Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global

Kvapil poised for Richmond success

BK Racing

Travis Kvapil, BK Racing Toyota

Travis Kvapil, BK Racing Toyota

Action Sports Photography

Proven Survivor at Rough-and-Tumble Short Track

Travis Kvapil, BK Racing Toyota
Travis Kvapil, BK Racing Toyota

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

Statesville, N.C. (April 24, 2012) - Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 93 BK Racing Toyota, delivered a 25th-place finish in last week's STP 400 at Kansas Speedway. The performance marked the No. 93 team's second top-25 of the season. It was BK Racing's third top-25 since its formation in February of this year. Kvapil hopes to continue the team's momentum in Saturday night's Richmond 400 at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) and set another benchmark for the BK Racing squad.

Kvapil has made 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at RIR. Despite the high attrition rate at the .75-mile track, Kvapil has completed 3,983 of 4,010 laps (99.3%) in NSCS competition and never recorded a DNF.

In NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at RIR, Kvapil has one pole (2003) and three top-15 finishes (2001, 2002, 2003).

Following Kvapil's run at Kansas Speedway, the No. 93 team moved up two positions to 31st in the owner point standings.

Comments from BK Racing Driver Travis Kvapil heading into the Richmond 400:

"Last week was a big week for us. It was this team's second top-25, BK Racing's third top-25. We feel like we're getting stronger and we're getting more competitive. We know we still have a lot of work left to do, but it was a nice reminder that we're on the right track. We'll keep setting higher and higher goals and hopefully we'll come away with a better finish at Richmond.

"Richmond (International Raceway) is a unique track because it's considered a short track, but you still go really fast for a three-quarter-mile track. Aerodynamics still play a big part in it. You can't go in there and beat your fenders up. You're going to pay the price if you have body damage. It's a great place. It is short-track racing. Even though you carry a lot of speed, you drive like a quarter-mile or half-mile track, like the ones I grew up driving in Wisconsin. It's all about making your car turn in the middle of the corner, having good forward drive on exit. It's easy to get loose coming off Turn 4. You see a lot of guys spinning their tires all the way down the frontstretch. It's hard to get hooked up.

"It's a great facility and great track. You can run two- and three-wide when the groove widens out. For a driver, it's a lot of fun. When you get to the corners, it's not just a one-lane track. You can move around. There aren't many short tracks that you can run in two or three lanes and that's what makes Richmond so great.

"You really have to take care of your equipment. You use a lot of brakes. You've got to take care of your gear. You'll put your best brake package on your car, like you run at Martinsville (Speedway). At the same time, because we are going the speeds we run, you have to bring a car with good down force. You can't be just beating and banging. If you do that, you'll lose your aerodynamics and lose speed. It's a unique track. You drive it like you would a half-mile track, but because of the speed and how the groove opens up, you can really race there. There aren't many three-quarter-mile tracks where you can run two or three different grooves and make passes and make your way to the front. Richmond definitely has all that."

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Ragan always racy at Richmond
Next article Richmond is one of Bowyer's favorite tracks

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global