View source for Bang! Racing

{{short description|Former NASCAR team}}
{{no footnotes|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox former NASCAR team
| name          = BANG Racing
| logo          =Bang!_Racing_logo.gif
| owners        = Alex Meshkin, [[Larry McReynolds]], George Blacker
| drivers_champ = 0
| wins          = 2
| numbers       = 24, 28, 42, 82
| drivers       = [[Travis Kvapil]], [[Mike Skinner (racing driver)|Mike Skinner]]
| sponsors      = [[Line-X]], [[Toyota]]
| manufacturer  = Toyota
| base          = [[Mooresville, North Carolina]]
| series        = [[Craftsman Truck Series]]
| opened        = [[2003 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series|2003]]
| closed        = [[2005 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series|2005]]
}}
'''Bang! Racing''' is a former [[NASCAR]] team. It was majority owned by entrepreneur Alex Meshkin, and minority owned by  both crew chief and analyst [[Larry McReynolds]] and its 'hands off' seed investor George Blacker, LTD- each with a 5%  minority equity share.   Bang! Racing  fielded entries in the [[NASCAR]] [[Craftsman Truck Series]]. It only ran one full season, in [[2004 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series|2004]].

==History==
=== Truck No. 24/42 history ===
[[File:Nascar 1st Win pic.jpg|thumb|left|[[Travis Kvapil]]'s No. 24 truck after winning the team's first race]]
The team was founded in 2003 by Alex Meshkin, an internet entrepreneur who had achieved notoriety by losing more than $3 million of investors' money in his failed Surfbuzz.com venture.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2000/06/wipeout-surfbuzz-goes-under/|magazine=Wired|title=Wipeout! Surfbuzz Goes Under|accessdate=23 June 2018|date=6 June 2000|quote=If ever a startup embraced the whole make-a-fast-buck, dot-com ethos, it was Surfbuzz.com, an auction site that awarded expensive prizes to its customers. The only buzzing to be heard now is from the flies swarming over the corpse of Surfbuzz, which said Tuesday that it is going out of business.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/tech/techthursday/dotcom/dotcom112599.htm|newspaper=Washington Post|date=25 November 1999|access-date=26 June 2018|first=Leslie|last=Walker|title=Brothers With a Selling Point}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1999/10/teen-trades-education-for-e-biz/|magazine=Wired|title=Teen trades education for e-biz|access-date=26 June 2018|date=26 October 1999|first=Katie|last=Dean}}</ref> Initially planning to race in the then-[[Sprint Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]] by purchasing [[Andy Petree Racing]],<ref name="Crash-Toyota-CTS-Nov2003">{{cite news|title=Toyota confirms Truck Series teams.|url=http://www.crash.net/nascar/news/88082/1/toyota-confirms-truck-series-teams.html|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=crash.net|date=November 15, 2003}}</ref><ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005"/> the team instead signed a three-year contract with manufacturer [[Toyota]] to run in the [[Craftsman Truck Series]] as one of four new and independent of Toyota race teams to utilize Toyota Tundra's for Toyota's debut into NASCAR. Meshkin also recruited [[Larry McReynolds]] as a part-owner and vice president<ref name="Crash-Toyota-CTS-Nov2003"/><ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005">{{cite news|last1=Ashenfelter|first1=Mark|title=Broken dreams|url=http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/broken_dreams.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204104851/http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/broken_dreams.html|archivedate=2012-02-04|url-status=dead|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=[[Sporting News|Scene Daily]]|date=May 16, 2005}}</ref><ref name="AP-BangRacing-June2004">{{cite news|last1=Brinster|first1=Dick|title=Young millionaire trying to win racing championships|url=http://staugustine.com/stories/061204/spo_2385258.shtml#.VwxPqfkrLIU|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=[[The St. Augustine Record]], [[Associated Press]]|date=June 12, 2004}}</ref>  and he received $400,000 of seed money from investor George Blacker's investor group which was used to procure a racing shop which was a contingent requirement  dictated by Toyota in order to be granted a Toyota race team contract.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hyman|first=Mark|date=February 7, 2005|title=A Wild Ride in Nascar|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-02-06/a-wild-ride-at-nascar|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422051556/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-02-06/a-wild-ride-at-nascar |archive-date=2016-04-22 |website=[[Bloomberg News]]|quote=" Other refugees from the race team.....is Investor George Blacker...."}}</ref>  Accordingly, the team then leased operating race shop space from veteran driver [[Jimmy Spencer (racing driver)|Jimmy Spencer]].<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005"/><ref name="USA2Day-Bang-JSpencer-Sep2004">{{cite news|last1=Jenkins|first1=Chris|title=Spencer growing impatient with race shop buyer|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2004-09-11-spencer-raceshop_x.htm|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=[[USA Today]]|date=September 11, 2004|location=[[Richmond, Virginia]]}}</ref> The team was named after one of Meshkin's companies, Bang Technology Software.<ref name="AP-BangRacing-June2004" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Chemris|first1=Thomas|title=Bang Racing showing championship form|url=http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-truck/news/bang-racing-showing-championship-form/?s=1&q=%22Alex+Meshkin%22|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=motorsport.com|date=March 29, 2004}}</ref>

