Kvapil Sidelined by Engine Problems After Racing Inside the Top 25 at Kansas

Travis Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team finished 36th at Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon.  After a very competitive race where Kvapil picked up positions and raced inside the top 25, the team was sidelined by engine trouble which brought an early end to their afternoon. 

 

Visiting Kansas Speedway for the first time in the 2013 season, Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper team unloaded with a very competitive Toyota Camry.  Posting lap times within the top-27 throughout all three practice sessions, the team worked carefully to fine-tune the handling of the Burger King / Dr. Pepper Camry.  During their qualifying effort, their car got a little tight in turns one and two; as a result, Kvapil secured the 32nd starting position for the STP 400.  Kvapil and his BK Racing team continued to work on the balance of their car throughout the two final practice sessions on Saturday morning.  With their car handling as they needed, the team felt confident going into the 400-mile race on Sunday afternoon. 

 

During the opening laps of the race, Kvapil set a competitive pace, passing other drivers and moving through the field.  Within the opening 30 laps he moved into the top 30, and broke into the top 25 by lap 150.  As the race progressed, Kvapil reported the handling of his car had shifted to the tight side.  The team worked to adjust the Burger King / Dr. Pepper Chevrolet throughout pit stops, but Kvapil didn’t notice much improvement.  Crew chief Todd Anderson and the team realized the splitter was making contact with the surface of the race track, causing the tight condition Kvapil was experiencing.  The BK Racing team made a few additional changes to raise the front end of the car, and Kvapil was back on the move.  Unfortunately, on lap 209, Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper team were sidelined when terminal engine problems put an early end to their day. 

 

“It’s unfortunate that our results from this weekend don’t reflect how good our car actually was,” commented Kvapil.  “My Burger King / Dr. Pepper team did a great job building us a competitive Toyota Camry this weekend.  We picked up several positions early in the race and were moving forward when our engine let go just past lap 200.  I appreciate all the hard work that my team continues to put in week after week; I can tell that we’re on the verge of putting the whole package together.  We have an exciting weekend coming up at Richmond International Raceway; it’s a ‘home’ race for us with one of our team owners based in Northern Virginia.  We’ll have another special paint scheme on the car to showcase Old Dominion Speedway, and will have a lot of guests coming to the track.  It should be a lot of fun.”

 

BK Racing PR