Top-30 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers: Travis Kvapil, 23rd
While his 2008 season may not have made many headlines, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Travis Kvapil probably earned a fair amount credit in the garage for managing to finish 23rd in the final series standings in a car that was lightly sponsored.
Kvapil, driver of the No. 28 Yates Racing Ford, managed to keep his team locked into the all-important top 35 in the series owner standings after finishing eighth in the third race of the season at Las Vegas on March 2. Quite an impressive accomplishment for the driver competing with an underfunded race team.
In his first full season at Yates, Kvapil, a three-year Cup veteran and 2003 Truck series champion, also won his first career pole in the fall race at Talladega, but was involved in a crash in that race.
In 36 starts this season, the 32-year-old had four top-10 finishes and only recorded two DNFs. His seventh-place finish in the season finale at Homestead was his first top-10 since he came home eighth at Darlington on May 8. Kvapil finished the season with earnings of $4,250,752.
During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 30 in 2008 Sprint Cup driver points. Here’s how Kvapil’s season unfolded:
By the numbers: After a disappointing outing in the second race of the season at Auto Club Speedway in California, Kvapil rebounded the following week at Las Vegas and stayed in the top 35 in owner points the rest of the year. Three of his four top-10 finishes came in the first half of the year.
Season highlights: The first pole of his Cup career would certainly be considered a highlight for Kvapil, along with remaining solidly in the top 35 in the series standings. Kvapil also did well in 2008 when it came to taking care of equipment and finishing races as he posted the fewest DNFs he has had in three years.
Key setbacks: Kvapil was close to cracking the top 20 in the series standings after winning the pole in the fall race at Talladega but didn’t finish the race. The following week he also wrecked. After his second DNF, Kvapil finished the final five races of 2008 and earned his fourth top-10 of the year in the season finale.
Newsworthy moment: Winning his first career Cup pole in the fall race at Talladega was certainly newsworthy for Kvapil, along with finishing in the top 10 four times in 2008.
In his own words: “We’re really proud of our Yates Racing team for the whole year, and I’m happy that we were able to bring home a top-10 finish [at Homestead].”
