Travis Kvapil and the No. 93 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry finished 24th at Chicagoland Speedway. Kvapil survived a marathon event, as more than eight hours passed from the time the field took the green flag until the checkered flag waved in Joliet, Ill.
Throughout the weekend, Kvapil’s team noticed their right rear tire was showing more wear than normal at the 1.5-mile speedway. The condition, which several teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage experienced, caused Kvapil’s Toyota Camry to be loose through the exit of the turns during the opening portion of Sunday’s 400-mile race. The BK Racing team made adjustments to their No. 93 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry during the lap 30 caution period, while looking to make up as much ground as possible knowing that precipitation was on its way.
A NASCAR race can be deemed official, as long as the competitors complete at least half of the scheduled distance. So when the skies opened and rain soaked the track just 25 laps before the halfway mark, drivers and teams settled in for a long rain delay. Over five hours passed as rain soaked the Chicagoland Speedway and track officials subsequently worked to dry the racing surface. Despite an initial dismal outlook for the continuation of the event, the field was able to return to green-flag racing around 10 p.m. EDT.
Coming to the green flag on lap 117, the No. 93 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team made a pit strategy call to put Kvapil in the best possible position for the end of the race. The call paid off as Kvapil restarted the race on the lead lap just outside the top 30, and a quick caution then allowed him to visit pit road for fresh Goodyear tires and fuel. As the air and track temperatures continued to cool, Kvapil’s BK Racing team worked to tighten the balance of the car. Bold pit strategy also benefited Kvapil as the team made a two-tire stop late in the race to secure Kvapil’s position inside the top 20.
Nearly eight and a half hours after the green flag waved, teams finally circled around to the checkered flag. Running solid lap times and handling well, Kvapil crossed the finish line in the 24th position with his No. 93 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry.
“I’m proud of the effort of my No. 93 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team today,” commented Kvapil. “We basically ran two races-one this afternoon and one tonight, and transitioning between those two sets of conditions is not very easy. However, our team did a great job making the changes we needed to stay competitive all day. Dale [Ferguson, crew chief] made great calls on pit road, taking the chances we needed to take to put us in position at the end of the race. To survive everything and come out of here with a top-25 finish is what we needed today. I’m looking forward to going back to New Hampshire Motor Speedway next week; we want to finish out the season strong with our BK Racing team.”
BK Racing PR
