“He has all the tools”: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver backed to ‘win in anything in NASCAR’ by Jeb Burton

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports protege, Carson Kvapil, turned heads with his impressive performance at the Circuit of the Americas. Kvapil battled fiercely for the victory against his rookie teammate, Connor Zilisch, who is regarded as the class of the field in the Xfinity Series on road courses.

Carson, son of the former Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil, qualified fifth for his maiden NASCAR road course event. He was involved in an incident early in the race but charged to the front in the second stage, setting the stage for a thrilling fight for the victory in the final stage.

NASCAR fans were surprised by Kvapil's impressive speed on road courses, given his rise through the ranks in Late Models. The #1 JR Motorsports driver led seven laps, set the fastest lap, and made Zilisch sweat in the final laps. Ultimately, a flat tire derailed his race, leaving him with a P23 finish.

With 21-year-old Carson having limited road course experience, NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver asked Travis Kvapil what made his son so quick at COTA. He explained that a driver who excels in Late Models can adapt to any environment, adding that Carson didn’t need dedicated road course practice.

"Travis Kvapil was at Coastal working with Caden tonight but I asked him about Carson's run. "How about that?!" Said he got a call from Scott Speed early in his Xfinity tenure wondering where they practice road racing and Travis said, 'we don't' and it blew his mind. All natural," Weaver wrote on X.

Jordan Anderson Racing driver Jeb Burton agreed, stating that the Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s protege had all the resources and talent to succeed. He wrote:

"Most drivers that can win in late model stock can win in anything in NASCAR. He has all the tools to succeed and the talent."

Burton elaborated about the similarities between Late Model races and road course events, writing in the comment section.

"Low grip and have to drive the hell out of them both."

Three races into his rookie season, Kvapil occupies 11th place in the Xfinity Series standings with one top-5 result.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. praises JR Motorsports drivers following "nauseous" battle

Things got a bit dicey between JR Motorsports drivers Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil as they battled for the victory in the final laps. Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on the edge of his seat, later admitting that watching the battle made him feel nauseous.

Dale Jr. credited Kvapil for putting on a show and was surprised by his raw speed. He wrote on X:

"Great drive for @Carson_Kvapil today. Surprised us all I'd imagine."

Congratulating Zilisch and the #88 team for the race win, the NASCAR Hall of Famer added that the two drivers would battle for many more victories this season, which would be fun and stressful to watch.

"Very proud of @ConnorZilisch and @Mardylindley and the @JRMotorsports team. That battle with Carson made me nauseous. Gonna be a fun but very stressful year! 😀😀😀💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼"

Having wrecked out in the opening rounds of the season, Zilisch climbed to 16th in the Xfinity Series standings after his victory.