KVAPIL SCORES TOYOTA’S FIRST-EVER NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK VICTORY
Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 24 Bang Racing Line-X Toyota Tundra puthis name into the history books by earning Toyota’s first-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) victory in the Line-X Spray-On Truck Bedliners 200 at Michigan International Speedway Saturday afternoon.
With this victory, Kvapil joins the likes of racing stars Juan Montoya, Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, Scott Dixon and Rod Millen in giving Toyota a historic “first” win. Stewart captured Toyota’s first American motorsports victory in 1983 in MTEG Stadium Racing competition in a Toyota truck. The first victory by a Toyota-powered car came a year later when Chris Cord drove his Toyota Celica to victory in GTU competition at Miami for Dan Gurney’s All American Racers.
Toyota’s first major U.S. racing victory came in 1990 when Juan Manuel Fangio II won at Topeka in an AAR Eagle GTP car.
Juan Montoya earned the distinction of taking the checkered flag in Toyota’s first-ever CART victory for Target Chip Ganassi Racing at Milwaukee in 2000. Three years later, the Target/Ganassi team would put their names into the record books again as the first team to win with Toyota power in IRL competition when Scott Dixon won the 2003 Toyota Indy 300 at Miami-Homestead Speedway. Earlier this season, Scott Pruett and Max Papis combined to win the first Grand-Am race for Toyota’s Lexus brand at Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.
Last year, Toyota earned its first Indianapolis 500 victory when Gil de Ferran captured the checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway driving for Penske Racing.
A quick look at Toyota’s “firsts”:
2004 Travis Kvapil earns Toyota’s first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory2004 Scott Pruett and Max Papis win Lexus’ first Grand-Am race at Mont-Tremblant2003 Gil de Ferran wins Toyota’s first Indianapolis 500 crown2003 Scott Dixon wins Toyota’s first IRL race at Homestead2000 Juan Montoya wins Toyota’s first CART race at Milwaukee1994 Rod Millen wins Toyota’s first-ever Pikes Peak Hill Climb overall title1993 Ivan “Ironman” Stewart wins Toyota’s first Baja 10001993 Toyota wins first Daytona 24 Hours overall title1989 Juan Manuel Fangio drives to Toyota’s first-ever GTP victory at Topeka1984 Chris Cord drives a Celica to the first win by a Toyota-powered car at Miami in GTU1983: Ivan “Ironman” Stewart gives Toyota its first-ever American racing victory in an MTEG Stadium Truck
