HAMPTON, Ga. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images North America photo —
From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, Team Xtreme Racing has been on an emotional roller-coaster for the last two weeks of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series action.
Just five days after making their first Daytona 500 with driver Reed Sorenson, team officials confirmed Friday morning that their primary car for this weekend’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as well as an unmarked white trailer and black Ford dually truck, were stolen overnight from outside the team’s hotel in Morrow, Georgia.
Travis Kvapil was scheduled to drive the No. 44 Phoenix Warehouse Chevrolet this weekend, and offered additional details on Twitter as to why the car was not with the team’s transporter — which arrived at AMS on Thursday afternoon.
“The guys stayed and worked on the car Thursday at the shop in N.C.,” Kvapil said. “They drove down last night in a Ford dually and enclosed trailer with (the) race car inside. That (is what) was stolen out of (the) hotel parking lot this (morning) in Morrow, Georgia.”
Local authorities are searching for the stolen car and trailer. Qualifying for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series event is at 5:45 p.m. Eastern time Friday.
“Sometimes what happens when thieves see trailers, they might just assume there’s something in the trailer they can go off and sell,” Morrow Police Sgt. Larry Oglesby told USA TODAY Sports on Friday morning. “Sometimes when things like this occur, they will drop off the items in a parking lot somewhere — like a Walmart parking lot — once they realize what they have. … We’re hoping that will be the situation so he can get back to his races this weekend, because they drove quite a distance to participate.”
Team officials have said they are withdrawing from this weekend’s race in Atlanta, but that the team has cars to make the trip west to Las Vegas next weekend. Georgia native Sorenson, who is driving for RAB Racing this weekend in Atlanta, piloted the team’s No. 44 to a 32nd-place result in last Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Kvapil finished 15th in last weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opener at Daytona, and Sunday is scheduled to be his first Sprint Cup start of the year — pending team plans.
USA Today Sports contributed to this report.
