BK Racing Expected to Keep Landon Cassill and Travis Kvapil

Sporting News’ Bob Pockrass posted on Twitter that a BK Racing spokesman has confirmed that the plan is for Landon Cassill and Travis Kvapil to both return to their full season rides with the team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Both drivers are expected to be at next week’s Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway from January 10-12.

The second year organization with full time sponsorship from Burger King on both cars will be looking to make an improvement on how their two cars performed in the inaugural season for the team where top 20 finishes were considered a great day.

The 23-year old Cassill piloted the No. 83 Toyota in his first full season effort last year and will enter 2013 searching for his first top 10 finish in the Sprint Cup Series. He finished 31st in the driver standings with an average finish of 27.5 in 2012. He was running at the end of 32 of the 36 races and had five lead lap finishes. His best finishes of 2012 came at Charlotte, Michigan, and Kansas where he came home in 18th.

Kvapil, at age 36, is the veteran driver with the team. Driving the No. 93 Toyota in 34 of the 36 races last season, Kvapil finished the second highest he ever has in the Cup Series points by finishing 27th. He also raced in a third BK Racing Toyota numbered 73 at Darlington and the team did not field a car for him at the Daytona 500. Kvapil scored the team’s first top 10 finish with an eighth at Talladega in the fall. He also was running at the finish of all but three races.

Cassill was running at the end of every race since race 14 at Pocono when he crashed and Kvapil was running at the end of every race since race 20 at Indianapolis when he crashed. The Indianapolis wreck was the only time Kvapil did not finish due to an accident. Cassill did not finish three times due to crashes.

Three of the DNF’s by the team in 2012 were due to engine problems which was not too bad of a number. The team will look for steady improvement in 2013 from all aspects of the team with the new Generation 6 car. The drivers will have to improve, the pit crews and pit stops will have to be more competitive, and the car preparation will also have to take a step up. If all of that happens BK Racing should take another solid step forward and be competitive every week.

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