DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Colton Herta will represent the United States in the International Championship Race next weekend as a substitute for the injured driver. Travis Pastrana.
Pastrana said this week he broke his back and hip in a BASE jumping accident.
Herta will take her place alongside the seven-time NASCAR champion and current IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson. The ROC “Snow + Ice” World Finals will be held next weekend in Pite Havsbad, Sweden, on the frozen Baltic Sea, 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
Herta’s father, Bryan, told the Associated Press that his 21-year-old son spent part of this week researching the warmest jacket to pack for the project. He will compete for the title of “Champion of Champions” in the ROC individual competition, and join Johnson on Team USA at the ROC Nations Cup.
“Are you ready for some racing in the snow?” Johnson tweeted to Herta on Friday.
School also includes Sebastian Vettel, Mick SchumacherTom Kristensen, Sebastien Loeb, Mika Hakkinen, Valtteri Bottas and four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 Helio Castroneves.
Herta said this was “not the way I wanted to be drafted” during his first Championship Race.
“What a great opportunity to be in the Race Of Champions for the first time,” said Herta, who won six races in her first three seasons at IndyCar. “It comes with sadness as I fill up for Travis, and I wish him a quick and complete recovery.”
Both Johnson and Herta will race this weekend in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Herta will be taking the IMSA LMP2 class for the event for the first time in her short career.
The budding star has said he wants to try out as many different forms of motorsport as possible, and Herta is ready to switch to Formula One if Michael Andretti succeeded last year in buying a team.
Johnson partnered with Jeff Gordon and MotoGP star Colin Edwards in 2002 to win the ROC Nations Cup in Gran Canaria, Spain. This is Team America’s final title in an international event where top drivers from around the world go head-to-head in a take-all competition.
It was considered an upset victory as Johnson and Gordon became the first NASCAR drivers to win the ROC Nations Cup. They beat defending champion Spain, and the victory opened the ROC Nations Cup for more Americans to attend.
