ravis Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry finished 16th at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 24. After a loose wheel forced the team down pit road under green flag conditions just prior to the halfway point, Kvapil and the team paced themselves to stay focused, regained the ground they lost and crossed the finish line in the 16th position.
With just two practice sessions available to prepare for the Irwin Tools Night Race, Kvapil and his No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team completed just over 100 practice laps. The highly anticipated race is known for aggressive side-by-side racing, requiring teams to be prepared for nearly every situation.
After starting in the 39th position, Kvapil fought to break into the top 30. The team worked diligently during early pit stops to fine-tune the handling on their Toyota Camry. The team experienced a major setback when a loose right rear wheel forced Kvapil to pit road under green flag conditions on lap 199. Kvapil diagnosed the problem on the right side, which allowed the team to decrease the time spent on pit road by changing two tires. At a track nicknamed the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” because an entire lap takes less than 20 seconds, Kvapil still lost a couple laps to the leader. Unfortunately, the caution flag came out within 10 laps of Kvapil’s visit to pit road, solidifying his position a couple laps behind the leader.
Kvapil and his BK Racing team kept their focus on the race, looking to regain track position through pit strategy. The focus worked as Kvapil’s No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry regained track position to be scored in the 24th position by lap 425.
With several on-track incidents during the closing laps of the Irwin Tools Night Race, Kvapil carefully navigated his way through the melee to move inside the top 20 by lap 450. By the time the checkered flag waved, Kvapil was scored in the 16th position to mark his best finish of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
“Our No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team did such a great job today,” commented Kvapil. “Our race easily could’ve been over with that loose wheel around lap 200, but everyone stayed focused on the job at hand to get us to the finish line. With some determination and focus, we were able to bring home our best finish of the year. I’m proud of our effort tonight, and I’m looking forward to picking up where we left off next weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.”
BK Racing PR
