Travis Pastrana lands full-time Nationwide ride with Roush

Travis Pastrana will run the full 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule for Roush Fenway Racing, the team announced Thursday.

The extreme sports star will drive the No. 60 Ford Mustang in all 33 races and will be “supported by a variety sponsors.”

For Pastrana, landing a ride with one of the sport’s top teams is a bit of a coup as he had been attempting for the last couple of years to land a full-time ride in NASCAR’s No. 2 series.

“I am very serious about making this move, running competitively and ultimately winning races in NASCAR,” Pastrana said in a statement released by the team. “No team can claim the success in the Nationwide Series that Roush Fenway has, and I know driving an RFR Ford will provide me with the maximum opportunity to develop my skills behind the wheel of a stock car.”

In nine series starts, Pastrana has a best result of 13th, and even drove a race for Roush last September at Richmond where he qualified a career-best fifth and ran the majority of the race in the top 10.

Pastrana will work with crew chief Chad Norris. Norris is moving back to the No. 60 team after serving as the Sprint Cup Series crew chief for Carl Edwards during the second half of last year.

“Travis is a champion,” said Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. “It takes a great deal of drive and determination to reach that level of greatness in any field. He is serious about this move to NASCAR and we are committed to doing everything we can to see his career develop in NASCAR. We would certainly expect to see a great level of excitement brought to the table as he progresses within our sport.”

Pastrana will pair with Trevor Bayne, who is driving the No. 6 Ford in place of two-time defending Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who has been promoted up to Cup.