Travis Kvapil Martinsville Speedway Event Preview

Travis Kvapil

No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra

Martinsville Speedway – Kroger 250

April 2, 2011

No. 5 Randy Moss Motorsports International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra News and Notes

• This Week’s Tundra… The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team and driver Travis Kvapil will race MDM-118 in Saturday’s 250-lap NCWTS race at Martinsville Speedway.  The truck was last utilized by RMM in 2009 at The Milwaukee Mile where the team recorded a seventh-place finish. 
• Meet Travis... Fans at the track in Martinsville, Va., will have the opportunity to meet Travis Kvapil in the hours leading up to the race on Saturday, April 2.  The driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra will join other drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to meet fans and sign autographs during the NCWTS autograph session.  The session will be held in the display area at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday morning from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. EST.  
• Pit Stop in the Music City… Travis Kvapil stopped in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday to promote the upcoming Bully Hill Vineyards 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.  The day kicked off with several interviews with area radio and television stations.  That afternoon, Kvapil joined NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars Reed Sorenson and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., to meet fans and give a few lucky guests a ride around the concrete track as the Richard Petty Driving Experience provided free rides to attending season ticket holders. Country music stars Bucky Covington and Carter’s Chord also attended the event, drawing media from the music industry. 
• Follow Travis… Fans are invited to follow Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra, on twitter @TravisKvapil and on Facebook (facebook.com/TravisKvapil).  Fans can also check out http://www.traviskvapil.com for news, updates, and photos throughout the week. 
• Watch and Listen…The Kroger 250 from Martinsville Speedway will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio, channel 128, at 1:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, April 2.  Final practice will be aired on Friday, April 1 and 2:00 p.m. with qualifying shown on Saturday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. EST.  Both broadcasts will be televised on SPEED Channel.    

Travis Kvapil on driving at Martinsville Speedway

“Martinsville [Speedway] is one of my favorite tracks that we go to.  It just fits my driving style—I’ve always run really well there, and I’ve had some really competitive trucks there over the years.  Martinsville [Speedway] is also a very special track for me because it’s where I made my first [NASCAR Sprint] Cup Series start.  I’ve been close to winning in a truck at Martinsville [Speedway] a few times, but we just haven’t quite been able to get it done.  I’m excited to go back and optimistic that we’ll be able to finish up front this weekend.” 

Crew Chief Rick Viers on racing at Martinsville Speedway

“Martinsville [Speedway] is a great place; it’s a fun track with a lot of history.  Knowing Travis’ background there makes this a race that the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team is really excited about.  We’ve had a lot of time to prepare for this weekend; we’ve spent a lot of time on the pull-down rig and at the seven post.  I think this race will be a good opportunity for us to bounce back from the first three races.  We’ve had a lot of bad luck, so we’re focusing on the things that we can control to run back up front where we belong.”  

Tayler Malsam Darlington Raceway Race Report

Tayler Malsam

No. 25 One Eighty Toyota Tundra

Darlington Raceway – Too Tough To Tame 200

March 12, 2011

The track ‘too tough to tame’ proved to be the one that Seattle, Wash. native Tayler Malsam conquered in qualifying to kick off his 2011 season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  After posting solid lap times in both practice sessions and qualifying into the race, Malsam raced inside the top-10 before a motor failure put an early end to his night at Darlington Raceway. 

With a track that has historically taunted drivers with its tough turns and handling challenges, Malsam worked closely with the One Eighty team and crew chief Dan Stillman to dial in the No. 25 Toyota Tundra before the group made their qualifying attempt.  In the opening practice session at the 1.366-mile oval, Malsam recorded a 29.323-second lap ranking him 22^nd on the board, and beating out five competitors who also needed to qualify on time.  In the second session, Malsam picked up four-tenths-of-a-second to be ranked 21^st. 

Entering qualifying, the One Eighty team knew that making the race could be close; they had to beat three competitors to make the 36-truck field.  Malsam had outrun six of his competitors during the two practice sessions, placing him 32^nd of the 39 trucks to take time at the “Lady in Black.”  Malsam posted a 29.238-second lap securing himself a place in the field for the race later that night. 

