Carson Kvapil carries on JR Motorsports winning legacy with ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — When it came time for Josh Berry to advance up the NASCAR developmental ladder, Carson Kvapil had the impossible task of carrying on JR Motorsports’ success in Late Model Stocks.

Berry‘s reputation in the discipline included victories in nearly every crown jewel event, a CARS Tour championship and a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I title. Inheriting a stellar ride like JR Motorsports‘ Late Model Stock would be an intimidating prospect for any driver, let alone a rookie like Kvapil.

The past three years have shown Kvapil‘s commitment to maintaining JR Motorsports dominance in Late Model Stocks, which was further encapsulated by his victory in the prestigious ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway Saturday night.

Kvapil, both physically and mentally exhausted after 200 grueling laps, found himself in disbelief over joining a notable list of ValleyStar Credit Union 300 champions that includes Berry.

“Awesome is an understatement,” Kvapil said. “This is so big. It‘s the crown jewel of Late Model Stock racing and it has been for years. The last two years, we‘ve been so close and have always been there at the end. We didn‘t do anything wrong but were just a little bit off. I knew we were going to be good [on Saturday], we just needed to do the right things.

“It‘s an honor to drive this car and an even bigger deal to win this race.”

The journey towards Kvapil obtaining a prestigious Grandfather Clock started when he made his debut in JR Motorsports‘ Late Model Stock at Florence Motor Speedway in 2021.

A dominant run in Kvapil‘s maiden appearance with the program ended with him losing a hard-fought battle to Kaden Honeycutt for the victory. A similar story unfolded two months later in Florence‘s South Carolina 400, where he placed second to Ty Majeski after leading 38 laps.

The first starts for Kvapil with JR Motorsports only showcased his potential to crew chief Bryan Shaffer. Having worked with Berry for several years, Shaffer was ready to impart his own wisdom to Kvapil so that he could quickly find his comfort zone in Late Model Stocks.

“[Kvapil] was pretty good right at the start,” Shaffer said. “He just needed seat time in these cars to figure everything out. He knows where to start these races now and has a good feel of the car, especially in these long races.”

Shaffer would not have to wait long to see results in an endurance Late Model Stock event. When the CARS Tour opened the 2022 season with the $30,000-to-win Old North State Nationals at Caraway Speedway, Kvapil earned his first major victory in the discipline.

Although he envisioned success would come eventually with JR Motorsports, Kvapil was surprised the first checkered flag came as early as it did. Shaffer‘s excellent strategy, combined with the raw speed of his No. 8, enabled Kvapil to put the CARS Tour on notice with his breakthrough performance.

“I thought we were going to be fast, but really weren‘t the whole race,” Kvapil said about winning the Old North State Nationals in 2022. “The first part of the race, we ran from about 12^th-15^th and about had no hope. We were stuck, but pitted off strategy to try and gain track position. We capitalized and had good speed at the end to win the race. I was feeling a lot of pressure, but I made it happen.”

The accomplishments rapidly accumulated for Kvapil after Caraway. In three years with JR Motorsports, Kvapil has amassed two CARS Tour championships to go along with 11 series victories, 34 top fives and seven poles.

With he and JR Motorsports displaying so much efficiency every week in the CARS Tour, Kvapil was hoping the success would one day carry over into the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Finishes of second and third in the crown jewel event during his first two years only motivated Kvapil further to claim a grandfather clock for himself.

Possessing one of the strongest cars in Saturday’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300, Kvapil’s primary challenge came from 2016 winner Mike Looney, who traded the lead with him several times throughout the night. Kvapil eventually gained the upper hand on the seasoned veteran and survived an overtime restart to add a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory to his growing resume.

Being perfect from opening practice on Saturday was paramount for Kvapil to emerge victorious in the crown jewel event.

“We just needed everything to go right and have a great car at the end, which we did,” Kvapil said. “In this race, you‘ve got to be perfect. You can‘t mess up qualifying or your heat race, and you obviously can‘t mess up the race and get in trouble. We did all the right things and just had a great car at the end to put ourselves in position.”

Celebrating with Shaffer and the rest of his crew in Martinsville‘s Victory Lane gave Kvapil time to reflect on his growth while under the JR Motorsports banner.

Kvapil still remembers how nervous he was climbing into Berry‘s No. 8 for the first time at Florence in 2021. Since then, Kvapil has done everything to improve himself, primarily when it comes to providing feedback to Shaffer and everyone else on how to maximize the strengths of the car.

For Shaffer, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory was equal parts cathartic and bittersweet, as he is preparing to move the Late Model Stock program forward with a different driver. He has cherished seeing Kvapil grow into one of the best young prospects on the developmental ladder and knows more victories are in his future.

“It makes me happy to see [Kvapil] moving on,” Shaffer said. “You don‘t want a new driver because you run so good but you can‘t hold them back. He‘s ready to move up, he‘s ready as anybody is.

“I think he‘ll be racing [NASCAR Cup Series] cars in a couple of years.”

With Kvapil‘s time in the JR Motorsports No. 8 Late Model Stock coming to an end, he cannot help but be grateful for all the guidance he has received. Along with leaning on Shaffer and car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kvapil also had the privilege of relying on Berry during his first couple of seasons.

Matching Berry‘s accomplishments was never the goal for Kvapil. He wanted to build his own identity with JR Motorsports while simultaneously ensuring the program kept visiting Victory Lane in a Late Model Stock industry that keeps evolving every passing year.

Now that he is in the same position as Berry three years ago, Kvapil finds himself content with the journey taken at JR Motorsports.

“Everyone knows how good Josh Berry is with these cars and how many wins he had,” Kvapil said. “To be able to take over his spot and continue on the winning legacy is pretty special. What is special to me is the people who put me in the race car and had the confidence to do the job. I can‘t thank them enough.

“This was a really big opportunity for me three years ago and we‘ve had really good success. Now we have a grandfather clock.”

There are many chapters left to write in what is expected to be a long, successful career for Kvapil. Of those already written, one will stand out amongst motorsports fans.

He proved himself to be a worthy successor to one of the greatest Late Model Stock rides of all time.