Travis Kvapil: Built Ford Tough 225 preview

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point structure rewards consistency. Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 16 IWX Motor Freight Chevy, likes the way his season has evolved. Consistency has him in the point lead.

"We go to the track every week with a top-five truck," said Kvapil. "Sometimes we unload from the trailer with a top five-truck, and sometimes it takes a little time. But, I can say that in every race this year, we've had a truck that was capable of a top-five finish."

Kvapil is making the good use of each of those trucks, scoring top-five finishes in an amazing 70 percent of the races thus far in 2003. He finished sixth at Milwaukee and had strong runs at the short tracks in Bakersfield, Calif. and Martinsville, Va. before accidents derailed the top-five effort.

For his career, Kvapil has scored top-five finishes in an even 50 percent (28 of 56 starts) of his races. Of the top-10 in points, only Musgrave has a better career top-five record than Kvapil (33 of 59) at 56 percent.

The IWX team, likewise, has built its foundation based on consistency. Last season, in a championship run with driver Mike Bliss, the team completed 98.2 percent of the laps (3784 of 3851). And, down the championship stretch the team finished on the lead lap in each of the last 17 races.

"We preach consistency around here," said team manager Dave Fuge. "Every guy in this shop is responsible for us finishing these races. If one guy here doesn't do everything he is supposed to do, then we could fail.

"The good news is; these guys do the job. We had a taste of the championship last year and everyone here enjoyed that. The competition this year is greater, so we've need to step up our effort. Ten races into this season, we've accomplished that."