Statesville, N.C. (May 17, 2011) - Travis Kvapil and the No. 38 Long John Silver's team are ready to take some chances in Saturday's Sprint Showdown at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The team is bringing a Ford Fusion built specially for the 40-lap race, looking to better its ninth-place finish from one year ago.
With newer, better cars and stronger Roush-Yates engines in 2011, the Front Row Motorsports team likes its chances of snaring one of the top-two finishing positions in the race that advances to the Sprint All-Star event immediately following the Showdown.
The Saturday night race consists of two 20-lap segments, with a caution period in between to allow for pit stops. The first- and second-place finishers advance to the All-Star race, in addition to the top finisher in a fan vote.
Comments from Long John Silver's driver Travis Kvapil on the Showdown and the All-Star Race:
"To be able to be in the All-Star race would be amazing. I remember watching that race growing up as a kid. It's a very unique and special race. Obviously the competition level is phenomenal with the former winners, former champions and former winners of that race. It would truly be an elite field to be racing with. There are a lot of unique things that happen for that race. The pit strategy is different and teams will often build special cars for it. We're bringing a separate car for it. When there's no points on the line and a lot of money on the line, strange things happen. Drivers and teams take more chances. It's a fun race to watch and it would certainly be awfully meaningful to be a part of it.
"We've raced pretty well at Charlotte before, so I think we have a good crack at it in the Showdown. Last year we started in the back and finished ninth. And we've got better cars and better motors this year, so I'd say we absolutely have a shot at one of those spots that advances to the All-Star line-up. I'm not so sure I'd want to try starting from the back again, though. Qualifying is important at Charlotte, so we're going to do our best to bring a fast Long John Silver's Ford so we can have a good qualifying run and good starting position. And then it's 'go for broke' time.
"It's always fun to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It's close to home, and it's close to home for all our guys on the team. The guys who usually don't travel with the team often come out for the Showdown and the All-Star Race, and they get to bring their families and be a part of the excitement at the track.
"I've got to give a shout-out to all the fans who have been voting for me in the fan vote to get into the All-Star race. I appreciate that support. My fan base is really special to me. They're a really neat group and they've followed me along the way, all the way back to my Wisconsin racing days, and they've grown through the Truck Series championship days and now into the Cup Series. They're amazing how they support me online, on my message board on my website. I try to interact with them as best I can, at the track and on Twitter and Facebook, just trying to keep them in the loop of what's going on with my career and our race team."
