As if Carson Kvapil hadn’t already asserted himself as one of NASCAR’s top young stars, two straight top-five finishes to kick off his NASCAR Xfinity Series career only amplified his stock in the sport.
His second straight top-five run didn’t come easy on Saturday at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
Kvapil started 26th and clawed his way to the front of the pack throughout the BetRivers 200. By the time crunch time approached with less than 30 laps to go, the 20-year-old was running inside the top five.
A daring three-wide pass for the lead on the frontstretch looked to be the move of the race as he dove his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet underneath Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill to swipe the top spot away.
Kvapil knew his opportunities were limited, so he felt he needed to take advantage.
“You don’t wanna put (it) three wide, but I feel like it was really my only opportunity to get clean air for the lead,” Kvapil explained. “So, I feel like I kinda had to do it, and I had such a good run.”
More cautions ensued, pinning the young gun in an overtime restart predicament. Battling defending Dover Xfinity Series winner Ryan Truex, Kvapil lost the lead as the field took the white flag.
He finished second, continuing a brilliant trend to kick off his Xfinity Series career — two starts, two top-five runs.
Kvapil finished fourth in his debut at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway earlier this month.
Following his stout performance, Kvapil experienced mixed emotions, stating he’s “happy, but at the same time, I’m pretty bummed out.”
“Going into this race and Martinsville, I just wanted to finish all the laps and just come out of there clean,” Kvapil said.
“But at the same time, when you run that good and you’re there at the end, you kinda switch your priority to ‘How do I win this race?’
“I would say going in, if I was told I was gonna finish second, I’d be pretty pumped. But, when you’re right there going for the win and you have the lead, it’s just pretty tough.”
Notably, the caution flag came out moments after Kvapil lost the lead, ending the race as the white flag was already displayed.
As he assessed if there was anything he could’ve done differently to hold off Truex in the final two corners, Kvapil felt he struggled to run the top lane of the concrete race track, making it difficult to stretch a gap.
“Just got a little too tight there running the top,” Kvapil said. “He (Truex) just got around us going into (turn) three and just had position on us to move us up the hill.
“It’s just how it is. It sucks we couldn’t of came off (turn) four in front of him there. But, all in all, it was a really good day for these JR Motorsports guys. I’m happy.”
Kvapil hasn’t been confirmed for any other Xfinity Series races this year, however, his strong start may bode well for further opportunities with JRM as he returns to his CARS Tour late model stock car.