Slaw
MX Sports Pro Racing, in partnership with Budds Creek Motocross Park, has announced that action sports icon and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Travis Pastrana will serve as Grand Marshal of the 36th running of the Yamaha Budds Creek National Presented by Carter CAT, the penultimate race of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing and Round 27 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship regular season. The beloved Maryland native will make an anticipated return to his home race as the event’s ceremonial ambassador, headlined by a special autograph session on race day, Saturday, August 22.
Following Saturday’s race, Pastrana will make the short drive north to his hometown of Annapolis. where he’ll be joined by fellow world class action sports athletes for the Nitro Circus 2.0 tour from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Sunday, August 23. Tickets to the show are on sale now.
“The sport of motocross, action sports, and motorsports as a whole have never seen an athlete more gifted and dynamic than Travis Pastrana,” said Ezra Beasley, Organizer, Budds Creek Motocross Park. “No one transcended into the mainstream quite like this happy-go-lucky young kid from Annapolis, who simply loved going fast and pushing the limits of what’s possible. It’s incredible to think that 26 years after his first ever professional gate drop Travis remains as popular as ever and continues to break new barriers, be it two wheels or four. We’re honored to have him as our Grand Marshal and know our fans will be thrilled to see him make a return to Budds Creek.”
Pastrana boasts arguably the most prolific career aboard two wheels than anyone else in history. He became a household name as a teenage freestyle motocross phenom and single handedly made X Games the ultimate spectacle for action sports. Under the mentorship and guidance of Roger DeCoster at Suzuki, Pastrana made an incredibly seamless transition into SMX competition, winning the 2000 AMA Motocross 125cc Championship and the 2001 AMA Supercross East 125cc Championship. He also helped lead Team USA to victory at the 2000 FIM Motocross of Nations in France. In the midst of his success, Pastrana’s freestyle roots kept calling and he eventually cut his racing career short and stepped away from full-time competition following the 2005 season. He remained an FMX fixture, winning countless X Games Gold Medals and breaking barriers with tricks that once never seemed possible. For all his contributions to motorcycling, Pastrana was inducted in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame as a member of the “Class of 2023.”
Pastrana also made a foray into four wheels, proving to be a quick adapter to rally racing, where he captured even more X Games success in addition to becoming an American Rally Association champion. His icon status grew even more with the creation of Nitro Circus, Pastrana’s collective of close friends and fellow action sports athletes willing to push the boundaries of physics. A hugely popular MTV show spawned the Nitro Circus Tour, which continues to visit stadiums across the globe.
Not to be outdone, Pastrana’s one-of-a-kind career has also included a stint in NASCAR and a championship-winning foray into offshore powerboat racing. He’s responsible for an array of world record stunts, on both two and four wheels, has become a central figure of the infamous Gymkhana series, carrying on a legacy created by his late mentor and close friend Ken Block. In the 27 years since Pastrana first graced television screens around the world, he has participated in more disciplines and achieved more success piloting a motorized vehicle than anyone else in history.
In addition to his autograph session, which will be held from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. local time at Budds Creek, Pastrana will partake in various other festivities at the National and will be properly celebrated for his accomplishments and contributions to the sport.
The Yamaha Budds Creek National will take place Saturday, August 22, with on-track action starting at 5 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. ET, followed by opening ceremonies at 9:15 a.m. PT / 12:15 p.m. ET then motos for the 250SMX Class, 450SMX Class, and WMX starting at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. Live network coverage of the second motos will air on NBC starting at 12:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. ET. Comprehensive live streaming coverage will air on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET before coverage of the motos gets underway at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.
