TRAVIS KVAPIL, YATES RACING
No. 28 Yates Racing Ford Fusion
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
April 12, 2008

Quoting Yates Racing Driver, Travis Kvapil:
What are your thoughts on racing this weekend at Phoenix for the first Saturday night race of the season?
“Phoenix has a short track feel to it. It’s a very unique track with tight corners at one end, sweeping corners at the other, and a dogleg on the backstretch. It’s not a straightforward track to race at because you’ve got to drive hard to find a line that works for you and helps your car’s handling. With it being our first Saturday night race of the regular season so far, it kind of takes me back to the feeling I had growing up and running my late models on Friday and Saturday nights. I think that Phoenix will be a fun weekend and I’m really looking forward to it. I think our test earlier this season went alright and I’m confident in my team and the knowledge they have to ensure we have the best set-ups possible going into this weekend.”

What are the challenges when you race on Saturday night where temperatures and the sunlight angles change?
“Usually there are a few things that present a challenge in races like we’ll have this weekend. I think one of the most important is how the car will change from the heat of the day to the coolness at night. It forces us to make sure that we have an adjustability built into our car. Another challenge that we’ll have is vision. A lot of times as the sun sets, it becomes very difficult to see entering Turn 1. We just need to make sure that we’re well prepared for those challenges.”

Quoting Yates Racing Crew Chief, Todd Parrott:
From a crew chief perspective, what will your focus be this weekend at Phoenix?
“One of the most important things we’ll focus on for this weekend is how the track conditions are going to change as the race goes on Saturday night. What I’ve experienced in the past is that typically the car will get a little freer during the race as the sun sets. The track will also gain grip once the temperatures drop after the sun sets so that allows the front wheels to gain traction. We had a pretty good test a few weeks ago at Phoenix. We’ve worked on the car a lot since then and hopefully we’ll have another great weekend at Phoenix for the No. 28 Yates Racing team.”

NOTES OF INTEREST: