NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
For the first time in three years, Travis Pastrana will compete at the famous Daytona International Speedway.
The excitement is real: Pastrana’s first time racing the Daytona 500. His average heart rate? More than 180 beats per minute.
“Sometimes my heart rate would go over 180. For someone who, you know, was almost 40 at the time, to run that high, it was just kind of a heart attack for the whole race,” Pastrana said in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Driver Travis Pastrana of the No. 199 Subaru WRX ARA25L attends the podium ceremony for the 2025 ARA Ojibwe Forests Rally on August 23, 2025, in Bemidji, Minnesota. (Steven Garcia/Getty Images)
Pastrana won’t compete in the big race this year, but on Friday he will compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener at Daytona.
To make the event even more special, Pastrana, along with part-time Truck Series driver and YouTuber Cleetus McFarland, partnered with Black Rifle Coffee and BRUNT Workwear, who together are donating $100,000 to the Boot Campaign, which supports life-changing programs for veterans and military families, particularly in the areas of mental health, housing and financial well-being.
Black Rifle Coffee Company is a veteran-founded, mission-driven brand with a long-standing commitment to veterans, first responders and those who serve. BRUNT Workwear makes tough, reliable equipment for hard-working Americans, and this sponsorship marks an important step for the brand on the national motorsports scene.
For Pastrana, being a part of the Black Rifle Coffee team hits home because his father was a Marine, his grandfather was in the Navy and his father-in-law also served.
Driver Travis Pastrana of the No. 199 Subaru WRX ARA25L watches before Stage 1 at Soo Pass Ranch on August 21, 2025, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. (Steven Garcia/Getty Images)
DAYTONA 500 WEATHER: FORECAST FOR SUNDAY’S RACE AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
“My dad loves bringing veterans together, telling stories and just being grateful that we get to live the American dream. We love supporting the American dream,” Pastrana said. “But really, we’re trying to support the veterans, the first responders, and give them a good time. It was all about bringing people to this incredible experience at Daytona.”
“BRUNT Boots told me, ‘Hey, we all want to go down (to Daytona). Like all employees, all that kind of blue collar team that they have. We want to be a part of Daytona. Do you want to run?’
“It’s the most intense race you can do because it lasts for hours,” McFarland added. “You’re at full throttle for hours, and I think BRUNT Boots and Black Rifle Coffee are such cool brands and they totally embrace the theme of Daytona Speedway, bro, you know? It’s an honor for me to be a part of it.”
These partnerships, Pastrana said, rejuvenate the love of racing.
“Sometimes you get into this rut where you’re like, you just want to win. I’m so caught up in something. And then you go off and you run the Freedom 500 and the stands are full and you wonder why you started racing in the first place?” he said.
“And I think that’s why Black Rifle and BRUNT Boots kind of partnered with us because, look, win, lose and draw, we’re going to have a lot of people coming, we’re going to have veterans, we’re going to show everyone that we’re having a good time and these brands are supporting people supporting the world.”
Honorary race car driver Travis Pastrana poses for a photo on the grid before the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 11, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
“I mean, it matters if we win, obviously,” McFarland noted. “But I think Black Rifle and BRUNT both know that if Trav and I do something cool, it’s a success.”
