Kvapil Sidetracke​d by Accident After Recording Season-Bes​t Qualifying Effort

Travis Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota team finished 39th at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway after sustaining damage in an 11-car crash midway through the race. With a fast car, the team recorded their best qualifying effort of the season and led a lap early in the 500-lap event.

 

With a strong car right off the hauler, the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Camry handled well throughout the three practice sessions at the 0.526-mile paperclip-shaped track. By Saturday’s final practice session, the team felt the car was exactly where it needed to be and decided to utilize that particular setup to start the race on Sunday afternoon.

 

Kvapil rolled off 25th following his best qualifying effort of the season. The BK Racing team was caught a bit off guard when their Camry was tighter than it had been throughout the weekend. With a long race and plenty of opportunities for adjustments, the team utilized early pit stops to fine-tune the handling and get the car turning how Kvapil needed. By lap 73, the team found themselves in front of the field during a caution and Kvapil gained a bonus point after leading a lap.

 

Nearing lap 200, the entire field was racing hard for position on the historic short track when a competitor was turned sideways on the front stretch. The field had to quickly slow exiting turn four causing a multi-car accident in front of the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Camry. Kvapil was left with nowhere to go and was involved in the accordion-style pileup on lap 181. Kvapil brought his machine down pit road for repairs, but the damage left him out of contention for the rest of the afternoon. By the end of the 500-lap race, Kvapil was scored in the 39th position.

 

“My BK Racing team did a really great job building us a strong car for Sunday’s race,” commented Kvapil. “With the new Gen-6 car, our race cars reacted differently than they did last fall, but the Burger King / Dr. Pepper crew did a great job adjusting our Camry throughout the weekend and we were able to post our best qualifying effort of the season. It’s very unfortunate that we were involved in the lap 181 accident, but I feel like our team is getting stronger every week. I’m excited to get to Texas Motor Speedway-we’re going to have a special Dr. Pepper paint scheme and a lot of special guests at the track.”

 

Bk Racing PR