Chase Elliott’s Heartfelt Connection With Travis Pastrana Explained

Every active NASCAR driver today got bit by the racing bug after getting mesmerized by a hero of theirs as a young kid. 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott is no different. He revealed in an interview with Jeff Gluck that it was Travis Pastrana who amazed him with his adrenaline-pumping ventures in action sports.

Pastrana is known for his success across various motorsports disciplines. While his core expertise was in freestyle motocross, he was also an established professional in rally racing, stunt performance, and stock car racing. As a boy, Elliott had been mightily in awe of his skill and style. It led to him even asking the icon for an autograph one time.

Elliott said, “I grew up riding dirt bikes and all that stuff — loved it. He was the guy. He was reinventing action sports. Anyway, he was racing at the Prelude (at Eldora Speedway) one year, and Dad (Bill Elliott) was running it.

“I took a hat and asked (Pastrana) to sign it. It was obviously a really cool thing for me, being a kid and really being a fan of his, and him taking the time to do that.”

After all these years, he still has the hat stored away safely. This explains his love and respect for Pastrana. Now that he is an established professional in his own right, Elliott has the luxury to repay Pastrana. And he did that in 2022 by sending him a special gift. It was a racing helmet with a special message written on the visor.

The message read, “It’s been such a thrill growing up watching you reinvent the world of motorsports. Both two wheels and four. Grateful for your friendship. Keep leading the way.” Naturally, Pastrana was beyond thrilled with the gift.

When Elliott made Pastrana jump out of an airplane

Ahead of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 elimination race, Pastrana visited the Martinsville Speedway with a goal. He wanted to recruit some of NASCAR’s best to participate in the Nitro Rallycross. Elliott had agreed to do it. But he had a simple request. He wanted Pastrana to jump out of an airplane he was flying.

He said, “100%. I want in. It looks like a blast. Yeah, man, I think it would be a lot of fun. I’m down to do that if I can talk you into jumping out of an airplane. I would love to do that. It’d be a lot of fun.” What was crazier than the request is that Pastrana agreed and eventually did do it.

A video he posted to his social media handles showed him wearing a parachute with Elliott behind the controls of a Cessna. The skydive landed him at the race track, where the final day of the Nitro Rallycross season was set to go down, in Florida. If that isn’t proof enough of the strong bond and trust that the two share, nothing else will be.