Carson Kvapil went over his ‘friendship’ with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in an interview on SiriusXM. The JR Motorsports driver recently found his breakthrough NASCAR win at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kvapil entered NASCAR after winning back-to-back championships in the CARS Tour, a series owned by Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick. The 23-year-old made his debut in the 2024 Martinsville O’Reilly race and finished fourth for JRM.
Advertisement
A win had evaded the young driver until last weekend at IMS, where Earnhardt embraced him with tears in his eyes. Reflecting upon their relationship, Kvapil said,
“I’ve become friends with pretty much everyone at Junior MotorSports. I can go to anyone and talk to them and I can call up Dale and see how his family is doing. How’s the vacation going right?
“So a lot of people do ask me. What’s it like, my boss being Dale Jr. and I’m like it’s not even that way, like we’re friends. I don’t even look at it as this is my boss and this is who I go to and stuff like that. It’s more so. We just have a friendship, so it was super emotional for me,” he added.
Carson Kvapil has jumped three spots on the standings to sit behind season leader Justin Allgaier. With seven top-5s and 13 top-10s apiece, Kvapil’s season closely resembles that of reigning O’Reilly champion Jesse Love, with only four points separating them.
Allgaier, however, stands 265 points ahead with a clear view of the regular-season title. The JRM ace currently has six wins across 22 starts.
On the team front, IMS marked a historic four-driver sweep for JRM, as teammates Allgaier, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain nabbed the top-4 places. The feat was a series-first record.
Advertisement
Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens up on his special bond with Carson Kvapil
Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates with NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Carson Kvapil (1) on Saturday, July 25, 2026, after Kvapil won the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t hold back his emotions in an interview after Carson Kvapil’s IMS win. He explained how he has a close relationship with his drivers and compared Kvapil with his former driver, Josh Berry.
“Oh man, this has been a long time coming. He’s like a son almost you know, you work with these guys for so long and you work so hard….You got to win if you want to stay in this deal and man he got so close so I’m just so so happy for him,” Earnhardt said.
Carson Kvapil is running a full-time effort across multiple teams to cover the season. He drives the No.1 and No.9 entry for JRM, alongside the No.91 Chevrolet for DGM Racing. Kvapil lost his full-time seat due to a lack of sponsorship ties. Despite reaching the 2025 championship four, the Mooresville, North Carolina, native scrambled to assemble his 2026 season. Read More:
Advertisement
Joey Logano Has a Message for NASCAR After Corey Heim’s Historic Brickyard 400 Triumph: “We’re Going To Be Battling Him Forever”
Joey Logano Delivers a Blunt Take On NASCAR’s Next Gen Cars After Brickyard 400 Race: “Just Can’t Get Close Enough” College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in NASCAR, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
Read the full article here