Michael Waltrip, Clint Bowyer heading to Rolex 24

    Michael Waltrip Racing co-owners Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman, MWR NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer and road racing veteran Rui Aguas are entering the Jan. 26-27 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

   The AF Waltrip entry is a joint project of the Italian championship sports car team AF Corse and MWR. AF Waltrip has fielded Ferraris for Waltrip and Kauffman at sports car races since 2010.

    Bowyer is the newest member of the AF Waltrip driver lineup that has included Travis Pastrana and Brian Vickers in previous races.

    “I’m not really sure what I got myself into,” said Bowyer who won three races and finished second in the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. “Rob asked me to race and I said I would do it. Everyone has told me how much fun this race is. So, I’m ready. Running 24 hours is a long time, but we will give it our best shot.”

X Games star Travis Pastrana to run NASCAR fulltime

   Action sports legend Travis Pastrana will make the move to fulltime NASCAR racing in 2013, driving Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60 Ford in the Nationwide Series.

    “I am extremely excited about making the move into fulltime NASCAR competition in 2013 and equally thrilled to have the opportunity to make that move with Jack Roush and the team at Roush Fenway Racing,” said Pastrana, a four-time rally champion, motocross champion and multiple X Games gold medal winner.

    “I am very serious about making this move, running competitively and ultimately winning races in NASCAR,” added Pastrana.

    Pastrana has made nine career Nationwide starts, including one for RFR last September at Richmond, where he qualified a career-high fifth and ran top-10 for much of the race en route to a 17th-place finish.

    Pastrana will team up with veteran NASCAR crew chief Chad Norris and will be partnered with a variety of sponsors during the season.

    “Travis is a champion,” said RFR co-owner Jack Roush. “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."