Carson Kvapil makes his feelings known after facing the “most nerve-wracking” race for a NASCAR title battle

JR Motorsports driver Carson Kvapil recently competed in the IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 held at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 25th. He earned his first ever berth in the Championship Four this season. During the post-race interview, Kvapil shared his thoughts on the race.

The No. 1 Chevy driver had a strong qualifying session for the 250-lap main event. He qualified second with a best time of 19.85 seconds and a top speed of 95.43 mph. Kvapil was 0.01 seconds behind first-place finisher Harrison Burton. The JRM driver later lost ground in the first stage after stopping early while the first yellow flag was out and finished the first stage in P11.

Carson Kvapil made a bold move in the second stage and decided to stay out on the old tires and regained the lead. But during the closing laps of the race, Ryan Sage spun the driver of the No. 1 Chevy, sending him to the back of the pack.

Despite spinning with 25 laps to go in the 250-lap race, Kvapil quickly recovered. He clinched his place in the Phoenix race. Reflecting on this, the 22-year-old professional motor racing driver told PRN:

“This was probably the most nerve-wracking race I’ve ever done in my career. Go through it and try not to make any enemies… I fought hard the whole race to be in the fourth round.”

Carson Kvapil finished the 250-lap Martinsville Speedway race in P18, earning 29 points. Taylor Gray, on the other hand, earned his first career win on the 0.526-mile short track.

‘He didn’t do anything wrong’: Dale Jr. talks about Carson Kvapil’s future in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports

In September 2025, former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., and his sister, Kelly Earnhardt Miller, made a major statement about Carson Kvapil’s future. Team owners reported that Kvapil will not return as a full-time driver in the No. 1 Chevy for the 2026 season.

JR Motorsports announced that the young NASCAR driver will share the ride with Connor Zelisch under the supervision of Rodney Childers for the 2026 season. Following this news, fans were not happy with the decision.

Thinking about the same, Dale Jr. addressed fans’ concerns and stressed that the decision was taken due to some “financial matters.” During an episode of Dale Jr. Download podcast The former Xfinity Series champion cleared the air and said:

“We wouldn’t have done the part-time deal if we didn’t feel he was the right person […] I know a lot of people are disappointed that it won’t be full time. “What did he do wrong?” He didn’t do anything wrong. “It was just a big turnaround in some financials.”

Carson Kvapil competed in the CARS Touring Series and drove for Earnhardt. He also captured back-to-back titles in the Late Model Stock division. He then made his Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports in April 2024.