Front Row Motorsports
RacingOne.com
Front Row Motorsports will be bigger and stronger in 2010 thanks to the addition of a third car and manufacturer support from Ford and Roush/Yates Engines.
Travis Kvapil, the 2003 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, will lead the team in its flagship No. 34 car. He replaces John Andretti behind the wheel of the Long John Silver's Ford after running two races for the team in the No. 37 at the end of the 2009 season.
"I started talking to these guys last summer and definitely more into the fall," Kvapil said about joining the team. "Just really excited about the things they are doing to kind of elevate their program and to kind of take the next step to get them more competitive."
Not only is Kvapil looking forward to returning in a Ford, but also the manufacturer support that comes with it. In 83 Cup Series starts Front Row has yet to finish in the top 10, a stat the team hopes to improve this season.
"Ford's support behind us is going to be a big deal," Kvapil said. "This team did not have any manufacturer support in the past and they went from Chevy to Dodge. They never really settled in and had much consistency. Ford's involvement is really going to ramp up having wind tunnel time, seven post time, and tire data. Things we never had access to before."
Steven Lane will be Kvapil's crew chief.
Kevin Conway will be the second full-time driver at Front Row as he attempts the entire schedule while running for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors.
Conway, who will drive the No. 37 with sponsorship from ExtenZe, is locked into the Daytona 500 but is still waiting on approval from NASCAR to run the season-opening race. He plans on running the ARCA and Nationwide race during Speedweeks to help with the approval process.
"This is a dream come true," Conway said. "This journey has taken a little bit longer than expected, but it's been full of ups and downs along the way."
It will be a steep learning curve for Conway, but he hopes some of his previous experience in the NASCAR Nationwide Series will help with some of the upcoming tracks on the circuit.
"The tracks I have been to two or three times in the Nationwide Series car will be a little bit easier for us in the Cup car," said Conway, who will be working with crew chief Peter Sospenzo. "The biggest thing will be adapting to the Cup car as a whole and adapting to the Sprint Cup Series and all the competitors there."
David Gilliland will drive a majority of the schedule in the team's new No. 38 Ford with Taco Bell as the sponsor. Gilliland, who will run the Daytona 500 with BAM Racing, comes to Front Row after enjoying success in a Ford when he scored four top 10s and two poles with Yates Racing from 2006-2008.
When the team was considering fielding a third car, Kvapil pushed for his former teammate to fill the seat.
"David was a guy I was really pushing to get," Kvapil said. "We worked well in the past at Yates. Our communication is great. We are friends off the track."
Robert Richardson Jr. will team with Gilliland in the No. 38 and will run the first three restrictor-plate races with Mahindra USA Tractors as the sponsor.
Currently, Front Row Motorsports is converting their current Chevrolets over to Fords. The team will still field their own chassis' and will run the current Ford engine and not the new FR9.
"We are going to run the old motor all year," Kvapil said. "The other Fords I believe are going to run the new motor in the Duels and then switch to the old motor for the 500.I believe California until up into Charlotte they are all going to run the old motors with the exception of the Wood Brothers, who are going to run the new motor every time they run."