The team made its debut  at a  [[Daytona International Speedway]]  race in February of 2004. Its two drivers were [[Travis Kvapil]] in the No. 24 [[Line-X]] Truck and [[Mike Skinner (NASCAR)|Mike Skinner]] in the No. 42 Toyota Truck. It marked the first time in series history two former champions raced for the same operation.<ref name="StPeteTimes-Bang-Feb2004">{{cite news|last1=James|first1=Brant|title=Aid urged for family in speedway death|url=http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/11/Sports/Aid_urged_for_family_.shtml|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]|date=February 11, 2004|location=[[Daytona Beach, Florida]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rose|first1=Shannon|title=Kvapil Out To Defend His Title: Travis Kvapil Will Drive A Toyota Tundra For Alex Meshkin, His Third Racing Team In As Many Seasons.|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2004/02/08/kvapil-out-to-defend-his-title/|access-date=12 April 2016|work=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|date=February 8, 2004}}</ref> By lap 15 of the race, both Bang! Racing drivers had already led the race.  Kvapil finished second in the race, while Skinner finished 28th due to a crash.<ref name="Motorsport-BangRacing-Feb2004">{{cite news|title=Bang Racing embarks on its first season|url=http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-truck/news/bang-racing-embarks-on-its-first-season/|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=motorsport.com|date=February 29, 2004}}</ref> Bang! also announced plans to run several late-season Cup Series races, with sponsorship from [[eBay]].<ref name="StPeteTimes-Bang-Feb2004"/><ref name="Motorsport-BangRacing-Feb2004"/><ref>{{cite news|title=NASCAR series gets Ebay sponsorship|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2004/02/23/daily19.html|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=[[San Francisco Business Times]]|date=February 24, 2004}}</ref> From then on, Bang! lived up to its namesake, with Kvapil racking up two victories, including the first NASCAR win for a Toyota at Michigan, earning one "fast time" qualifier pole, and finished in eighth-place in season points.<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005"/> Skinner, despite not winning a race, had two poles during his tenure with the team. Meshkin meanwhile was credited for his salesmanship abilities, as he recruited sponsors such as Line-X and eBay.<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005"/><ref name="Motorsport-BangRacing-Feb2004"/><ref name="Bloomberg-BangRacing">{{cite news|last1=Hyman|first1=Mark|last2=Burke|first2=Jordan|last3=France|first3=Mike|last4=Cady|first4=John|title=A Wild Ride At NASCAR: How a whiz kid talked his way into owning a race team -- and then hit a wall|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-02-06/a-wild-ride-at-nascar|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|date=February 7, 2005}}</ref> Later in the year Meshkin announced he would field the No. 82 [[Dodge]] in the [[Busch Series]] in [[2005 in NASCAR Busch Series|2005]], with Kvapil at the wheel.<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005" /> He also began negotiations for a potential NEXTEL Cup Series team (the No. 28 Dodge) with driver [[Ward Burton]] and [[NetZero]] sponsoring; both were with [[Haas CNC Racing]] at the time. The Cup Series deal ultimately fell through.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bang Racing goes Nutzz|url=http://www.crash.net/nascar/news/89152/1/bang-racing-goes-nutzz.html|accessdate=12 April 2016|work=crash.net|date=2004}}</ref>

However, trouble soon began brewing within the organization. Despite the team's success, McReynolds left the team in July due to funding and financial disagreements with Meshkin, including unpaid bills to suppliers.<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005" /><ref name="Bloomberg-BangRacing"/> In August, Toyota ended its factory support of the team due to the departure of McReynolds, with the No. 42 team shutting down and driver Mike Skinner moving to [[Bill Davis Racing]].<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005" /><ref name="Bloomberg-BangRacing"/> Toyota later maintained its agreement until the end of the season which saw Bang! Racing end that season as the first race team to both lead a lap and win a race for Toyota Racing in a major NASCAR series.<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005" /><ref name="Bloomberg-BangRacing"/> But after the season, several key executives at Bang resigned, and in January [[2005 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series|2005]], Bang let all of its help go and closed down its shop.<ref name="SceneDaily-BangRacing-Broken-2005" />  Blacker wrote off his Bang! Racing seed investment money as a complete loss.

