Teams

Pastrana on Rye

Garage Headquarters: Monroe, OH

Driver: J.D. Ellis

Mechanics: Laura Ellis, Sarah Scofield, Larry Ellis, Dan Scofield

Nuts and Bolts:

“It’s a bad pun,” J.D. Ellis admits. The Pastrana on Rye team might not win any awards for wordplay, but they expect to take home some hardware thanks to their racer, a combined model of Travis Pastrana’s Red Bull-sponsored Subaru WRX rally car and a pastrami-on-rye sandwich. Sure, it’s a humorous concept, but nobody’s laughing off J.D. Ellis’ quarter-century of racing experience.

The captain / driver and mechanic Larry Ellis have spent years building pinewood derby racers, racing karts and cars. J.D. says that “Larry worked on a plane now housed in the USAF Museum,” so you can expect the expertly engineered soapbox sandwich to hold its own on the track. With its modified rear wing sporting a reinforced push-bar, this ride should make tracks from the get-go. According to J.D., the racer also includes “a replicate livery of Pastrana’s rally car.” (We have no idea what that means, but it sounds flippin’ sweet.)

Don’t expect the hardcore racing vets to slouch when it comes to their skit, either. J.D. and his wife Laura have appeared as extras on two episodes of “One Tree Hill.” Once the skit ends and J.D. hops behind the wheel, the scene will change from melodrama to over-the-top thriller. Don’t forget your popcorn.