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X Games icon Travis Pastrana ends NASCAR career

Travis Pastrana has ended his fledgling NASCAR career, citing poor results, a lack of sponsorship, and a desire to spend more time with his family

The 30-year-old X Games icon posted a message on his Facebook page on Monday announcing that he will step away from stock cars after this weekend's Nationwide Series finale at Homestead.

"This past season of NASCAR has been an awesome experience," he wrote.

"I have made a lot of great friends, had a lot of fun and gained a new appreciation for all aspects of this sport.

"Jack Roush and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing have gone above and beyond to try and help me succeed and I am truly grateful for their support.

"I would like to thank them and all of the other people who stuck behind me during the last two years as I tried to learn how to make a successful career in NASCAR.

"It's tough to step back now and prove the critics were right, but unfortunately my results were not good enough to get the sponsors I needed to appropriately fund next season."

Pastrana made his NASCAR debut with a sprinkling of appearances in the lower-level K&N Series in 2011.

Plans to make his Nationwide debut that same year were derailed by injuries sustained in an X Games crash that ruled him out for several months.

He made his first Nationwide starts in 2012, achieving a best result of 13th, and moved to Roush to race full-time this year.

He goes into Homestead having achieved just four top-10 finishes, and admitted that he struggled to adapt to the requirements of the car.

"I hate to quit and I hate to fail, but sometimes things work out as they should," Pastrana said.

"I've never been able to figure out the finesse required in pavement racing and that is disappointing."

Pastrana said that he plans to support his wife Lyn-Z's professional skateboarding career and spend more time with his newborn daughter, but that he intends to continue to compete in rallying and off-road trucks.

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