Ready to make his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in Phoenix, Travis Kvapil prepares with the No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford team for Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 600 at the one-mile Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Kvapil has one top-10 result in his previous six starts at the desert track.
Kvapil is only 23 points outside of the top-30 in driver points and is looking to propel himself and the team into that spot this weekend. The team has finished 27th or higher in three of its last four races and comes to Phoenix looking to best its season-high 24th-place finish.
The team will return to its normal Long John Silver’s colors this weekend. Long John Silver’s recently announced that its famous $1 Baja Fish Tacos will be on the car for the races at Dover and Charlotte in May.
Comments from Long John Silver’s driver Travis Kvapil on Phoenix:
“Yeah, I think we’re hoping for some big things this weekend. It’s another shorter, flat track where we feel we can really excel at. But, we have to work hard. It’s always hard to set up your car here and have it be fast all the way around. We’re going to have to get the most out of our practices to be ready for Saturday night.
“Phoenix is a very unique racetrack. It’s similar to Milwaukee or Loudon, but it’s still very unique in its own way. Both ends of the racetrack are different, and that’s why it’s hard to be fast all the way around. Turns 1 and 2 are really tight corners and higher banked. Turns 3 and 4 are long, sweeping and really flat. It’s just one of the tracks you have to adjust to.
“Saying that, one of the cool things about Phoenix, though, is it’s very line dependent. Once your tires wear out a little bit, you can move around and search for different lines. You can apex the corner differently and really make your car handle different. If your handling’s off you can move around and find places on the track that will help that and get some speed back.
“It is pretty unique that it’s the one flat, one-mile racetrack we end up running two- and three-wide through the middle of the corners. We don’t really do it that much at New Hampshire. Phoenix was really built to allow the driver to dictate a lot and gives us some control of the race. That makes it fun.
“I like going out to Phoenix. It’s a nice atmosphere and the fans appreciate the racing. It’s a good market for us to race in. The area seems to be really interested in the sport and what’s going on. They are great fans and that makes it a nice place to go. It’s a long trip, but it’s worth it when you see the excitement of the people in the stands. Hopefully we can put on a good show for them on Saturday.”
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