Travis Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team finished eighth in the Sprint Showdown on Saturday evening at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. With Mike Ford calling the shots from atop the BK Racing pit box, the team made a viable run at the transfer position to compete in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race while gaining valuable experience for next weekend’s 54th annual Coca-Cola 600.
Picking up eight-tenths-of-a-second from practice to qualifying, Kvapil rolled off 18th for the annual exhibition event. The balance of the car was overall well, with the car handling just a little bit tight through the center of the corner.
The race was split into two distinct 20-lap segments with each team required to make a mandatory pit stop between the segments. Already up seven positions, Ford made the decision to give the Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota two fresh tires to gain maximum track position during the stop, and help Kvapil in his run toward the front of the field. After starting the second segment inside the top 10, Kvapil raced up to the third position and appeared to be a viable threat to transfer to the Sprint All-Star race. During the closing laps, Kvapil’s tires began to fade away and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry was shuffled back. At the conclusion of the 40 laps, Kvapil crossed the finish line in the eighth position.
“I’m excited to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway again next weekend,” commented Kvapil. “Our Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry was a great car and we were able to learn quite a bit of information that I think will transfer to next weekend. I’m encouraged that we were a threat to transfer into the main show this weekend-our Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota handled really well, so we are bringing it back again next weekend. We have a few more practice sessions to keep working on the car, so hopefully we will be even stronger next week.”
BK Racing PR
