Kvapil looking forward to faster Phoenix 500

It's back where it all began for Travis Kvapil and BK Racing. Kvapil made his first start driving the No. 93 Burger King/Dr Pepper Toyota at Phoenix International Raceway last March, where he tallied a 19th-place finish in the event. He's excited about returning to the one-mile oval for Sunday's AdvoCare500 and hopes to leave the Desert Jewel with another solid performance.

Kvapil scored a 23rd-place finish in last week's race at Texas. It marked his 14th top-25 of the season and his fourth top-25 in the last five events.

Kvapil has 11 Cup Series starts at Phoenix. His best finish is 10th place, which came in 2005. In his six Truck Series starts at Phoenix, he has one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

Comments from BK Racing Driver Travis Kvapil heading into Phoenix:

"I'm feeling pretty optimistic about Phoenix. It was where I made my first start with BK Racing at the beginning of the season. I came out of there with a19th-place finish in our first run together. That was pretty solid. Obviously we've learned a lot since then, but I feel like we've got a good baseline to start with.

"The track was repaved for this year. We adapted pretty well to it for our first time being there. It's definitely not going to be easy. All these teams, they're going to come back stronger and better, so we've got to do the same thing. It will be interesting to see how the track has changed and the grip level that it has now. It's cured throughout the summer, so it probably has less grip, but we'll have to see when we get there. We've got a good start with our setup, so we'll take it from there.

"I like the track now that they've changed it a little bit. It's a little wider, a little racier. It's a little faster, too. It's a fun track, but it's still only a mile, so you still have a short-track mentality when you race there."

BK Racing