Carson Kvapil explains what led to his full-time promotion at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team

Carson Kvapil, who made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports on February 22, 2024, at Martinsville Speedway, is all set to switch back to a full-time schedule in 2026. During an interview with Bob Pockrass, Kvapil shared the reason behind his return.

According to Kvapil, it was due to his impressive playoff run. Although winless, the two-time CARS Late Model Stock Tour champion managed to make the cutoff after each round. Today, he sits second in the championship standings as one of the favorites to win the 2025 title.

Reflecting on his championship run, this is what Kvapil told journalist Bob Pockrass:

“I feel like definitely the performance was one of the big things that got us to this point. Obviously, midway through the season, we hadn't won and were ninth in points...it wasn't too spectacular, right? We kind of lost some funding there.” “I think if we finish eighth or ninth on points, I don't really think people step up to help (us) make full-time next year. I would definitely say that performance and then a good playoff run and all that stuff really attributed to it.”

Kvapil will be joined by his teammates Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier in their collective bid to bring the title to JR Motorsports. The only other championship contender this year is Jesse Love, who drives the No. 2 for Richard Childress Racing.

The championship race is scheduled for Friday, October 31. Fans can watch the 200-lap event live on CW (7:30 pm ET) or listen to its exclusive radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Kevin Harvick’s crew chief reacts to Carson Kvapil bagging a full-time schedule with JR Motorsports

2026 will mark Carson Kvapil’s first season working together with Rodney Childers, who helped Kevin Harvick win the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. This is indeed a significant development for Kvapil, who was originally announced to share his ride with Connor Zilisch next year.

The veteran crew chief reacted to Kvapil landing a full-time ride with JR Motorsports. Sharing a video (on X) where Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself makes the announcement, Childers wrote,

“Super excited for Carson Kvapil .. He deserves it, and I’m a firm believer that you can’t be your best if you’re not doing it every week. It also gives the 1 team a chance to race for a drivers and owners championship.”

For now, Carson Kvapil has his focus on winning his maiden Xfinity Series championship. Fans can watch him in action (Saturday, November 1) on CW starting from 7:30 pm ET onwards or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua