Kvapil made the most of his opportunity in 2001
By Troy Fletcher, Special to Turner Sports Interactive
December 29, 2001
3:17 PM EST (2017 GMT)
He was given a golden opportunity. And Travis Kvapil seized the moment.
The Janesville, Wis., native drove the No. 60 CAT Rental Store Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2001 standings -- as a rookie no less.
"It was a big step up for me going from the RE/MAX Challenge Series to the Trucks," said Kvapil, whose 2001 performance won him the NCTS Rookie of the Year honor. "I knew I was getting to drive for a great team and my first year was a fantastic experience."
Kvapil's results speak volumes.
He won once at Texas Motor Speedway and coupled that with 11 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. With that stellar effort behind him, Kvapil has bold expectations for the upcoming Truck Series campaign.
"Personally, I think the realistic goal is for us to go after the championship," said Kvapil. "We still have virtually the same team in place and I will have crew chief Rick Ren back with me, so I see no reason why we can't improve and make a run at the title."
Kvapil's championship aspirations received a boost with the departure of Jack Sprague, who won Truck crowns in 1997, 1999 and 2001, to the Busch Grand National Series ranks.
"Jack is the guy who always set the mark at tracks in qualifying and during races and you always wanted to be running up to speed with him," said Kvapil. "And him leaving just shows how much the Truck series is growing, and hopefully I will be able to replace him as a champion."
Currently, Kvapil and his Addington Racing team are focusing on being ready for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15.
"Obviously, we want to come out of the box running strong," said Kvapil, who started ninth at Daytona a year ago and came in 25th. "Last season we had a rough time at Daytona and it seemed like we were climbing up hill the rest of the season."
Kvapil and his fellow NCTS competitors will be at Daytona testing from Jan. 18-20. Prior to the Daytona practice, Kvapil will also spend time shaking down his truck at Talladega Superspeedway Jan. 3-4.
"That test session at Daytona is real crucial," said Kvapil. "We spend a lot of time preparing for that first race and we want to go down there and get things right and translate that into a good showing on race day. And, of course, we want to take full advantage of that Talladega test as well."
Although Kvapil had a phenomenal first year in the Truck Series, he is keeping his career objectives in perspective.
"My goals are still the same as any driver coming up through the ranks," he said. "I am tickled to death to be driving in the Truck Series and make a living racing. But like anybody else, I would like to one day be competing in Winston Cup. So I will just see what happens and do the best in the situation I am in right now."
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