What are the odds of a young race car driver who is competing in the Late Model races to blow up at the NASCAR stage? It is indeed rare to see a race car driver from humble beginnings to be able to live this dream. However, this dream did become a reality for the 21-year-old driver Carson Kvapil when he received a phone call from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive for his team JR Motorsports in 2025.

Unlike the rest of the drivers, Kvapil wasn’t an animated figure who would often portray emotions on and off the racetracks. However, he couldn’t tame his emotions when he came to know about his promotion to the Xfinity level. This was even a surprise for Dale Jr., who didn’t expect such a response from his talented driver.

Carson Kvapil was overwhelmed with emotions embarking on his new journey

Dale Jr. has always had a keen eye for talented race car drivers. Be it from his time competing at the Cup level and then transitioning into the ownership role at JRM. The likes of Chase Elliott, Noah Gragson, William Byron, and Josh Berry have all graduated from JRM and then gone on to compete at the Cup level.

Continuing the tradition, the veteran driver saw Carson Kvapil as the next big thing in stock car racing. He had proved his mettle in the Super Late Model racing and then brining back-to-back championship trophies in 2022 and 2023 for JRM in the CARS Tour. And this was enough for Dale Jr. to present him with a full-time opportunity in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Little did he know that his one phone call to Kvapil would leave him in tears.

Revealing the details of the conversation about Kvapil’s jump to Xfinity Series Dale Jr. stated, “You told me the other day on we was texting back and forth and you said you got emotional, and I thought that was interesting. You don’t get frazzled, you don’t get worked up, you don’t get overhyped, and you don’t get angry. Now you have those emotions, but you’re very good at managing them.”

He even shared his story from his early days of racing and how he found it hard to take it all in, transitioning into different roles. “I had kind of the same experience I was working with this guy in the late model stocks called Gary Hargett. Gary became like a grandfather to me. I wasn’t ready or aware that people were always going to be coming and going in my life. That’s one of the difficult parts about this transition, I guess, and that’s why you got so emotional.”

However, for the Mooresville, NC Native, this call from his mentor and team owner had a similar effect on him while joining JRM in 2022.

Kvapil is feeling blessed after his rise to the Xfinity level

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2021 was the year when Kvapil, for the first time, was able to run a full season in the Super Late Models with the funding he received from his father. Travis Kvapil Racing was the name of the team, and they won the title in their debut run. Soon, his talent was scouted by Dale Jr., who offered him to run for his team JRM in the Late Models, and this is when his world completely flipped.

Recalling those moments and drawing parallels to his current situation, Kvapil explained, “Five years ago, I never would’ve thought I’d be in the spot three years ago to be able to run your Late Model. That was about as big of a step as this is right now. It felt like at the time just because we went from kind of the family-owned shop to more structured, and really the biggest thing that I had to learn was more off-track stuff. I feel like you and everyone here at JR Motorsports have really taught me.”

Kvapil isn’t the only big signing JR Motorsports has made this year. Connor Zilisch from Trackhouse Racing stable will also join the team, kickstarting his rookie NASCAR season.