Carson Kvapil hails from a racing family. He was raised by his father, 2003 NASCAR Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil, to get inside a racing machine and give his best. The 21-year-old partnered with his dad to clinch the 2021 CARS Tour Super Late Model title. However, their exploits weren’t just restricted to stock car racing.

Travis and Carson Kvapil joined Dale Jr. in his studio to chat about his newest recruit’s racing journey. Like most grassroots-level racers, Kvapil also started to learn the tricks of the trade on dirt tracks. Inside the race car, the 14-year-old boy was transformed by Travis, who ingrained a champion mentality within him.

Travis Kvapil shares a tale from Carson’s early days of racing at Millbridge Speedway

Carson Kvapil lived up to the billing when it came to replacing Josh Berry in the Late Model Stocks at JRM. Fresh from his success in the Pro Late Models, he scored four wins in his years with the team in 2022, bagging the title and repeating the same in 2023. It was a clear indication that Dale Jr. had found a new gem that had the potential to reach the pinnacle of stock car racing.

However, this winning mentality and skillset weren’t developed overnight, but with constant laps on the tracks and running at different venues. Recalling one such instance at Millbridge, Travis said, “One time he was running Millbridge in our four-stroke; he’s going in the corner, and the motor is like just banging the chip. A few laps later, it’s not hitting the chip; we’re driving, and we win the race. I’m like, what was that all about? You know why is the thing is killing the chip? He said all the throttle hung, so then I decided to just hit the kill switch and then let it go and fire it back off, and I’m like, this is crazy.”

This was an intimidating experience for young Carson Kvapil, who also shared what he remembered from that race. “It was probably the hardest thing I’ve driven. You’ve never jumped in, have you? Intense, and it’s a wakeup call for sure. You don’t even have time to make reactions. It’s just whatever you do; you just hope it’s the right thing.”

Kvapil got his taste of Xfinity Series racing this year, running part-time in the #88 JR Motorsports Chevy Camaro. And he gave a glimpse of what he will bring to the table next year with three top 5 results in eight races. He will hop back into the #88 car for his last race at Talladega. In the meantime, he’s already starting to prep for next year.

Carson Kvapil isn’t planning to go overboard to prepare for the Daytona race

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For any young driver who has made their way through the grassroots level, racing at Daytona is probably at the top of their bucket list. Having conquered the Super Late Model and Late Model circuits, Kvapil will get the taste of full-time Xfinity Racing from next year onwards. But, unlike the short tracks and ovals, he will have to prepare himself for the superspeedway circuits, starting at Daytona International Speedway.

Dale Jr. asked Kvapil about his mindset and plans going into the Daytona race, as next week’s Talladega event will be his last for 2024 in the Xfinity Series. However, the young driver was unfazed by the challenge, stating, “I would say I’ll be nervous, but I feel like after Talladega I’ll have a lot better feel for it. I kind of know what to expect, I guess, going into Dega. Have an open mind and try to learn as much as I can and figure it out. I feel like by the time Daytona comes around, I’ll have a lot of knowledge on how to speedway race.”

For a 21-year-old, this statement tells you that he is confident in his talent and racecraft. At the same time, it creates more excitement for the fans who are eager to see him repeat his past heroics on the NASCAR stage.