ravis Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team finished 42nd at Kentucky Speedway after being caught up in a multi-car accident early in the race. Kvapil was on the move after just breaking into the top 25 when a spinning car came up the track directly in the path of the No. 93 Camry. After suffering extensive damage to the front end, Kvapil was unable to continue the race and was credited with a 42nd-place finish.
With two practice sessions to reacquaint the team with the bumpy 1.5-mile oval in Sparta, Ky., Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper team worked through several setup options to help the driver rotate through the corners. Kvapil picked up nearly a half-second between final practice and qualifying to secure the 40th starting position for the weekend’s main event.
When heavy rain moved into the area on Saturday afternoon, racing activity for the night was postponed and the Quaker State 400 was rescheduled for Sunday at noon. Teams prepared for a night race, so a Sunday afternoon feature event caused the competitors to rethink their setup and make adjustments to reflect the expected track conditions. After predicting track conditions fairly well, Kvapil’s team only had to make only minor adjustments during the lap 30 competition caution.
With the change, Kvapil’s car was handling even better and the driver was headed through the field. Within just 15 laps, the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry was scored inside the top 25. Just as Kvapil drove into the 25th position on lap 47, one of the frontrunners was turned from behind and sent spinning across the track in turn one. Kvapil was left with nowhere to go as the car turned to the outside wall just in front of the No. 93 machine. With damage to the front-end of the Burger King / Dr. Pepper Camry, Kvapil pulled the No. 93 Camry into the garage for assessment by the BK Racing team. Damaged beyond repair, Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team were forced to retire from the event. With the rest of the field completing 400 miles, Kvapil was scored with a 42nd-place finish.
“It’s disappointing how the day ended for our No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team,” commented Kvapil. “Our car was handling the best it had all weekend, so to be caught up in that wreck was disappointing. We spent a lot of time this weekend trying to figure out how to make the car rotate through the corner, it seemed like we finally hit on the right adjustment and had a competitive car. If we would’ve been able to make it to the finish, I think we would have had a strong run. It’s just one of those racing deals. I’m excited to get back in the car next weekend at Daytona International Speedway.”
BK Racing PR
