Travis Kvapil
No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra
Daytona International Speedway – NextEra Energy Resources 250
February 18, 2011
Travis Kvapil made his debut with Randy Moss Motorsports in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night. The driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra ran as high as the third position and was scored inside the top-10 when the No. 5 machine cut a left rear tire entering turn one and sent Kvapil up the track and in to the top line of traffic.
After rain pushed back on-track activities for most of the day Wednesday, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) finally got in an abbreviated two-and-a-half-hour practice session under the lights late Wednesday evening. The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs team methodically worked through their planned adjustment strategy to measure each change’s effect on the handling of their Toyota Tundra. After posting the 18th quickest time of the day, Kvapil and the team knew they had some work to do before final practice.
The NCWTS drivers participated in a 50-minute final practice session on Thursday afternoon. Kvapil partnered with teammate Tayler Malsam throughout most of the session to gain speed in the draft and see how his truck would handle during the actual race. The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra was ranked second at the conclusion of the session after posting a 47.116-second lap and topping 191 mph.
Kvapil lined up in the 24th position to start Friday’s 250-mile event and kick off the 2011 season. The former NCWTS champion knew that his truck ran well in the draft and picked up 12 positions in the opening two laps. The team planned their first green-flag stop on lap 30, and Kvapil called into the International Truck/Monaco RVs crew asking for help getting his Tundra to turn better on exit. With two fresh Goodyear Eagles, a chassis adjustment and a tank full of Sunoco fuel, the team sent Kvapil back to the track.
The driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra visited pit road on three other occasions taking fuel each time and making adjustments to help the veteran driver navigate the turns. By lap 70, Kvapil crossed the line in the fourth position and raced as high as third-place before deciding to fall back and log laps.
On lap 74, the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra was lined up in the sixth position in the low groove of the race track. Just past the start/finish line Kvapil felt his truck shake and soon felt tread hitting the inside. The Janesville, Wis. native waved off his competitors and hoped to pull out of line, but just as they entered turn one, the left rear tire went flat and the No. 5 machine was sent spinning toward the outside retaining wall. With nowhere else to go, Kvapil collected several competitors in the outside line putting an early end to the team’s evening at Daytona International Speedway.
“I’m just really disappointed,” commented Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra, following the lap 74 incident at Daytona International Speedway. “Everybody at Randy Moss Motorsports built me a really fast truck and it was just a track position game. We were just kind of taking our time being patient. The left rear tire just went flat. I felt it just past the start finish line. It was starting to shake and vibrate. I stuck my hand out the window to wave those guys off behind me and before I knew it the thing just spun around. It’s just disappointing. I’ve come close to winning here a few times. We’ve got great sponsors with International Trucks and Monaco RVs. I just wanted to have a good showing for those guys, but we’ll be back strong at Phoenix [International Raceway].”
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to Phoenix International Raceway on Friday, February 25. The Lucas Oil 150 will be broadcast on SPEED Channel, Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. Practice for the 150-lap event will be broadcast at 11:00 a.m. EST on Friday and will be followed by qualifying at 5:00 p.m. EST., with both broadcasts being aired on SPEED Channel. Visit www.twitter.com/RMMRacing or www.facebook.com/RandyMossMotorsports for news and updates throughout the weekend.