Travis Kvapil: "I'm honored, really, in that every time they talk about Toyota's first win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, my name is going to be mentioned in the same sentence with it." Credit: Autostock

Conversation: Travis Kvapil

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Travis Kvapil was seen as a rising NASCAR talent even before he won the 2003 Craftsman Truck Series championship.

AUDIO Travis Kvapil Listen to the conversation

Kvapil's career, from his roots in Janesville, Wis., is a classic example of NASCAR's feeder system in action. He started in Late Model stock cars and raced in what is now the NASCAR Elite Division prior to moving to the Truck Series.

In 2004 Kvapil's career has continued to blossom. With Bang Racing organization, Kvapil drove to Toyota's first two Truck Series victories. Then, he began testing with Penske Racing South and made his Nextel Cup Series debut by qualifying in the top-five and finishing on the lead lap last week at Martinsville Speedway.

On the eve of his Nextel Cup debut, Kvapil sat down with NASCAR.COM senior writer Dave Rodman to discuss the perspective of working with Toyota, the revealing aspect of working with Team Penske and what the future holds for him.

Q: In the stretch run of the season your career has gotten interesting, as you've diversified out of the Craftsman Truck Series and into Nextel Cup. But in the Truck Series, what kind of perspective has working with Toyota this season given you?

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Travis Kvapil: For sure, they've been the best manufacturer I've been involved with in the Craftsman Truck Series. In the past I've worked with Chevrolet, and they had moderate support.

If we wanted to do a lot of testing or go to the wind tunnel, that came out of our team's pocket. Now, this season working with Toyota, they've take care of a lot of that expense, or they have their own test team that they take to the wind tunnel, and then learn themselves and share that information with the teams.

They do a great job on the R&D side figuring out what's the best combination of every component on the (race trucks), and sharing that with the teams. So that's been a huge positive. They've kind of got a different approach to it than I think what the other manufacturers have had, so far.

They've done a great job. I mean, for their first year in the series, they came in and we're up to four wins, between Todd Bodine and myself. We've each got a couple wins and we're contenders every week, I think.

Coming in with a brand new manufacturer and with new teams like a lot of us have, to be winning races and to be in contention every week is pretty phenomenal, I think.

Q: Being racers, I understand the tendency is to always tweak on things. But from what I understand, Toyota gives you a pretty good package to start with. To what degree have you guys at Bang left the stuff alone that TRD and its engineers give you, because you guys have had the most success, the quickest?

Kvapil: Really, for the most part, everything that we've been running and being successful with is exactly the equipment that they provide us with. We do have a few trucks in our fleet that we hung the bodies ourselves.

I know some of the other teams went out and bought some other chassis other than what Toyota provides for us. They allow us to kind of do what you want, but what we've found is that what they're giving us is about the best.

We've been able to spend some time working with it a little bit. And it took us a couple months, early in the year, to find the right combinations and the right packages for the different types of racetracks. But once we got a handle on that it's all come together.

A lot of it was that I, personally was working with a new crew chief and an all new manufacturer and an all-new team and it just took a little bit of time for myself to get the ball rolling and to find the package we needed for all these racetracks.

Q: Given the commitment that Toyota has made to this, and that you're working with your crew for the first time, how special is it to you that your team, Bang Racing, gave Toyota its first two wins in the Craftsman Truck Series?

Credit: Autostock

Kvapil: It was a huge accomplishment. I know all of us drivers were really pushing hard to get that first win. I mean, heck, out of the box at Daytona we finished third and then the next race at Atlanta, Mike Skinner was racing for the win with Bobby Hamilton.

So we thought the wins would be coming a little sooner than they did. But it took us mid-way through the year before we broke into Victory Lane. I'm honored, really, in that every time they talk about Toyota's first win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, my name is going to be mentioned in the same sentence with it.

It's very gratifying for our team, knowing the hard work and dedication that they've all put into it, building this team from nothing into a race-winning team and to be able to do that in a short period of time.

The best part of it was that my sponsor, Line-X, was sponsoring that race up there at Michigan, so it really wrote a better story.

Q: As we get into the real stretch run in the Truck Series, and after the race at Martinsville where you had a shot to win before you got taken out -- are you satisfied with what this start-up team, with a start-up manufacturer has accomplished?

