Travis Kvapil, the 2001 Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will drive for the 2002 series Champions – IWX Racing – next season. The seat opened when Mike Bliss announced this week that he would be joining the [#20] BGN team at Joe Gibbs Racing. “This season has been what everyone on our program needed,” said team manager, Dave Fuge. “Mike was looking to have his career revitalized and we were looking to prove that we were a good, solid team. Our arrangement from day-one was for one year and we wish Mike the best with Joe Gibbs Racing. The opportunity to drive for a team that has won two Winston Cup Championships in the past three years is what a good driver like Mike deserves. For us, we always believed that our in-house chassis program and everything that we have been doing here has meant fast and durable trucks. We proved that this year with Mike and I really felt good at Homestead when a Champion like Ron Hornaday jumped into one of our trucks and won the race.” It was an impressive season for IWX Racing. In 23 starts, the team won 4 poles, 6 races, had 14 top-fives and 19 top-10s. The team completed 98.2 percent of the laps run (3,784 of 3,851) and finished on the lead lap in each of the last 17 races. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” continued Fuge. “Our guys have worked very hard and we are looking forward to getting started next season. We’re happy that IWX Motor Freight has returned as our sponsor. They have been very good to us; and winning the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship really has them excited. We look forward to working with Travis next year. He’s a good young racer and we’ve been very impressed watching him this season.” Kvapil, 26, spent the past two seasons in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series [#60 Team] after graduating from the NASCAR Re/Max Challenge Series and the short tracks in the upper Midwest. In 46 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, Kvapil has 2 wins, 21 top-five finishes and 32 top-10s. He has finished in the top 10 in points both seasons. “All I want to do is run up front and win races,” said Kvapil, a native of Janesville, Wis. “The chance to get with a Championship-winning team is a tremendous opportunity. Dave and everyone there have really put together a strong team and I’m hoping we can pick up where they left off this season.”(IWX Racing PR)(11-21-2002)
