Carson Kvapil during qualifying for the Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
HAMPTON, Ga. — Coming off a strong top 10 result in the Pocono Mountains last weekend, Carson Kvapil tied his career best Xfinity Series effort with a runner-up finish during the Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway.
The weekend started on a low note for a majority of the JR Motorsports camp, with Kvapil qualifying in the 24th position heading into Friday night’s action. But that did not mean that the rookie driver did not have a well handling car to compete with.
From the drop of the green flag, Kvapil was stuck at the back of the pack for unapproved adjustments, until a caution came out for an incident between Blaine Perkins, Christian Eckes, Parker Retzlaff, and William Sawalich only a few laps into the race.
With the caution and differing strategy throughout the field, Kvapil shot inside the top 20 for the following restart, placing his N0. 1 JR Motorsports machine in a better position compared to the beginning of the event.
Kvapil slowly but surely moved his way through the field, finding his way into the top 15 when a caution was thrown out for weather in the area. This eventually brought out the red flag and the race was halted for around an hour and a half.
Once the race resumed, Kvapil came down pit road with a majority of the other drivers to make scheduled stops. Even with the No. 1 restarting in the middle of the pack, the rookie driver was able to avoid a 10-car crash down the backstretch on the first green flag lap since the weather delay. That big slurry of chaos moved the No. 1 Chevrolet into the top 10, giving Kvapil and his JR Motorsports team a shot to prove they had race-winning speed.
By the halfway point in the race, Kvapil was firmly inside the top five, battling for the lead at moments during that stretch. The No. 1 machine did not lose the front of the field for the rest of the evening, but the problem for the JR Motorsports team was that Kvapil was going to need some luck and good timing to be at the front by the end of the show.
Carson Kvapil (right) battles with teammate Connor Zilisch (left) on the frontstretch during the Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway. (Photo: Declan Wayman | The Podium Finish)
As the laps wound down at EchoPark, Kvapil restarted from the fourth position with only eight laps remaining, giving himself a solid shot at a great finish and quite possibly a first career win.
The driver out of Mooresville, North Carolina found his way into second place with a handful of laps remaining, running behind rookie competitor Nick Sanchez. Kvapil tried every angle on the track, from the bottom lane to the very top. With the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Aric Almirola right behind him throughout the course of the finish, Kvapil was not able to find a path around the No. 48 of Sanchez.
The No. 1 JR Motorsports team had to settle for a runner up finish, one that settled heavily for Kvapil during his post-race comments.
“If you look at the start versus the finish, I would be pretty happy, but when you’re that close, obviously it really does sting.”
The rookie driver has finished in the runner up position before, finishing behind former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this year.
Kvapil was disappointed in the result of his efforts on the track, but he knew that he could not do much to catch Sanchez at the end.
“Just couldn’t really generate a run there. I didn’t feel like we had enough cars nose-to-tail and organized, and we were all just a car or two away from each other and I tried backing up on the last lap. I probably could’ve made a move earlier, I just felt like if we get side by side, we’d be both get swallowed up by somebody.”
The No. 1 JR Motorsports crew will head to the streets of Chicago next weekend for the Loop 110, a road course that Kvapil has never seen before in his racing career.