Saturday night’s Too Tough to Tame 200 marked Malsam’s debut at Darlington Raceway.  The young driver tested at the facility a few years ago shortly after it was repaved, but had not been back to the challenging track known as the “Lady in Black,” in over three years.  The Seattle, Wash. native started the race from the back of the field and took off at the green flag to start picking up positions.  By lap 10, Malsam had picked up 14 positions to be scored in 22^nd and continued his steady charge to the front. 

When the caution flag came out on lap 15, Malsam seized the opportunity to discuss the handling of the No. 25 One Eighty Toyota Tundra with his crew.  The truck was aero-tight and loose off the corners, but Malsam said that neither condition was a big concern and that he was overall pleased with his truck. 

As the race progressed, the driver learned different lines around the South Carolina track and used the time to further diagnose the handling of his machine.  With the help of his spotter, Malsam learned the preferred line to travel through turns one and two and was very pleased with his truck on that end of the race track.  However, Darlington Raceway has long-since been known as the track “too tough to tame,” and has challenged drivers for decades with its vastly different corners.  As expected, after having a truck that handled so smoothly through turns one and two, Malsam struggled to get back on the throttle exiting turns three and four.

On lap 98, Malsam dodged several competitors spinning across the narrow front stretch in an accident bad enough to bring out a seven-minute red flag period.  The 22-year-old used the downtime to talk with his crew and start drafting a game plan for the closing laps at Darlington Raceway.  Malsam reported that his truck felt the best it had felt all night asked for no changes during their next pit stop. 

Malsam prepared to restart the race on lap 102 in the 13^th position and looked to race his way inside the top-10 before the field completed their scheduled 147 laps at Darlington Raceway.  However, just after the restart Malsam felt his engine let go entering turn three and made the hard left-hand turn into the infield and back toward the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage.  Unable to continue, Malsam was credited with a 29^th-place finish. 

“We did really good with the One Eighty Toyota Tundra today,” commented Tayler Malsam after climbing out of his truck.  “The guys were really patient all day during practice and qualifying; we did a great job of listening to each other and communicating and making the changes that we needed to the truck.  I felt like I was really starting to get the hang of getting around the track during the race.  We were just keeping pace and trying to avoid the wrecks, but the motor let go with just over 40 laps left.  It’s unfortunate, but we’ll go get ‘em in Martinsville.” 

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 2.  The Kroger 250 will be broadcast on SPEED Channel, Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST.  SPEED Channel will also broadcast practice from the Virginia short-track on Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EST, and qualifying for the 250-lap event at 10:30 a.m. EST on Saturday morning.  Fans can visit www.twitter.com/RMMRacing or www.facebook.com/RandyMossMotorsports for news and updates throughout the weekend. 

Travis Kvapil Darlington Raceway Race Report

Travis Kvapil

No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra

Darlington Raceway – Too Tough To Tame 200

March 12, 2011

Darlington Raceway is one of Travis Kvapil’s favorite tracks and one that had been marked on his calendar since he decided to race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs team recognized the 1.366-mile speedway in South Carolina as an opportunity to turn their season around with a solid finish, and maybe even finish off the night with a trip to victory lane.  However, the “Lady in Black” struck again and left Kvapil battling back from a lap one accident to cross the finish line in the 17^th position.    

Known as the track “Too Tough to Tame,” Darlington Raceway reminded the International Truck/Monaco RVs crew how it earned its nickname as Travis Kvapil was collected in a multi-car accident entering turn one on just the first lap of the 200.8-mile event.  Several drivers stacked up as they drove two-wide into the first turn on one of NASCAR’s narrowest tracks.  Another competitor made contact with the left rear fender of Kvapil’s Toyota Tundra turning the 35-year-old sideways on the track.  With only minor fender damage, Kvapil came down pit road to allow the International Truck/Monaco RVs crew the opportunity to work on the damage and made a second stop for four fresh tires. 

Once Kvapil logged a few laps and fully evaluated the handling of his Toyota Tundra, he called into the crew to report a loose truck and asked for the No. 5 machine to be tightened up during his next stop on pit road. 

Changing track conditions and vast differences between the handling of turns one and two, and turns three and four, make the “Lady in Black” a traditionally tough track to conquer, and one that challenged the International Truck/Monaco RVs crew throughout the night.  Kvapil and the No. 5 team spent a majority of the evening working to adjust and improve the handling of their Toyota Tundra making a series of trackbar and air pressure adjustments. 

By lap 60, the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra crew had Kvapil racing solidly inside the top-15 and running 10^th by lap 100. 

