Roughly 24 hours after it was stolen, NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil’s and Team Xtreme’s No. 44 race car was found early Saturday outside of Atlanta.
Team Xtreme tweeted out pictures of the bright orange and blue car after it was found in the woods, crediting Gwinnett County (Ga.) police with its discovery. The car, which was valued at $250,000, appears to be dropped off without a scratch.
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Official Teamxtreme44 @TravisKvapil @NASCAR car found by @Gwinnettcounty police officers Tonelli, Wolfson Digby😁😁😁 pic.twitter.com/SkUkHyCxft
— Team XTREME Racing (@Teamxtreme44) February 28, 2015Lost and Found section of the road. pic.twitter.com/L3cEdi9o0R
— Team XTREME Racing (@Teamxtreme44) February 28, 2015Team Xtreme was forced to withdraw from Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway after learning its car was stolen. Team owner John Cohen said the No. 44 car will be back for next weekend’s race in Las Vegas.
Police did not found the car's trailer, its contents or the pickup truck used to tow the rig. Racing equipment and a spare engine in the trailer were valued at more than $100,000.
Surveillance video showed a car with two men inside pull into the Atlanta-area motel where the truck and trailer were parked.
"All we know is it was a silver jeep," Cohen said. "One guy got out and they pulled off together."
Team Xtreme is a low-budget operation. Two of its cars were used at Daytona and were in the team's shop. One was damaged in qualifying, the other was being reworked.
The car stolen with the rig was its only other available unit.
"I've never heard of anything like this. It's really bizarre," Kvapil said. "You can handle maybe getting a flat tire, or getting caught up in a wreck, or a blown engine, something that actually happens on the race track. Or you don't qualify, because you don't have enough speed. But to not even get a chance ... that's pretty disheartening."
ICYMI: "Drive it like you stole it!" @TravisKvapil's #NASCAR Sprint Cup car has been FOUND» http://t.co/ZEOZLIhUJD pic.twitter.com/NB6ko5towu
— FOX Sports 1 (@FOXSports1) February 28, 2015Team Xtreme's Daytona car finished 32nd last week with Reed Sorenson driving. Sorenson is driving for another team this week in Atlanta.
Sunday's race was to have been Kvapil's first of the season.
The truck a black 2004 Ford F-350, and its trailer were taken from the motel lot about 5:30 a.m. ET Friday, according to media reports. Team members planned to leave for the track about 5:45.
— Pit Stop Post (@pitstoppost) February 27, 2015