NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Puts Kvapil in the Wall at Phoenix

The No. 6 K&N Filters Team and Travis Kvapil headed to Phoenix, Arizona with high hopes and confidence but could not seem to shake the bad luck. A record 13 cautions waved over the 150-lap NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race which included an incident on lap 55 that severely damaged the No. 6 K&N Ford F-150 and forced Kvapil to settle for 23rd place.

Travis Kvapil at Phoenix Travis Kvapil at Phoenix
Travis Kvapil started third and finished 23rd at Phoenix
Travis Kvapil started third and finished 23rd at Phoenix
The weekend started out well at Phoenix International Raceway for Kvapil as the K&N Ford F-150 surfaced to the top of the speed charts during both practice sessions on Thursday.
Chris Forsberg uses K&N air and oil filters
No. 6 K&N Filters Ford F-150 at Phoenix
No. 6 K&N Filters Ford F-150 at Phoenix
K&N Filters Team works on K&N Filters Ford F-150

Kvapil turned a fast lap time of 27.444 seconds at Friday’s qualifying session and placed third for the start of Friday night’s race. At lap 16 the first of 13 cautions hit the track. Kvapil reported that his truck needed more tire grip. On lap 35 caution number four started the first round of pit stops for Kvapil.

Kvapil took on four tires, re-fueled and made a slight track bar and air pressure adjustment. The K&N team returned Kvapil to the track in fourth for the re-start on lap 40 where Kvapil battled for position.

As the race continued, Kvapil raced three-wide for position and was a top contender. On lap 55 he was passing the No. 47 when it turned into Kvapil and sent him into the wall. The No. 6 truck was wrecked. Kvapil made several more trips down pit road while the K&N team worked diligently to fix the toe and other problems on the Ford.

When it was all said and done, Kvapil crossed the line in 23rd as Kyle Busch went on to win. “It’s really unfortunate,” said Kvapil. “We had a great truck for the race and the entire K&N team worked really hard. It’s frustrating that we have such great stuff and keep having bad luck. We will be back next week at Miami.”

Kvapil is third in the point stands for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He returns to action next week for the final race of the 2007 season at Miami-Homestead with all the action carried live on SPEED-TV.

Follow Travis Kvapil's progress throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.