NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Kvapil Finishes 13th in No. 28 CARFAX Ford at Michigan

 

August 17, 2008
BROOKLYN, MI – Travis Kvapil and the No. 28 CARFAX Ford Fusion came to Michigan International Speedway with something to prove for Sunday’s 3M Performance 400. Kvapil, who has won at Michigan before in the Craftsman Truck Series, came to Michigan in search of a solid performance for his CARFAX Racing team. At the end of Sunday’s race, Kvapil walked away with his best Sprint Cup Series career finish at Michigan, as he brought home a 13th-place finish in the 3M Performance 400.

Following Friday’s Sprint Cup qualifying session, Kvapil and the No. 28 CARFAX Ford Fusion rolled off the starting grid Sunday from the 26th starting position on the outside of row 13. The field came to the green flag at 2:18 p.m. EST as Kvapil immediately went to work maneuvering for track position at the two-mile track.

Within the opening laps, Kvapil called in over team radio communications to crew chief Todd Parrott that the car was “loose off the turns and needed overall grip.” Parrott made a note of the conditions and assured his driver that the team would make some adjustments on the first pit stop of the day. The first caution came just a few laps later during lap 19 due to oil on the track surface. Parrott called his driver to pit road on lap 24 for the first pit stop of the day as the CARFAX pit crew serviced the No. 28 machine with four tires, fuel, along with wedge and air pressure adjustments.

Kvapil restarted 27th on lap 26 and spent the next run still searching for a bit more bite in the car that would allow him to grip the track a little better. The CARFAX Ford was still a bit free coming off the turns and during the team’s first green flag pit stop on lap 64, the team once again serviced the car with four tires, fuel, air pressure adjustments and 1.5 rounds into the left rear.

The No. 28 machine held on to the 26th position on the leader board, but the team had a plan to eliminate the loose-handling conditions that continued to challenge the CARFAX Ford. During the next two series of pit stops the team made adjustments to the track bar and on a pit stop on lap 99, put two rubbers in the left rear. The changes seemed to work immediately as Kvapil restarted 28th on lap 101 and began his steady climb through the field. By lap 105 he was 25th and by lap 111 the CARFAX Ford was scored in the 18th position.

Kvapil methodically focused on the cars in front of him for position as he began to chase down the race leaders one at a time. During lap 125, Kvapil once again radioed in to his team that the car “still needs to be a little tighter” while he moved up to 17th. The next round of green flag pit stops began around lap 135, and Parrott called Kvapil to pit road on lap 140 for four tires, Sunoco fuel, and a track bar adjustment. The CARFAX pit crew cranked out at 12.9 second pit stop and the lightening-fast stop allowed Kvapil to rejoin the field in 13th.

The CARFAX Ford continued to hold on to its position in the top-15 until lap 174 when Kvapil radioed in to his team that the car had become “incredibly loose” as he dropped to 17th on the charts. A caution for debris on lap 179, allowed the CARFAX pit crew to service the car with four fresh Goodyear tires and another rubber into the left rear. Kvapil restarted 16th and immediately reclaimed the 15th position just one lap later. There were two more cautions in the closing laps of the race, and the No. 28 team made their final stop of the day on lap 189 with eleven laps remaining in the race.

Following the restart with two laps remaining in the race, Kvapil came to the checkered flag scored in 13th for the day in his No. 28 CARFAX Ford with his career-best finish in the Cup series at Michigan.

“Today was a pretty good day for our team,” commented Kvapil following the race. “We had pretty high expectations for ourselves going into this week so we were optimistic headed into the race today. We were just too loose at the start of the race and once we stuck some spring rubbers in the left rear, our CARFAX Ford just took off and it was just a pleasure to drive after that. We’re thrilled to bring CARFAX home a great finish and I’m really proud of Todd (Parrott) and all my guys for making all the right calls and having such fast pit stops all day long. It was a great day for our team.”

Ford Racing driver, Carl Edwards, won Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 as he claimed his fifth win of the 2008 season and completed a sweep of the weekend’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide series races at Michigan. Edwards was able to secure the win after he held off Kyle Busch during the final restarts of the race. Fellow Ford teammates, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five finishers Sunday afternoon. Kvapil’s Yates Racing teammate, David Gilliland, finished 26th in his No. 38 CitiFinancial Ford Fusion.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Sharpie 500 under the lights. Pre-race television coverage begins Saturday, August 23rd at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. Radio coverage will be provided by the Performance Racing Network

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CARFAX Public Relations
Christopher Basso
703-934-2664


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