Action sports icon Travis Pastrana is talking with a reporter at the Daytona International Speedway media center on Wednesday afternoon when his eyes dart to a guy in a blue fire suit walking his way.
"Jimmie!" Pastrana, 39, says as the man approaches.
"Travis. You made it," seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, 47, replies. He smiles wide and pulls Pastrana in for a hug. The two men, one a rookie, the other a great, are here with the same goal: to qualify for Sunday's 65th running of the Daytona 500.
Johnson and Pastrana are two of six drivers hoping to race their way into the 40-car field.