During the closing laps at Darlington Raceway, the Janesville, Wis. native struggled to keep up with the track—a loose Toyota Tundra in turns one and two, and a tight truck in turns three and four left the team talking about more changes for their remaining pit stops.  The team struggled to find solutions that would effectively address one set of handling woes without magnifying the challenges on the opposite end of the track.  Unable to dial their machine in exactly as Kvapil needed it, the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team crossed the finish line in the 17^th position. 

“Darlington is one of my favorite tracks and one that I was really looking forward to coming into it,” commented Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra following the race at Darlington Raceway.  “I was super excited to come here and really expecting a great weekend, but we were just off a little bit on our handling all weekend.  We never could get the truck to do exactly what we wanted it to do.  We got close a few times, but it’s just unfortunate.  We have expectations to run in the top-10 and I’m just disappointed for everyone on the Randy Moss Motorsports team; they give us great equipment and there are a lot of great guys here.  We just need to keep working on it.  For Ricky Viers and me, it is our first time working together, so it may take us a little bit to land on the set-ups that we need.  We’ll keep working on it and we’ll have a great run at Martinsville—it’s another one of my favorite tracks.”

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 2.  The Kroger 250 will be broadcast on SPEED Channel, Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST.  SPEED Channel will also broadcast practice from the Virginia short-track on Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EST, and qualifying for the 250-lap event at 10:30 a.m. EST on Saturday morning.  Fans can visit www.twitter.com/RMMRacing or www.facebook.com/RandyMossMotorsports for news and updates throughout the weekend.  

Tayler Malsam Darlington Raceway Event Preview

Tayler Malsam

No. 25 One Eighty Toyota Tundra

Darlington Raceway – Too Tough To Tame 200

March 12, 2011

No. 25 One Eighty Toyota Tundra News and Notes

• This Week’s Tundra… Tayler Malsam will compete with chassis MDM-110 at Darlington Raceway.  MDM-110 is a brand new chassis that was built especially for Darlington Raceway.  The laps during the opening practice session on Saturday morning will be the first laps completed by MDM-110 on a track. 
• First Timer…This weekend will mark Tayler Malsam’s first race at the “Lady in Black.”  The Seattle, Wash. native tested at the 1.366-mile oval in 2008 as a development driver for Bill Davis Racing.  Malsam, then 19, logged laps around the difficult South Carolina track while behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra and hopes to benefit from that experience during the race on Saturday evening. 
• Meet Tayler... Fans at the track in Darlington, S.C. will have the opportunity to meet Tayler Malsam in the hours leading up to the race on Saturday afternoon.  The driver of the No. 25 One Eighty Toyota Tundra will join other drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to meet fans and sign autographs.  The NCWTS autograph session will be held on pit road at Darlington Raceway from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST.  
• Local Talent Returns Home… Fayetteville, N.C. native Matt House will return to his home track, Darlington Raceway, for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event this weekend.  House, a 2004 graduate of Cape Fear High School, is in his third season as the front tire carrier on the No. 25 One Eighty Toyota Tundra team. 
• Welcome Back One-Eighty… One Eighty, the Seattle-based company that acted as Malsam’s primary sponsor at Daytona International Speedway last month, will make another appearance on the hood of the 22-year-old’s Toyota Tundra this weekend at Darlington Raceway.  One Eighty’s senior housing brands (Leisure Care, Leisure Care Premiere, Dolcetto and Signature 180) operate over 40 communities and nearly 7,000 units in the Western United States and Canada.  One Eighty also owns hospitality brands Twist Travel™, PrimeFit™ and Edibility™ and is involved in One Eighty Racing.  For more information visit www.oneeightytwist.com. 
• Follow Tayler… Fans are invited to follow Tayler Malsam, driver of the No. 25 One Eighty Toyota Tundra, on twitter @TaylerMalsam and Facebook (NASCAR Driver Tayler Malsam).  Fans can also check out http://www.taylermalsam.com for news, updates, and photos throughout the week. 
• Get the Inside Scoop…  Follow Randy Moss Motorsports on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to get real-time updates and behind the scenes information:  @RMMRacing or facebook.com/randymossmotorsports. 
• Watch and Listen…The Too Tough To Tame 200 from Darlington Raceway will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio, channel 128, at 5:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 12.  Qualifying will also be broadcast live on SPEED at 3:30 p.m. EST Saturday afternoon.  

