the truck series of NASCAR on occasion. But the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona would be the only time he'd participate in the former event, his team AF Waltrip finishing 35th overall.
As for the truck series, he made a start at the Camping World Truck Series in 2012, finishing 5th for ThorSport Racing. He would return to NASCAR in November 2015 for a single race for NTS Motorsports and then in 2017 for Niece Motorsports. His last and latest NASCAR trip was for Niece again in two races of the 2020 Outdoors Truck Series.
Recommended: Net Worth of Ray Ciccarelli Who Quit NASCAR During the Wake of the Confederate Flag Being Banned
He used his Pastrana 199 monster truck to make his debut in the 2006 Monster Jam, which was later changed to Nitro Circus monster truck during the 2009 World Finals after his MTV show started. It was used in the 2011 Monster Jam for the last time.
Whatever He Lacked in Racing, He Covers With His Unimaginable Stunts
The highlight of Pastrana's career is that one day, July 8, 2018, when he broke two of Evel Knievel's infamous stunts and one bigger stunt that the legend failed to properly complete. He jumped over 52 cars or 143 feet, 16 buses (with room to spare) or 192 feet, and the one Knievel's bad landing of jumping over the fountain 149 feet across at Caesar's Palace. To honor his legend, he wore that infamous costume.
Watch: All Three of Travis Pastrana's Jump on July 8, 2018
Leading up to the big event, he had previously jumped out of an airplane without a parachute in Puerto Rico, which he didn't know was illegal, before latching up to another jumper in mid-air for landing with him. After having been seen performing tricks and stunts in a number of his races, it was not a surprise but a matter of excitement when he came up with his own show on MTV, Nitro Circus, in 2009.
Pastrana would collaborate with a number of notable stuntmen to keep the show running for two years and extend it with various spin-offs. He has set records since then having jumped 269 feet off the Pine Street Pier with his Subaru in Long Beach in 2010 to celebrate New Year's Day and ascending Mount Washington in a car in the shortest time, twice to break his broken record in 2017.
There's Already Book on Him
Pastrana is 37 now, and he's got a book about his life. However, it was published back in 2007, meaning it doesn't really do him any justice considering a lot of his greatest feats came after the year. Pastrana co-authored the book, The Big Jump: The Tao of Travis Pastrana, with Alyssa Roenigk, the senior writer of ESPN The Magazine.
He has more than just a book.
Photo Source: Throttle Syndicate, Facebook
With the stature of his level, one would expect him to obtain partnerships and sponsorships with a number of companies, most notably in the video game industry, but one would hardly imagine him sponsoring an underwear company, Ethika, but it's for athletes. So, it's to be expected. He even had an action figure made of him in the early 2000s from Mattel Inc.
He was featured in a couple of video games and countless documentaries from as far back as 2002. It includes his own Travis and the Nitro Circus 1 [2003], 2 [2004], & 3 [2005], and ESPN's 199 Lives: The Travis Pastrana Story [2008]. Life After X with Tony Hawk is in post-production now, to be released after years.
'Pastranaland's Backyard Is a "Ramp Graveyard"
Travis Pastrana currently lives just outside of Annapolis, Maryland, in a 65-acre property in the woods, just over 30 minutes from the US capital. He bought the Governor Bridge property in 1999 using some of his first motocross earnings and constantly renovated it, especially the backyard to build practice ramps, fences, and foam rubber. He got in trouble on a number of occasions for illegally chopping trees around the property back in the day.
So it's not the house that catches the eye, but the yard that lies in the back. "Basically, it’s a ramp graveyard," he says. Pastrana calls his property by the name Pastranaland, and he's got it all. He recently only gave a tour of Pastranaland to see for yourself the luxury he owns, in terms of his prize possessions, of course, that is after so a death hoax that ran the internet in 2020.
Watch: Take a Look at 'Pastranaland'
With Red Bull, he's also given a tour of his garage, which, as expected, has the coolest toys around. And by toys, it means, record-breaking vehicles. It's also home to his iconic fails and losses, particularly the motorbikes that he's been in accidents in.
After This: Inside the Volkswagen Haven of Gabriel Iglesias Worth $50 Million
At just 37, he's not stopping now. Tony Hawk didn't. And if so many accidents & broken bones didn't stop him, we can expect to see him around. But he is a family man as well. Pastrana is married to Lyndsey "Lyn-Z" Adams Hawkins since October 2011. Hawking herself is a professional skateboarder, so he has that support. They have two kids together, both girls Addy Ruth Pastrana [b. September 2, 2013], Bristol Murphy Pastrana [b. February 9, 2015].
Stay tuned and connected to Celeb$fortune for more celebrity Net Worth content. Keep checking the Focus section for more updates.
