Kvapil Fights to 31st-Place Finish in Indianapolis

Travis Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team finished 31st at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Competing in the 20th Running of the Brickyard 400, Kvapil had a special paint scheme featuring the new Rib Sandwich available for a limited time at Burger King locations nationwide. After sustaining damage in final practice, Kvapil’s team fought back to repair their primary car en route to a 31st-place finish.

 

 

With only two practice sessions to prepare for the 400 mile event at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kvapil worked closely with the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota team to fine-tune the handling of their Camry. Tight in practice, Kvapil brushed the wall during the final session and sustained damage to the right side of his Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry. The BK Racing team worked quickly to repair the damage and kept Kvapil in his primary car for Sunday’s main event. With a repaired racecar and qualifying setup, Kvapil laid down a 48.734-second lap during time trials. Beating his fastest practice speed by three hundredths-of-a-second, Kvapil secured the 22nd starting position for Sunday’s Brickyard 400.

 

With a long 60 lap green flag run to kick off the race, teams were forced to make two back-to-back green-flag pit stops. Kvapil reported a loose handling condition on his Toyota Camry and requested that the Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team tighten the balance of his racecar. By the second stop, Kvapil’s Camry was handling much better, but the driver still noticed that the car became loose late in the run. The No. 93 BK Racing team continued to adjust their Camry to ensure the car wasn’t too tight on the short run, but that it was capable of maintaining competitive lap times throughout the duration of a long green-flag run. By the end of the race, Kvapil’s car was handling the best it had all day. Competing in his sixth Brickyard 400, Kvapil crossed the finish line in the 31st position.

 

“My No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team put in a lot of hard work this weekend,” commented Kvapil. “Getting damage during final practice could have easily put us behind for qualifying and the start of the race, but the guys did a great job repairing the car and getting us just as good, if not better, than we were before the accident. I’m really proud of how well we qualified. Unfortunately, we were just too loose at the start of the race and we lost some valuable track position. With long green flag runs, the field easily gets strung out and passing becomes difficult at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I’m excited to get back in the car next week. We had a good run at Pocono Raceway last month, and I’m looking forward to going back with my No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team.”

 

BK Racing PR