Report: Despite arrest, assault charge, Kvapil to race this weekend at Charlotte (UPDATED) - MotorSportsTalk

One day after NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Travis Kvapil was released on bond after being arrested Tuesday in North Carolina for assault and false imprisonment, BK Racing has confirmed that he will drive their No. 93 Toyota in this weekend’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“After discussions with NASCAR and the Kvapil family, BK Racing has elected to support Travis and his family,” BK Racing co-owner Ron Devine told FOXSports.com’s Lee Spencer.

“It’s the right thing for Travis and his family to let the system take its course. He has the ability to set aside the issues and focus, and he’s prepared to race this weekend.”

Kvapil, 37, was arrested in Mooresville, North Carolina. The town’s police department issued a statement that said officers responded to an emergency call from the Kvapil residence on Tuesday night and then arrested the driver in connection with a domestic dispute with his wife.

UPDATED, 3:15 p.m. ET: NASCAR has issued a statement on the matter. It reads as follows:

“NASCAR does not condone the actions with which Travis Kvapil has been charged and we are disappointed to learn of this incident. We have been in close communication with the race team and are in the process of gathering as much information as possible. NASCAR takes this matter very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation as it moves forward.”

UPDATED, 4:40 p.m. ET: And now we have a full team statement from BK Racing and team owner Ron Devine, beyond what was written above:

“BK Racing understands the severity of the situation and we don’t condone the actions that Travis has been accused of,” commented Ron Devine, co-owner of BK Racing. “We feel it’s important to let the system take its course. For that reason, we have elected to support Travis and his family and keep Travis in the car for this weekend’s race. Further comment will be available as additional information becomes available.”

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INDIANAPOLIS – Roger Penske spoke with Dallara executives Monday morning about the loose tire that went flying over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway catchfence and into a Turn 2 parking lot.

The left-rear wheel from Kyle Kirkwood’s No. 27 Dallara-Honda was sheared off in a collision at speed as Kirkwood tried to avoid the skidding No. 6 Dallara-Chevrolet of Felix Rosenqvist on Lap 183 of the 107^th Indianapolis 500.

No one seriously was hurt in the incident (including Kirkwood, whose car went upside down and slid for several hundred feet), though an Indianapolis woman’s Chevy Cruze was struck by the tire. The Indy Star reported a fan was seen and released from the care center after sustaining minor injuries from flying debris in the crash.

During a photo shoot Monday morning with Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden at the IMS Yard of Bricks, Penske met with Dallara founder and owner Gian Paolo Dallara and Dallara USA CEO Stefano dePonti. The Italian company has been the exclusive supplier of the current DW12 chassis to the NTT IndyCar series for 11 years.

“The good news is we didn’t have real trouble with that tire going out (of the track),” Penske, who bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020, told a few reporters shortly afterward. “I saw it hit. When it went out, I saw we were OK. I talked to the Dallara guys today. We’re going to look at that, but I guess the shear (force) from when (Rosenqvist’s) car was sitting, (Kirkwood’s car) went over and just that shear force tore that tether. Because we have tethers on there, and I’ve never seen a wheel come off.

“That to me was probably the scariest thing. We’ve got to fix that. We’ve got to fix that so that doesn’t happen again.”

Asked by NBC Sports if IndyCar would be able to address it before Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix or before the next oval race at Iowa Speedway, Penske said, “The technical guys should look at it. I think the speed here, a couple of hundred (mph) when you hit it vs. 80 or 90 or whatever it might be, but that was a pinch point on the race.”

In a statement released Monday to WTHR and other media outlets, IndyCar said that it was “in possession of the tire in Sunday’s incident and found that the tether did not fail. This is an isolated incident, and the series is reviewing to make sure it does not happen again. IndyCar takes the safety of the drivers and fans very seriously. We are pleased and thankful that no one was hurt.”

IndyCar provided no further explanation for how the wheel was separated from the car without the tether failing.

IndyCar began mandating wheel suspension tethers using high-performance Zylon material after a flying tire killed three fans at Charlotte Motor Speedway during a May 1, 1999 race. Three fans also were struck and killed by a tire at Michigan International Speedway during a July 26, 1998 race.

The IndyCar tethers can withstand a force of more than 22,000 pounds, and the rear wheel tethers were strengthened before the 2023 season.