Name: Travis Kvapil
Birthdate: March 1, 1976
Hometown: Janesville, WI
Marital Status: Married to Jennifer
Children: Kelsey, Carson, Caden

“We are pleased beyond measure that we were able to get a driver the caliber of Travis Kvapil. Travis brings great long- and short-term potential to and for Roush Racing."
- Jack Roush

“Travis showed solid potential and demonstrated the skill and determination it takes to be a winner.”
- Roger Penske

Few drivers can elicit such complementary words from the most esteemed team owners in NASCAR as 2003 Camping World Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil has. Since 2001, Kvapil has been invited to drive for some of the best team-owners and sponsors in the sport and established himself as a mainstay in the top levels of motorsports.

Growing up working on cars in his dad’s garage, racing was a natural progression for Wisconsin-native Travis Kvapil. Kvapil first got behind the wheel of a racecar at the age of 14, competing at Rockford Speedway and sharpening his skills on the Midwest short track circuits.

By 18, Kvapil won the American Short Tracker division track championship, and then moved up the ranks to race super late models at Madison International Speedway. “Wisconsin’s Fastest Half Mile,” couldn’t slow down Kvapil, who earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1995 in his first season of competition. Kvapil returned to the track the following year, earning the championship and becoming the youngest super late model track champion in Madison International Speedway’s history.

Kvapil’s next step was the ARTGO Series, a Midwest asphalt short-track motor-racing touring series. Once again, Kvapil rose to the top of the field, finishing in the top-10 in points from 1998 to 2000.

In 2001, Kvapil made his debut in the NASCAR ranks, earning a ride in the No. 60 Addington Racing entry in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Kvapil posted his first top-10 when he finished 9th in his NASCAR debut at Daytona International Speedway. Kvapil would ultimately score 11 top-5 and 18 top-10 finishes in 24 races, finishing 4th in the NCWTS driver standings in his rookie season. Kvapil also earned his first win in the series at Texas Motor Speedway and took home the NCWTS Rookie of the Year title.

In his second year with Addington Racing, Kvapil repeated his stellar performance, earning his second trip to Victory Lane at Memphis Motorsports Park. With 10 top-5 and 14 top-10 finishes, Kvapil would finish in the top-10 in driver standings once again.

Signing with Xpress Motorsports, Kvapil drove the No. 16 truck in 2003. Kvapil added another win to his stats after taking the checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway, and completed all but one lap that season, earning a 99.9% lap completion rate. With 13 top-5 and 21 top-10 finishes in the first 24 starts of the season, a 6th place finish at the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway would allow Kvapil to edge out Dennis Setzer by nine points to win the 2003 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.

In 2004, Kvapil brought his talents to Bang! Racing, driving the No. 24 truck for Alexander Meshkin. During that season, Kvapil gave Toyota its first win in one of NASCAR’s top-3 series at Michigan International Speedway, then earned his second win of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kvapil earned his first career pole and totaled six top-5 and 10 top-10 finishes, finishing in the top-10 in driver points for the 4th consecutive season. Additionally, near the end of the 2004 season, Roger Penske invited Kvapil to drive the No. 06 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry for Penske Racing for three races. Kvapil qualified 5th in is NSCS debut, finishing 21st.

Roger Penske was so impressed by Kvapil’s performance in the three races he completed that he signed him to drive the No. 77 for the 2005 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Despite earning two top-10 finishes, the No. 77 team closed its doors at the end of the season.  Kvapil got behind the wheel of the No. 32 Tide Chevrolet for PPI Motorsports in 2006.  

Kvapil received a huge opportunity when Jack Roush, owner of Roush Fenway Racing, offered him a seat in the No. 6 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2007. Kvapil had a landmark season, collecting four wins, three poles, eight top-5 and 12 top-10 finishes, ending the season 6th in the driver standings.

The following season, Kvapil returned to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage after he was slated to drive the No. 28 Ford Fusion for Yates Racing, earning four top-10 finishes, a pole position, and 23rd place in the NSCS point standings. Kvapil returned to the No. 28 in 2009, but the team was forced to close after six races due to lack of funding.

Kvapil is now back in the seat of a full-time NSCS ride in 2010, driving the No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford for Front Row Motorsports.