Associated Press

The NASCAR notebook …
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Action star Travis Pastrana is the newest addition to the Roush-Fenway Racing lineup, and he’ll attempt to run his first Nationwide Series race at Daytona this weekend. But Pastrana is no stranger to the speedway.
“My first Supercross win was on the infield here at Daytona,” he said. “Daytona Speedweeks and Daytona Bikeweek have been two of my favorite events for as long as I can remember. Having the opportunity to race here in a NASCAR event is truly a dream come true.”
Pastrana will drive the No. 60 Ford for RFR. Because he has nine previous starts in the Nationwide Series, he is not eligible for the rookie of the year program, but said he feels like one this season and “it’s a scary feeling.”
“As I come into NASCAR with success in other forms of racing and enter this year as a full-time driver with a top team, everyone’s expectations are pretty high,” he said. “I’ve always liked to be thrown into the deep end.”
Pastrana will be teammates with Trevor Bayne, winner of the 2011 Daytona 500.
“Hopefully, I can earn Trevor’s trust because he’s the man here and I couldn’t ask for a better teammate for my first race here,” he said. “I’m lined up with great equipment and an amazing crew. I’m surrounded by a lot of knowledge and I’m ready to learn. This season is going to be an epic ride. Game on.”
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RECOVERING: Antron Brown flew home to Indiana for a doctor visit this week following his frightening accident at the NHRA Winternationals in California.
The reigning NHRA world champion went for a wild ride after his engine exploded at 300 mph, sending his dragster veering sharply to the left before flipping onto its side. It backed into a concrete guardwall before sliding past the dragstrip pavement and into a sand trap.
Brown escaped injury in part because of the enclosed safety canopy developed by his Don Schumacher Racing team.
“The canopy’s windshield is five-eighths-of-an-inch thick. Nothing got to me. When I hit the sand trap, I saw stones flying all over the place, but I didn’t get dusty, nothing got into me. It really, really did its job,” he said.