Kvapil: I wouldn't say I'm satisfied. I guess I thought we did pretty good. Average, I guess. We've had trucks almost every week that are capable of running in the top-five and winning races.

But at the same time we've been really inconsistent. We'd be winning races one week or leading; and the next week we'd crash out or just completely miss the set-up and run 20th.

But I think a lot of that is just (being) a new team. Our crew chief, Eric Phillips, has got a little bit of experience but this is really his first full-time year sitting on top of the (pit) box, making the calls. And this is only my fourth year (at NASCAR's top levels).

So it was hard for us to be on it every week. I'm looking forward to the future. I think we've got a great team that can grow together and be successful in the future.

Q: You've begun to diversify your participation in NASCAR, first testing with Penske Racing South. You run your first race at Martinsville. What's been the most eye-opening aspect of working with a top-level team like Penske's?

Kvapil: Probably just the amount of resources they have to draw from -- all the equipment. I've never worked with a team that's got a designated test team and designated test cars and things like that.

It's pretty neat just to walk through the shop and to see all the equipment and all the employees and specialists in each part. You have shock specialists -- every part of the car has its own specialist working on it, tweaking and tuning, making it the best.

In the Truck Series, most of the 15 or 20 guys we've got in the shop are all pretty general. They can float around and do just about anything we need on the racecar, whereas in the Cup Series everybody's got specialized jobs.

That just comes with a lot more money and a lot more resources. It's definitely eye opening to see that. I'm excited to be able to be somewhat involved in that.

Q: How much of an adjustment is it, from your standpoint, to be able to maximize the effect of all those resources when, as you say, you're not used to having it at your disposal?

2004 CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES •   Results •   Standings •   Schedule •   Best 25 Over Last Six Races •   Best Starts •   Best Finishes

Kvapil: It's been a case of where, I guess when we're out there testing or running in my first start, I'm just trying to do what I normally do. That's to communicate well with the team, communicate well with the crew chief.

I was just talking to my wife the other night and said, "You know, when it comes right down to it, when we're racing or practicing or testing, it's no different than what we do on the truck side of it than what we're doing on the Cup side."

I'm communicating with the crew and the team about what the car's doing to try to figure out how to make adjustments and what adjustments are going to do what, so when it comes right down to it, it's basically the same.

But the level of competition is just a lot higher (in Cup), is another big thing that I see.

Q: Do you ever shake your head and wonder how a kid from Wisconsin has been lucky enough and capable enough to achieve what you've done in a short period at this level?

Kvapil: Really, it is (amazing). I never really expected to be able to be here. I always dreamed about it and hoped that it would happen, but never really expected it to happen.

When I got my chance to run in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series it was a key break for me and I've taken advantage of that opportunity by running well and won some races and won a championship on that side.

Now, I've had the opportunity to get my first Cup start. I don't know what the future is going to hold on that side. I just want to do the best that I can at that level (when I get the chance) and hopefully there'll be more opportunities there.

Q: How do you see the Toyotas performing through the stretch in the Craftsman Truck Series, at Phoenix, Darlington and finally Homestead?

Kvapil: I think that we can win all those races, between myself and all the other Toyota teams. I feel like our teams are top-notch right now. I feel like we started the year off with a little bit of a disadvantage under the hood, but I feel like we're probably the best or as good as everybody else as far as where our motors are at.

We're doing testing, still, these last couple weeks to prepare for these upcoming races. I won at Loudon a month ago and I won at Michigan so Homestead and Phoenix are a couple places similar to those tracks, so I really feel like we've got a shot at winning all the races the rest of the year, and that's how we're going into it.

Q: How definite are your plans for 2005, and do you have any kind of a deadline in your mind where you want to have a decision made on what you're going to do?

Kvapil: I don't really have any deadlines. One thing is for sure -- I am under contract with Bang Racing and Alex Meshkin and they're working diligently to put a Busch Grand National program together.

I'm just thankful that he's given me the opportunity to do some testing and a little bit of racing with Team Penske on the Cup side. But we don't really know what next year's going to bring for sure, but I know for sure we're working on doing a Busch (team).