AARON’S 499 RACE REPORT – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

Travis Kvapil

No. 93 BK Racing Toyota

Start – 41^st

Finish – 16^th

Laps – 194/194

Status – Running

• Brad Keselowski claimed his second win of the season in a carnage-filled race.
• Kvapil’s 16^th-place finish marked BK Racing’s best finish yet.
• Kvapil lost the lead draft following a green flag pit stop on Lap 59 and went one lap down to the field.
• Kvapil avoided trouble for the remainder of the race and returned to the lead lap after earning the “Lucky Dog” pass on Lap 185.
• Kvapil stayed on the track for an additional lap during the caution period on Lap 16 to lead a lap. He received a bonus point for doing so.
• The No. 93 team is 30^th in the owner point standings following the race.

Kvapil’s Thoughts after the Race: “That was a great day for the Burger King/Dr Pepper team. We made a nice comeback after getting stuck a lap down early. I came out of the pits and couldn’t catch the lead draft. I knew that if we could avoid the accidents, we would still have a good finish, though. My spotter did a good job of keeping me out of the wrecks and we kept our nose clean. Finally, we were in the ‘Lucky Dog’ position and got our lap back on the final caution period. We only had two laps of racing once I got back on the lead lap, so there wasn’t much time to move forward. At the end of the race, we still had our car in one piece and took the checkers just outside of the top-15. That’s BK Racing’s best finish yet. I’m really proud of that accomplishment. That’s going to help us in the point standings for sure. This team has come a long way in a short time. We’re heading in the right direction and today reflected that.”

Landon Cassill

No. 83 BK Racing Toyota

Start – 40^th

Finish – 34^th

Laps – 141/194

Status – Accident

• Cassill ran as high as sixth place during the race and spent most of the event inside the top-15.
• On Lap 141, a multi-car accident occurred when the No. 36 car ran out of fuel and slowed in front of a large pack of cars.
• Cassill was involved in the wreck and sustained significant damage to his No. 83 car. It went behind the wall and was unable to return to the race.
• Cassill was evaluated and released from the infield care center.
• The No. 83 team remained in the top-35 of the owner point standings. The team is 35^th.

Cassill’s Thoughts after the Race: “We had such a good Burger King/Dr Pepper car today. I hated to see the race end like that for us. We were able to hang inside the top-15 for most of the day. It seemed like everything was coming together. Our car was fast and handling well. The laps were winding down and we were in a good spot to compete for a top-10, maybe a win. On Lap 140, there were a few cars that ran out of fuel because they were trying to stretch their mileage. Unfortunately one of those cars was right in front of the pack I was in, and triggered a wreck when it slowed down. I had nowhere to go and we got collected. I’m proud of my guys for putting such a good car together. It’s too bad the way it turned out, but we showed that we were competitive and we’ll work for that again next week at Darlington.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will next travel to Darlington Raceway for the Bojangle’s Southern 500. The race begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 12. Coverage is on FOX and MRN.

CAPITAL CITY 400 RACE REPORT – RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Travis Kvapil

No. 93 BK Racing Toyota

Start – 29^th

Finish – 30th

Laps – 397/400

Status – Running

• Kyle Busch claimed his first victory of the season.
• Throughout the course of the event, Kvapil battled a car that was “loose in, tight in the middle and tight off.”
• The No. 93 team made three pit stops during the race, each time making chassis adjustments to correct the handling.
• All of the adjustments seemed to only help the No. 93 car for the short term after each restart.
• Kvpail took the wave around pass on two occasions in an attempt to reclaim track position.
• Kvapil stayed on the track for an additional lap during the caution period on Lap 50 to lead a lap. He received a bonus point for doing so.
• The No. 93 team moved up to 29^th in the owner point standings.
• They are 23 points behind the 28^th place team.

Kvapil’s Thoughts after the Race: “We were good on the short runs tonight, but the Burger King/Dr Pepper Toyota would fade after a few laps. It was free on entry and tight through the corners. We made some big changes during our pit stops and they helped a little bit, but it seemed like they only made a difference for a few laps. It wasn’t the night we hoped for, but our car is still in one piece and we kept our place in the point standings. We’ll go back to the shop and figure out what we can do to make it better for next race.”

Landon Cassill

No. 83 BK Smoothie Toyota

Start – 21^st

Finish – 20^th

Laps – 299/300

Status – Running

• Cassill’s starting position of 21^st place was his best of 2012.
• Cassill was happy with the handling of his car throughout the race, electing for only air pressure adjustments during the team’s four pit stops.
• Cassill and crew chief Doug Richert decided to not pit during the last caution and take the wave around pass. The decision moved Cassill from 21^st to 20^th in the running order for the final green flag run.
• Cassill’s finish marked the No. 83 team’s first top-20 of the season and BK Racing’s second top-20 finish.
• The No. 83 team jumped to 34^th in the owner point standings. They are only 12 points out of 30^th place.

Cassill’s Thoughts after the Race: “That was a great race for our Burger King/Dr Pepper team. The car was really good all week long. We had good practice sessions and kept improving on the car. We qualified well. When it came time to race, it was strong all night. The call of the race was deciding to take the wave around during the last caution. That moved us up to 20^th place and we were able to hold onto it until the checkered flag. I’m really proud of my guys. Our GM Harry McMullen and the rest of our organization really pulled together after last race. For us to rebound like this and get such a good finish, it says a lot about this team. This was the 83 team’s best finish year and I know that we’re getting better each week.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will next travel to Talladega Superspeedway for the Aaron’s 499. The race begins at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 5. Coverage is on FOX and MRN.