NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana today said his decision to leave NASCAR is because his team was "not making the progress that we need to really get the funding." Pastrana: "Selfishly, I really want to keep putting everything into NASCAR, but realistically I just don't have that extra something that I've had in some of the other sports." He added, "I never thought I'd have to be out this quick and thought I'd failed this much, but it's tough work." Pastrana said he has "great opportunities now with off-road cars and all the dirt stuff" ("NASCAR Now," ESPN2, 11/14). In Charlotte, Jim Utter writes Pastrana leaving the sport "wasn't because of lack of effort or commitment." From his "first days, Pastrana tried to give himself every opportunity to improve." He "showed some improvement and signs of speed" at the beginning of this season, but "never seemed to be able to capture the finesse needed on asphalt tracks." There were "many who pinned a lot of expectations on Pastrana’s NASCAR experiment, hoping it would translate into something bigger and better for the sport." His exit might serve "as an important reminder of two things." First, NASCAR competition is "tough and just because someone excelled at another form of racing doesn't mean it will translate here." Second, before "pronouncing someone as great for the sport, it's best to wait and see if they are at least good at it" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/14).
