Tony Stewart slammed into the back of Travis Kvapil as the first Sprint Cup practice came to a close on Friday morning, damaging the left rear of Kvapil’s No. 34 car.
Tony Stewart, Travis Kvapil Make Contact During Sprint Cup Practice
Stewart said “I wish I knew the answer” to why the incident occurred and said all he saw was when Kvapil “checked up in front of us.”
“I’m not sure why that happened,” Stewart said.
Kvapil’s explanation? He had just come out on the track with four fresh, cold tires, which made him much slower than Stewart.
“More than anything, I was in his way,” Kvapil said. “I feel bad, tore both our race cars up and messed up his mock [qualifying] lap.
“I’m sure he’s not real happy, but it’s my fault, I guess. I was in the way, but it’s part of it.”
Kvapil said his plan was to pull over on the backstretch and let Stewart go by, but “[Stewart] was on his last lap and I was on my first lap, and it was just a difference where my tires didn’t hook up and get going, and he was at full speed.”
The No. 34’s damage was just sheet metal, he said, and should be able to be repaired.
Ryan Newman was fastest in the practice session, ahead of Mark Martin. Denny Hamlin was fifth and Jimmie Johnson was seventh.
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