Comeback Kid Travis Kvapil Foretelling of His Historic Toyota Victory

 

Brooklyn, M.I., Aug. 1, 2004 - Travis Kvapil stepped into his sponsor's
suite at Michigan International Speedway on Friday and with his usual, quiet
candor asked a foretelling question as he was drawn to the brightly-colored
yellow and black Line-X logo decorating the infield grass just outside the
window. 

 

"If I win tomorrow, I'm going to run through the grass and spin out across
that logo.but only if that's 'OK' with everyone here," he asked.

 

Call it fate with a little bit of luck, but just don't call it happenstance.
Kvapil was on a mission to keep that promise and did. After capturing the
checkered flag, he wheeled the No. 24 Line-X Tundra into the infield as a
victorious nod to the jubilant yellow Line-X shirts lining the roof of their
suite. 

 

The historic victory was one of many firsts: the first checkered of the
season for the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, the inaugural
win for first-year team, Bang Racing, and an achievement that etched a place
in the history books for Toyota as the championship manufacturer continues
its winning legacy in NASCAR. 

 

"This is huge.what a day!" Kvapil exclaimed. "Toyota gave me some great
horsepower again. I screwed up yesterday and drove my truck into the wall
off turn 2 after only getting five or six practice laps. Then we broke a
motor and had to start in the back. I really have to thank crew chief John
Monsam, Mike Skinner and the 42 crew for helping us out with all their
notes. They had a fast, fast race truck in happy hour yesterday, and we were
able to look at their notes and go a little bit more in their direction from
where we were and tune on our truck for the race. So we relied a lot on my
teammate and his setup." 

 

The win marks the second time Kvapil and Bang Racing have made history and
helped Toyota to the forefront of acclaim after an impressive out-of-the-box
display at Daytona International Speedway earlier this season. Kvapil drove
Bang Racing and the No. 24 Line-X Tundra into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series history books by breaking the highest finish for a new team at
Daytona, previously held by Kenny Martin who finished fifth at the Speedway
in 2000, clinched the highest qualifying position (third) for the new
manufacturer and led the first lap on Lap 8 for the Toyota Motorsports
contingent.

 

"We went to Daytona and didn't really think we had a shot at the win - and
we finished second," Kvapil said. "It seems like it's been so long since
then. To be able to pull it off here with Line-X sponsoring my truck and the
event is just awesome. We've been trying so hard all year. For Bang Racing
and Toyota to put the total package together in the other manufacturers'
backyard is pretty special."

 

Kvapil battled against the odds from the back of the pack and another
grazing off the turn 4 wall as the initial laps ticked down. From the wave
of the green flag, racing action looked more like Daytona as Kvapil worked
the advantage of the draft and quickly knocked off 15 spots in 20 laps at
the two-mile venue despite loose conditions. 

 

"The draft definitely played in my favor at times," Kvapil said. "I'd be
back a little ways and I'd just fit in and catch the next group. Then I'd
pass some more and draft up behind the next group. But it played against me
a couple of times, too. I'd try to make passes down on the bottom, and it
seemed like everyone wanted to lay-up on the outside. If I had any help, I
could make some passes but everyone wanted to stay in line. It was just like
Daytona - if you had someone to go with you, you could make your way to the
front. But during the last 20 laps of the race, my truck was strong enough
to do it on my own."

 

Following the first caution flag for debris and a quick pit stop for air
pressure, track bar and wedge adjustments to tighten up his ride, Kvapil
exited pit road just outside the top-10. As teammate Mike Skinner took the
lead mid-way through the 100-lap event, the reigning champ had worked his
way into 10th and waited for his green flag pit stop. 

 

Then fate stepped in. Kvapil pulled the wheel from heading down pit road for
a green flag stop in seventh place as NASCAR called the fourth of seven
caution flags for debris. After the crew feverishly changed all four tires
taking air pressure out of each and added two cans of fuel, the No. 24 team
gained four spots as an ecstatic crew watched Kvapil fall in line behind
teammate Mike Skinner.    

 

The pair sailed past race leader Bobby Hamilton on lap 77 until yet another
caution on lap 81 for Kelly Sutton's spin in turn 2. When racing action
resumed three laps later, Kvapil drove past Skinner and never looked back
despite two additional yellows and the race finale ending under caution. 

 

"I knew if I ever got to the lead and out in clean air, I could get to the
front fast," he said. "Clean air is so big at Michigan. You've got all the
downforce on the truck working for you. I thought I had a good enough truck
that I could drive away from them, and that's exactly what happened. It was
a great feeling to look in the mirror and see that I was pulling away."  

