Injuries force Travis Pastrana to delay Nationwide debut until 2012

Travis Pastrana will not compete in the Nationwide Series until next year because of injuries suffered in last week's X Games, Pastrana Waltrip Racing announced Saturday morning.

Pastrana, the action sports star attempting to move to NASCAR, was scheduled to have made his Nationwide debut last week at Indianapolis before he was injured. It was to have been the first of seven Nationwide races he was to have done this season.

Instead, Pastrana broke his right foot and ankle at X Games two days before his Nationwide debut.  He was injured attempting to do a double backflip with a spin on his motorcycle during an event

Pastrana underwent surgery Wednesday. It was performed by Dr. Tom Dennis at Riva Road Surgical Center in Annapolis, Md. Dr. Dennis said the surgery was a success and that Pastrana should make a full recovery following a strict healing process which will require Pastrana to immobilized in traction for at least one month and unable to apply weight on his right leg for another month.

"To give my ankle and foot time to heal properly we have decided to wait until 2012 to make my NASCAR debut,'' Pastrana said in a statement. "I probably could have been ready for the final couple of races in 2011, but it just makes more sense to start fresh in 2012. We are already starting to talk about testing and what I need to do to prepare for next season. My sincere apologies go out to my NASCAR team, fans and sponsors for this delay. Thanks for all of the support. This will be a fun ride ... eventually.''

The injury also is a bit of a blow to NASCAR, which hoped to take advantage of Pastrana's young fan base. NASCAR is making a push to reach youths and those in the 18-34 age range. Pastrana's debut was set for Indianapolis because it would happen during the X Games, an event with a young fan base. The hope by many was that those young fans would watch Pastrana's Nationwide debut and want to continue following the sport.

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