Dream come true for hometown hero Travis Pastrana

Travis Pastrana has enjoyed many triumphant moments during his illustrious career in motorsports.

The Annapolis native has won three motocross racing championships, four Rally car crowns and almost a dozen X Games gold medals, just to name some of his more notable accomplishments.

Pastrana added another memorable moment on Sunday afternoon when he was introduced as the "world's greatest extreme sports star" while jumping his motorcycle high off a ramp at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

It was a scenario Pastrana dreamed of many times while plotting to bring the Nitro Circus Live Tour to his hometown. That vision became reality in spectacular fashion as Pastrana flew through the air on his signature Suzuki 450 with the No. 199 sticker.

"This is a great day in my life and I couldn't be more excited. Going out there at the start of the show and seeing such a big crowd was just awesome," Pastrana said while waiting out a rain delay in the Navy football locker room. "For me, the most special thing was riding my motorcycle through those gates. I've seen so many football and lacrosse games here, I learned how to ride a bicycle in that parking lot. This stadium truly represents home for me."

Organizers announced attendance at 22,000, making it the the largest North American stopover in Nitro Circus Live history. Lyn-Z Adams Pastrana weren't surprised to see such a tremendous turnout to support her husband's event.

"I knew people would come out of the woodwork for this because it's a great community that has always supported Travis throughout his career," she said. I'm just so stoked for Travis because this show means so much to him. I think the whole town has been anxiously awaiting this day and you can tell there's a real exciting vibe out there."

Adams Pastrana is an accomplished skateboard rider who has performed in Nitro Circus Live shows herself over the years. However, she was too busy chasing after the couple's two young daughters – 3-year-old Bristol and 2-year-old Addy – to participate in this show.

Thunderstorms threw a monkey wrench into the day with the first wave causing Nitro Circus Live to be delayed by an hour and the second wave leading to a longer-than-planned intermission. Pastrana was understandably bummed about the weather interruptions, but nothing could put a damper on the celebratory atmosphere of the afternoon.

Robert Pastrana was beaming like the proud father he is while watching his son sign autographs for several star-struck youngsters prior to the show.

"This is absolutely a dream come true for Travis. He used to ride his bicycle around this stadium when he was four and five years old," Robert said. "When he got Nitro Circus going, Travis envisioned what a spectacle it would be to bring the show to Annapolis and this stadium."

Robert Pastrana has seen Nitro Circus Live in person just twice, attending shows in Las Vegas and New York. The lifelong Annapolis resident was beyond thrilled that his only child was about to perform on the same field where his old man once practiced youth football back in the 1960s.

Pastrana vowed to make the inaugural Annapolis stop of the Nitro Circus Live Tour one of the best shows ever and recruited 40 of the best athletes in the stable to make it happen. Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham, a renowned wheelchair athlete, was planning to throw down one of his toughest tricks in honor of his boss.

"Everyone knows how much this show means to Travis and Nitro. So all the performers are super pumped and there's a different energy before this show than there normally is," Fotheringham said. "We're all really excited and know we have to do something big in Travis's hometown."

Fotheringham was planning to do a difficult front flip, but was a bit concerned after damaging his specially-designed wheelchair during the practice session. "It looks like I'll be doing a front flip on my backup chair, which is pretty sketchy," he said.

However, one of the Annapolis residents that wa