 

"Eric [Phillips] and everyone on my team did a great job and gave me
tremendous pit stops today," he said. "They picked up three and four spots
every time I pitted and made perfect adjustments on the truck. Earlier in
the race, I was able to drive up to about 10th or 15th fairly easily, but
once I got to those trucks they were pretty good and it was hard to pass. My
truck was just too loose. We really had to work on our truck pretty hard to
get it to where I was that fast. The draft was a big equalizer, too. There
were some guys that probably don't have the horsepower that Toyota has under
the hood, and they were able to keep up. But I had a good horse under the
hood. The last 20 laps were the best laps I had all weekend. I was just
riding around wide-open. And Mike and I worked together really well at the
end. I thought it was going to be a one-two, but it was pretty darn close." 

 

Kvapil's joy ride couldn't have come at a better momentum-boosting time
mid-way through the season. 

 

"I expected it a little earlier than 13 weeks into the season to be honest,"
Kvapil said. "I knew my owner, Alex Meshkin, had put together a tremendous
group of people. With Toyota behind us giving us all the tools we need to go
to the race track to run well - I know I've got great bodies, I know I've
got great engines and I know Alex has got the best pieces bolted on the
truck that we can buy. I've got Eric and Brad [Whaley], a great engineer,
and now John's on board as the new 42 crew chief. We've got a good group of
people that really work together and communicate well, and I think that's
what the key was to our weekend. We finally put the whole package together.
We tested last week in Nashville, and it was a huge turn around for our
team. Since testing there, we brought a completely different truck with a
totally different setup to Michigan, and Toyota providing us with that
testing time and giving us that opportunity to get on the track was a key in
my victory."

 

As the youngest team owner in NASCAR to reach victory lane, 24-year-old
Meshkin's laurels were all the more sweet as both drivers finished inside
the top-three after a roller coaster month of average finishes and changes
within the organization.

 

"For the past couple of weeks, I've taken more hands-on control of the team
making changes to help the two teams become stronger and bring them
together," Meshkin said. "I think we've accomplished that. Thanks to the
hiring of our new crew chief on the 42 team, John has helped further
solidify our team. Our track performance today, Mike having the best happy
hour yesterday, two top-five finishes in which either of our trucks could've
won and to have Travis win his sponsor's race, it just can't get any better
than this. It's an honor to be able to deliver Toyota their first win. To
have Travis in victory lane - nothing could be more special." 

 

"I'm just really proud of the teamwork from the 24 and 42 crews working
together to change the motor after we hit the wall in happy hour," Phillips
said. "Everyone put in so much effort and hard work to get us to the front,
and I had all the confidence in the new Toyota engine we put in our Line-X
truck. Our team has had the Michigan race circled on the calendar since
Daytona and really wanted to win for Line-X and for Toyota in the big-three
manufacturers' backyard. To go up there and run really well with both teams
just shows how good our race team really is. Our momentum keeps getting
stronger which is so important since we're just getting into the middle part
of the race season."

 

"One of the biggest positives of our team's win is an answer to a lot of the
doubts over the past month about our race team and where we're headed and
what we're doing," Phillips said. "There have been a lot of changes, and I
still believe all of the changes are for the best for Bang Racing and its
future. I'm really proud of the guys standing behind me and this race team
through all of it. I think running one and two at the end of the race just
shows how strong this race team can be when we work together. The
communication with John has been really great, and I know we will work well
together the rest of the year to continue down a successful path."

 

From victory lane and a momentous time in motorsports history, it's hard to
imagine less than 10 months ago Bang Racing didn't even own a hammer.

 

"I remember last fall when we didn't have any employees or a race shop,"
Kvapil said. "We have done a lot in a very short time. And we just keep
getting stronger and stronger. I've been saying for the last couple of
weeks, the second half of the year is when Bang Racing is going to come on
strong. We've been testing all this time, and the engines are getting better
under the hood. Now that we've been to a lot of these race tracks once and
know exactly what to bring for setups, we'll start climbing our way to the
top. We still definitely have a shot at the championship. Our team hasn't
given up and is looking for some more victories."

  

As Kvapil pulled away from the field during the last laps of the race, his
crew and the Line-X employees weren't the only ones acting as a cheering
squad. Little known to anyone else, Kvapil himself acted as a cheerleader
for his team before the race had even begun. 

 

"I told my crew the last time I wrecked my truck in practice, I won in Texas
a couple of years ago," Kvapil smiled. "And we've seen Carl Edwards change
his motor a couple of times and come from the back to the front to win. So,
this wasn't going to be all bad. I knew if there was a place that I had to
drive from the back to try for the win, Michigan was going to be one of the
easiest places to do it. I'm just proud to be the driver to bring home
Toyota's first NASCAR victory."