Travis Pastrana. The name alone brings smiles to the dirt-smudged faces of motorcycle enthusiasts around the world, and blood-curdling cringes to their mothers. And you better get used to it, because this wheeler-and-dealer found a way to sneak his antics into living rooms everywhere.

The champion dirtbike and rally car driver can be found performing Jackass-worthy stunts alongside other renowned athletes (such as Andy Bell and Jolene Van Vugt) in a crew called Nitro Circus. Nitro Circus got its own Fuel TV show in 2006, switching to MTV February of this year.

"Ever since it aired on MTV, there has been a huge increase in the name's popularity as well as a slightly different perspective of what the Nitro Circus really is," says Pastrana. "For us, the Nitro Circus isn't just the seven people on the show but more of a lifestyle that we all choose to live. [It's] comprised of all the people in the world who push themselves not for money or fame, but simply to test the boundaries of possibility in a calculated yet sometimes unorthodox fashion."

The Nitro Circus name also extends to the movies Pastrana & Friends make in conjunction with Utah-based entertainment company, Godfrey Films. The crew has released a slew of DVDs including "Thrillbillies" and three installments of "Travis and the Nitro Circus," and on Fri., Nov. 6, Salt Lake City will host the world premier of their latest chicken run called "Country Fried."

"Our DVDs are the roots of Nitro Circus, and we continue to do them because we can incorporate more of our friends, more of our racing background, and we have more freedom to create more havoc without answering to 'safety' or 'legal' for MTV," Pastrana says with a smile.

Local Nitro lovers will be pleased to know that much of the footage for both the MTV show and the DVDs is shot in Utah, since key companies Godfrey Films and Ogio are located here, along with Pastrana's favorite play-places: Miller Motorsports Park, the salt flats, DC Mountain Lab snow park, the Olympic Park and Skydive Utah.

"It's very easy to access to some of our most epic stunt ideas," he says. "We would be hard-pressed to find another place in the world with so many of our close friends, sponsors and action-sports fun."

SIX SHOOTER: Seis Questions with Mr. 199

1. How did you get involved with Godfrey Entertainment?

I got involved with Godfrey Entertainment when I was about 15 but Gregg and I really found our feet when I was 18 and he made a dream stunt of mine a reality (motorcycle base jump into the grand canyon). He is an amazing producer with the resources to make a lot happen and vision to do epic things in our industry. I have a way of rounding up the crew and guiding his ideas into a reality. Once Jeremy Rawle joined a year or two later, we found our missing link (someone who was intelligent and focused enough to handle the business side of things). It's been a wild ride ever since.

2. Were there any stunts that made you think, "Hmm, this isn't such a good idea ..."?

I think a lot of stunts are "great ideas" on paper but it's a common thing for us to be all buckled in or at the top of a ramp thinking, "Wait! I quit!" Then we do it anyway and it usually works out!

3. What's your vice of choice?

My vice of choice is ice cream!

4. Nitro Circus seems to have a lot in common with Jackass. Any rivalry there?

It's fun hanging out with Knoxville and the other guys from Jackass but not much competition. We do skilled stunts where we try and convince them they are "good" and will be "fine," then they try to hurt us by doing things where there is no way we can succeed, Like tear gas and tazers! It's a fun group, though, and a good way to mix the mainstream idea of "funny" with our competitive and more serious athletic "oops that worked better in my head" kind of funny.

5. Since you ride for a living, do you still consider it a hobby?

My job is my hobby and I think everyone in the crew feels the same way because the second we get done filming, we all pay to hang out and do the same stuff in our off-time!

6. Since your stunts often incur injuries, has your body learned to adapt, or does it hurt just the same every time?

Injuries affect us all as much as the normal person but we all understand that there are times our "job" is a job and if something needs to be done, even if you're broken or sick or tired, you still have to step up. Andy Bell broke his wrist then rode motorcycles and did stunts with it duct-taped in place for the next three days of filming before going to get surgery to have it pinned and plated. One week later, we were on another shoot and he never missed a stunt or a day of filming. Everyone in our crew has a similar story; it's just part of our "job."