Roush Racing announced the selection of Travis Kvapil to drive the No. 6 Ford F-150 for the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Kvapil, the 2003 Truck Series champion, will pilot the truck that was driven by Mark Martin, David Ragan, Auggie Vidovich and Peter Shepherd throughout the 2006 season, and finished just 30 points shy of the owner's championship. Kvapil and team owner Jack Roush shared their thoughts on the upcoming season.

JACK ROUSH, Owner, Roush Racing -
TALK ABOUT THE DECISION TO PUT TRAVIS KVAPIL IN THE NO. 6 FORD F-150 NEXT YEAR. "Travis cut his teeth up in Wisconsin like Mark did, and like Matt did, and like Erik Darnell did. There are a lot of really good racers that have come out of that part of the Midwest. He has won a championship in the Truck Series. It's real important to Ford Motor Co., and it's important to me. Nobody asked the question: Why is Mark not going to be in a Roush truck next year? I don't think I have the wherewithal with my truck program to run more than three trucks and we're kind of lined up for that. The Mike Beam-led team with engineer Hal , I wasn't going to waste it on a part-time program. We're real excited to be able to come back and run for a championship with Mike and the guys. And, of course, Erik Darnell finished third here, and he secured the rookie honors for the Truck Series. He's done what he needed to do for his first year. We plan on making a real serious effort at delivering Ford, and in their troubled times, an opportunity to win the championship in this competitive and hostile - not only marketplace for the trucks - but also a competitive truck on NASCAR's race tracks."

TRAVIS KVAPIL, No. 6 Ford F-150
TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WERE GIVEN TO DRIVE THE NO. 6 TRUCK NEXT YEAR AND YOUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. "More than anything, for me, it was an opportunity to get with a good group and a good race team. My last two years in Nextel Cup have been terrible and I haven't had the results. I know given the right opportunity that I can still win races and run up front. We just did it two years ago. When Jack came to me and then asked me to drive that truck, I thought it would just open up so many doors. Number one, it would just get me to running up front and winning races. The way for me to get back into a competitive Nextel Cup car, I'm not going to go from where I'm at right now to jumping in a top-10 car, so I just don't think the opportunity would present itself. I'll take a step back, win some races and show people that I can still do it and hopefully that opportunity will come again."

GIVEN THAT THE NO. 6 TEAM WAS JUST 30 POINTS SHY OF THE OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP DESPITE HAVING FOUR DIFFERENT DRIVERS, DO YOU FEEL YOU SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A FAVORITE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP? "Definitely. With Ragan, with the little bit of experience that he had, and a few other guys in there, the truck always runs good, and Mark runs exceptional. I definitely think that everyone's goal going into the year is to definitely go for the championship and have a successful season. Everything that I'm told so far is that the team is sticking together and the same crew chief is going to be onboard. It's basically just plugging in a new driver, and with my experience - I've raced in the Truck Series for four years - I feel like I'm a better driver now than I was two years ago, experiencing the Cup competition level, and how hard it is to compete and how close the competitiveness is. I just feel that I've had to step up as a driver, and I'm looking forward to going back to the truck series to have success again."

HOW DO YOU ADDRESS THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER THIS IS A STEP BACKWARDS IN YOUR CAREER? "I don't know, do you race in Cup just to go in circles even if you're not competitive? The way I look at it, the opportunities for me in Cup next year were for teams outside the top 35. That's a big deal with all of the start-up teams next year and they're all well-funded, so you'll be fighting an uphill battle, for sure, and it will be wearing on your mind all winter long to make the races. Some of these teams that are back here, you're just going to the race to make the race, that's the main goal. I want to go to the race track to win and run up front and contend for the title. I won't have that opportunity here in Cup. It's definitely a step back as far as series, but in my career, I think it's a step forward, and in the long haul, it's what I need to do."

DO YOU THINK THIS COULD BECOME A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND ROUSH RACING? "I hope so. There are no promises. There's nothing set in stone. Basically, they told me that if I go out and do good for them next year and win some races and we run good that there could definitely be opportunities to grow and move back up the ladder with them. That goes a long way. If it's not with them, maybe it's with somebody else. The main goal is to go out and perform next year and get back in victory lane and win some races and contend for the title, and then everything else will work its way out."