Tayler Malsam on racing at Darlington Raceway

“I’m excited to finally have the chance to race at Darlington [Raceway].  It’s such an old speedway with so much history behind it.  It’s unlike any other track on the [NASCAR Camping World] Truck Series circuit, so it will be a whole new experience for me.  The trucks put on a really great show there last year, and I’m sure this year will be no different.  The One Eighty Toyota Tundra team put a lot hard work into building us a brand new truck for this weekend and we all know what we need to accomplish during practice.  We’re looking forward to going to the track and getting the weekend started.” 

Crew Chief Dan Stillman on competing at Darlington Raceway

“Darlington [Raceway] is truly the track that is ‘too tough to tame.’  It’s a driver’s track—Tayler and I will need to work together and communicate well to determine what his Toyota Tundra is doing as he drives through the corners.  Then we need to adjust the One Eighty Toyota Tundra to make it handle exactly how he needs it.  If he’s wrestling the truck to get through the corners, it will be a long 200 miles at that track.  The guys on the One Eighty team put a lot of work into getting our truck ready for this weekend; we’re taking a brand new chassis and one that we believe will perform very well at Darlington [Raceway].”

Travis Kvapil Darlington Raceway Event Preview

Travis Kvapil

No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra

Darlington Raceway – Too Tough To Tame 200

March 12, 2011

No. 5 Randy Moss Motorsports International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra News and Notes

• This Week’s Tundra… The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team and driver Travis Kvapil will race MDM-105 in Saturday’s 200-mile NCWTS race at Darlington Raceway.  The No. 5 team last utilized this chassis at Kentucky Speedway where they qualified third and finished in the 13^th position. 
• Happy Birthday, Travis… During the downtime of the NASCAR Camping World Truck series schedule, Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs celebrated his 35^th birthday on Tuesday, March 1^st. 
• Meet Travis... Fans at the track in Darlington, S.C. will have the opportunity to meet Travis Kvapil in the hours leading up to the race on Saturday afternoon.  The driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra will join other drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to meet fans and sign autographs.  The NCWTS autograph session will be held on pit road at Darlington Raceway from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST.  
• Previous Pole-Sitter… As the 2003 series’ champion, Travis Kvapil has an extensive and highly successful resume in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  Now in his ninth season of competition, Kvapil has started from the pole-position on four occasions throughout his career, including the 2003 NCWTS event at Darlington Raceway.  Kvapil led 11 laps that day en route to a fourth-place finish. 
• Racing for a Championship… In 2011, NASCAR drivers are only eligible to race for one championship in the sport’s top three divisions.  Despite being an experienced NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Travis Kvapil opted to race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.  The Janesville, Wis. native won the series’ title in 2003, and hopes to record his second championship in the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra in 2011.  Kvapil will also compete in nearly the entire Sprint Cup Series schedule, missing only a few events that conflict with his NCWTS schedule.  
• Follow Travis… Fans are invited to follow Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra, on twitter @TravisKvapil and on Facebook (facebook.com/TravisKvapil).  Fans can also check out http://www.traviskvapil.com for news, updates, and photos throughout the week. 
• Watch and Listen…The Too Tough To Tame 200 from Darlington Raceway will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio, channel 128, at 5:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 12.  Qualifying will also be broadcast live on SPEED at 3:30 p.m. EST Saturday afternoon. 

Travis Kvapil on driving at Darlington Raceway

“After the past few weeks that I’ve had, I can’t wait to get to Darlington [Raceway].  It is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit, and I think it will be a lot of fun to get back in a truck there.  The International Truck/Monaco RVs team has built and prepared great Toyota Tundras every week; we just haven’t had any luck.  I think the race at Darlington [Raceway] will give us a great opportunity to turn our luck around and come home with a strong finish.” 

Crew Chief Rick Viers on racing at Darlington Raceway

“The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team has had some really bad luck to start off our season, but we’re looking to turn it all around this weekend.  Darlington [Raceway] is a track that Travis has been very excited about going to.  We’ve had strong trucks over the last few weeks; we just haven’t been able to piece everything together to get the results.  Hopefully this weekend will change that—we have a truck that has raced well in the past, a driver with a great history at Darlington [Raceway], and one of the best teams in the business backing us up.”