Travis Kvapil to Race for BK Racing at Dover; Truex Future Uncertain

BK Racing team owner Ron Devine has confirmed that Ryan Truex will not be entered in the No. 83 Toyota Camry this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Travis Kvapil, who piloted the car for the organization at Loudon, will be behind the wheel for the second straight weekend.

“We’re just trying some things with the No. 83 team,” Devine said by phone on Tuesday afternoon. “We’re just trying to make it a little better. Ryan is a great driver. We are just trying to put a little more seniority in the car for a little bit to see what it does.”

In his first full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Truex has not qualified for three events. Finishing inside of the top 30 on two occasions this year at Martinsville and Pocono, he has an average finish of 35.6 in 23 starts.

Devine said the team is trying to put a plan together to put the 22-year-old back behind the wheel. The main question for the team that started in 2012 is what he will be doing in 2015. Truex is currently under contract as a developmental driver for Richard Petty Motorsports, but is a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate with BK Racing.

“It’s whether he is going to drive for us next year or not,” he told Frontstretch.com. “If he’s not, then we’ll probably want to take a different direction. If he is, then we’ll try to figure out a way to make that happen.”

There has been speculation that the team owes the New Jersey-native money, yet Devine stated that is not the case.

“He will get paid for every lap that he ran. Some of the monies aren’t due yet. That is not why I took him out of the car. I took him out of the car to make the team better.”

Truex has been paired with three different crew chiefs in 2014. Starting out the season with Dale Ferguson, he ended up getting teamed with Doug Richert, who remains with the team as an executive. Joe Williams took over for Richert at Sonoma, and has since been atop the pit box for the No. 83 team.

Kvapil raced full-time for the team in 2012 and 2013, but was released entering this season in favor of Truex and fellow rookie Alex Bowman. In 2014, the 38-year-old has been the primary driver for Go FAS Racing.

Bowman’s status remains unclear for the 2014 season, according to Devine. The team’s third full-time driver Cole Whitt, appears to be share that status. However, they are currently working on signing an extension with the organization.

“We’re sorting all of that out now,” Devine said on the team’s driver situation for 2015. “We would like them both. I’d be willing to sign them up and move down the road again. We haven’t done it yet, but we’ll be there soon.”