Kvapil excited to be racing at Bristol once more
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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Yates Racing's Travis Kvapil seems to have a knack for Bristol Motor Speedway, site of Saturday night's Sharpie 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
The first time he raced there, Kvapil won in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2003.The first time he raced in a Cup car, he finished seventh in 2005.
So now his first thought isn’t the dread some drivers feel when Bristol is upcoming on the schedule. Instead, he's excited.
“Growing up and watching races on TV, that was, for sure, one of the races I made a point to watch, especially the night race,” Kvapil said. “I think back at some of the great finishes there with Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, some of the bump-and-runs for victories, things like that. It’s just a great race track.
“And then for me, the very first time I went there in the truck series, I won that night, in 2003. I had a great truck there last year. It’s just a place that I really enjoy going. I scored my first Cup top-10 there. It’s just a place for me that I’m comfortable at.”
And he likes the track, too, since it was altered last year.
“I like what they did when they reconfigured it – you’re able to pass without having to bump the guy out of the way, which for the competitors is better – maybe the race fans have a different view,” Kvapil said. “But it’s just a fun track. It’s the ultimate short track.”
Kvapil likes it even though he knows danger lurks around every turn.
“I’ve been in the middle of turns 1 and 2 and drove into the wreck in Turn 3,” Kvapil said. “It happens so fast. Obviously, the laps times are real quick. It’s just one of those places that it’s got so much banking that as a driver, when you’re in a corner, you can’t see the straightaway, really, until you kind of pop up out of the hole, and it’s just tough.
“It’s a challenge, and it’s easy to get caught up in other people’s trouble. But that’s just part of it. It’s something you’ve got to be aware of, and your spotter does a great job to help you out.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Travis Kvapil
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