After retiring in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made sure that his racing legacy lived on. And rightly so, some rising stars of NASCAR are cementing that powerful legacy at JR Motorsports. Carson Kvapil, a 21-year-old prodigy, is one of them. The driver made good use of his part-time No. 88 Chevy ride, wheeling it to an impressive finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And this was also amidst some Xfinity heavyweights battling for the lead. The race ensued with a neck-to-neck fight between the top five racers, and eventually, an SHR driver came away with the win. Kvapil admitted to some challenges he faced today.

Despite struggles, Kvapil finished the race in the top 10

NASCAR came back to Indianapolis’ oval track after three years. Hence, the Penzoil 250 Xfinity race ran pretty differently than other racetracks. Nevertheless, some experienced racers fought tooth and nail toward the end. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst had to neutralize rivals Cole Custer and Aric Almirola before finally grabbing the victory. For Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver, things became more clear towards the end.

Carson Kvapil admitted as much in a post-race interview, acknowledging his rivals’ speed. “Yeah, I mean it’s tough for sure. A lot of these guys, we saw them -they’ve been here before, they know it’s new. It seemed like for me, I didn’t figure it out till 20-40 to go…I actually started to figure out how to go fast.” 

He further detailed the challenges his team faced. “We were in the top ten all day. That last pit stop…I don’t know if we should have pitted or not. Either way, it wasn’t a big loss. Caution came out with ten to go…then we finished the race tenth. So we might have been a little better with a few spots ahead.”

Carson Kvapil also mentioned the unique nature of the Indianapolis track. “I feel like this is the first time doing anything like this for this size of a racetrack.” He added that he was warming up to the 2.5-mile track with a road course layout, “It’s just completely different…than anything I’ve ever driven. It takes a lot to get up to speed…The guys that have done this before, been here before…so much better. Either it takes me too long or it takes a while to get used to it. Just a completely different mindset and style of racing.” 

Despite Kvapil’s claims that he is taking time to adapt, we all know his lightning-fast progress this year. Running only a part-time schedule in the Xfinity Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver excelled. He notched two top-five finishes in his first two Xfinity starts, coming dangerously close to a win at Dover Motor Speedway. Then his third top-five finish came in Nashville, despite the sweltering heat that day. Now Kvapil can boast a top-ten finish at Indianapolis, one of the toughest tracks in motorsports.

This astronomical progress can be attributed to a crucial decision that Kvapil’s father made.

No rush is the way to go

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Carson Kvapil rolled into Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s care in 2021, at 18 years old. Besides Dale Jr.’s expert care, the young driver also harnessed his inspiration from his father, Travis Kvapil, the 2003 Craftsman Truck Series champion. And Kvapil left a blazing trail wherever he went; in 2022, he logged four wins and 17 top-fives, earning both the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car driver and owner championships. Carson also made his Truck Series debut last fall at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 12th for Spire Motorsports.

Yet Kvapil’s father, Travis, did not feel the need to rush. This significantly contrasts with former Xfinity driver Hailie Deegan’s ill-fated career decisions.

Travis Kvapil emphasized the need to run the course under Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Carson and I have talked about it; what’s the rush? You are driving for possibly one of the best late-model teams in the country. Keep your nose down and keep digging and winning races, and these opportunities will come.” Carson himself understood the need to understand the easier tracks first.

“For someone like me starting out, it’s good to go to Martinsville, Dover and more of those short tracks that you know what to do on. Once you get a grasp of that, it’s really going to help me at places just learning some disciplines, learning how the air works,” the 21-year-old stated.

Evidently, Carson Kvapil is in good hands. As he carves out a glittering path in his career, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wise father are there to guide him.