On the dawn of a life-changing opportunity, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joined by up-and-coming racer Carson Kvapil this week on the Dale Jr. Download. Carson and his father Travis, longtime NASCAR competitor and 2003 NASCAR Truck Champion, join the show to share the announcement that he will be racing full-time for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next year. After impressing the racing world with back-to-back CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car championships in 2022/23 racing for JRM, Carson made his Xfinity debut for the team earlier this year at Martinsville, where he produced an impressive fourth-place finish. He followed this up by nearly winning at Dover, where he settled for runner-up behind Ryan Truex, a result that still haunts him today.

Dale first began watching Carson closely when the decision needed to be made as to who was going to replace Josh Berry in JRM’s late model stock program. Dale explains that his sister  Kelley and husband LW Miller noticed Carson while racing at Millbridge Speedway in the outlaw karts division and made the recommendation. Carson realized he had big shoes to fill in Berry’s absence, but it’s a task he’s managed quite well with multiple marquee wins and season crowns. This past weekend, Carson brought home the most coveted trophy in late model stock car racing: the ValleyStar 300 at Martinsville.

Dale shares that he enjoys working with the Kvapil family as Travis allows JRM crew chief Bryan Shaffer to run the show and Carson the opportunity to learn from the team. Dale and Travis both laud Carson’s hard work ethic, as he continues to turn wrenches on his family’s late model for his younger brother Caden while working in the JRM shop. This weekend, Carson prepares for his Talladega Xfinity debut where he’ll once again be behind the wheel of the number-88 JRM entry.

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