====Truck No. 24 results====
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
|-
! Year
! Driver
! No.
! Make
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! 18
! 19
! 20
! 21
! 22
! 23
! 24
! 25
! {{Tooltip|Owners|Owners Points classification}}
! Pts
|-
! [[2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series|2004]]
! [[Travis Kvapil]]
! 24
! [[Toyota]]
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Florida Dodge Dealers 250|DAY]]<br><small>2</small>
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 (spring)|ATL]]<br><small>4</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Kroger 250|MAR]]<br><small>13</small>
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[UAW/GM Ohio 250|MFD]]<br><small>32</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Infineon 200|CLT]]<br><small>8</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[MBNA America 200|DOV]]<br><small>16</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[O'Reilly 400K|TEX]]<br><small>27</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[O'Reilly 200 (Memphis)|MEM]]<br><small>13</small>
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Black Cat Fireworks 200|MLW]]<br><small>5</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[O'Reilly Auto Parts 250|KAN]]<br><small>7</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Built Ford Tough 225|KEN]]<br><small>15</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200|GTW]]<br><small>7</small>
| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Line-X 200|MCH]]<br><small>1</small>
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Power Stroke Diesel 200|IRP]]<br><small>4</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Toyota Tundra 200|NSH]]<br><small>13</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)|BRI]]<br><small>8</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Kroger 200 (Richmond)|RCH]]<br><small>31</small>
| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Sylvania 200|NHA]]<br><small>1</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Las Vegas 350|LVS]]<br><small>28</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''[[American Racing Wheels 200|CAL]]'''<br><small>18</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Silverado 350K|TEX]]<br><small>23</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Kroger 200 (Martinsville)|MAR]]<br><small>21</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Chevy Silverado 150|PHO]]<br><small>15</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Darlington 200|DAR]]<br><small>19</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Ford 200|HOM]]<br><small>19</small>
! 8th
! 3152
|}

====Truck No. 42 results====
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
|-
! Year
! Driver
! No.
! Make
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! 18
! 19
! 20
! 21
! 22
! 23
! 24
! 25
! {{Tooltip|Owners|Owners Points classification}}
! Pts
|-
! [[2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series|2004]]
! [[Mike Skinner (racing driver)|Mike Skinner]]
! 42
! [[Toyota]]
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Florida Dodge Dealers 250|DAY]]<br /><small>28</small>
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 (spring)|ATL]]<br /><small>2*</small>
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Kroger 250|MAR]]<br /><small>5</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[UAW/GM Ohio 250|MFD]]<br /><small>11</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Infineon 200|CLT]]<br /><small>15</small>
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[MBNA America 200|DOV]]<br /><small>4*</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[O'Reilly 400K|TEX]]<br /><small>11</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[O'Reilly 200 (Memphis)|MEM]]<br /><small>26</small>
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Black Cat Fireworks 200|MLW]]<br /><small>29</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[O'Reilly Auto Parts 250|KAN]]<br /><small>12</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Built Ford Tough 225|KEN]]<br /><small>18</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200|GTW]]<br /><small>28</small>
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Line-X 200|MCH]]<br /><small>3</small>
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Power Stroke Diesel 200|IRP]]<br /><small>13</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Toyota Tundra 200|NSH]]<br /><small>10</small>
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)|BRI]]<br /><small>23*</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Kroger 200 (Richmond)|RCH]]<br /><small>10</small>
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Sylvania 200|NHA]]<br /><small>10</small>
| [[Las Vegas 350|LVS]]
| [[American Racing Wheels 200|CAL]]
| [[Silverado 350K|TEX]]
| [[Kroger 200 (Martinsville)|MAR]]
| [[Chevy Silverado 150|PHO]]
| [[Darlington 200|DAR]]
| [[Ford 200|HOM]]
! 12th
! 3037
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links== 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY3dCl-TGng YouTube Video of Bang Racing's First Win]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexmeshkin/ Bang! Racing Photos]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040727204900/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/racing/11/14/notebook.ap/ SI Illustrated.com Article]
* [http://www.bangracing.com Bang's Official Website]
* [http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2005/05/16/scene_story1.html Broken dreams]

[[Category:Auto racing teams established in 2003]]
[[Category:Auto racing teams disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:Defunct NASCAR teams]]
[[Category:American auto racing teams]]