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02-18-2004
Bang Racing and Travis Kvapil Set Daytona Ablaze With New Records
What do you get when you take a 23-year-old NASCAR team owner and couple him with the hard-charging consistency of the defending Craftsman Truck Series Champion? History in the making. Although Toyota’s notable NASCAR entrance was the talk of Speedweeks, Bang Racing’s owner, Alex Meshkin, and driver Travis Kvapil enjoyed their own distinguished and record-breaking debut.
In addition to a spectacular second-place finish at the Dodge Dealers 250, Kvapil drove Bang Racing and the No. 24 LINE-X Tundra into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history books by breaking the highest finish for a new team at Daytona, previously held by Kenny Martin who finished fifth at the Speedway in 2000, clinched the highest qualifying position (3rd) for the new manufacturer and led the first lap (Lap 8) for the Toyota Motorsports contingent.
“To have a strong finish at Daytona is what we were expecting,” Kvapil said. “Our team went in with high hopes to win the race…we expected that we would come out of the box and finish up front even as a new team. I think it shows our high expectations for the year and what we’re capable of as we bid for the championship.”
“It was such an incredible feeling to be at Daytona,” Meshkin said. “To break the record for the best finish for a new team in their first race is a testament to our company’s belief in partnership and drive towards excellence. The No. 24 Line-X Tundra has set the pace for others to follow. Travis breaking the record for the highest qualifying Toyota and the first Toyota to lead a lap is a tribute to a very supportive and innovative team. I am very happy for LINE-X; as a new sponsor in NASCAR, it is wonderful to share their success on the track as we work towards building a dynamic marketing program for LINE-X off the track. This is a partnership amongst people driven to win. We hope to continue breaking records and become the first start-up team to win the championship title in their first year.”
After the race began, it didn’t take long for Kvapil to power his LINE-X Tundra to the front dispelling questions of Toyota’s competitive horsepower and future prominence in the series. “It’s kind of neat to be in the history books to be the first diver to lead a lap for Toyota,” Kvapil said. “Toyota will continue to play a huge part in NASCAR racing’s future, so to always have that as a starting point in the record books is pretty cool.”
Despite struggling with loose conditions, Kvapil was able to keep his truck inside the Top-10 for the duration of the race with wedge and air pressure adjustments during caution flags and fast pit stops from Bang Racing’s LINE-X crew. Kvapil led four times and a total of 15 laps at the inaugural speedway event under the lights.
The defending champion is second in the point standings heading into the EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 13. The second race of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be televised LIVE on SPEED Channel at 1 p.m. ET with green flag racing radio coverage on MRN affiliates nationwide at 12:30 p.m. ET.
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