During the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, it was confirmed that Carson Kvapil would not be back full-time behind the wheel of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2026 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
Kvapil was confirmed for a part-time role in the No. 1 car next year, with Connor Zilisch also set to drive the car. Zilisch drove the No. 88 Chevrolet full-time this year but is set to move to the Cup Series full-time with Trackhouse Racing. Rodney Childers is set to serve as the crew chief for the No. 1 team.
All Kvapil ended up doing during the postseason following this announcement was advancing all the way to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.
Before the season finale, Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirmed that Kvapil would indeed run the full 2026 schedule, but he did not offer specifics.
New Carson Kvapil landing spot confirmed
There was speculation that Kvapil could drive other JR Motorsports cars or perhaps spend time with other teams throughout the 2026 season. Now it has been confirmed that he is set to run the rest of his schedule with JR Motorsports.
Justin Allgaier is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet full-time, and Sammy Smith is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet full-time. But the team still have the No. 88 Chevrolet and the No. 9 Chevrolet, the latter being the fifth entry they only ran part-time in 2025.
Rajah Caruth has been confirmed as a part-time driver of the No. 88 car, but his schedule hasn't yet been announced, so the No. 88 car is still an option for Kvapil, as is the No. 9 car.
Either way, Kvapil's additional landing spot (or spots) for the 2026 season are set to be with the same team he already drives for. After a rookie season in which he advanced all the way to the championship round without winning a race, JR Motorsports plan to give him a chance to compete for a title again, even after it looked like they had effectively demoted him.
The 2026 season is scheduled to get underway at Daytona International Speedway with the United Rentals 300, which is set to be shown live on the CW Network on Saturday, February 14.