During a recent interview with team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carson Kvapil confirmed that he will race full-time in the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, although the details of how these plans will unfold are unknown.
One of the most shocking moves of the NASCAR Xfinity Series (soon to be O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) Silly Season was the announcement from JR Motorsports that Connor Zilisch, who is bound for full-time Cup competition, will share the No. 1 with Carson Kvapil in 2026, with Rodney Childers serving as the team’s crew chief.
This announcement implied that Kvapil, a fan favorite who is in his Xfinity Series rookie year, would not race full-time in the inaugural NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Season.
After this announcement, Kvapil continued advancing through the playoffs, and now, despite not having won a race, he has a chance to win not only Rookie of the Year honors but also the final NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.
This appearance in the Championship Four has changed a couple of things about Kvapil’s 2026 plans.
Following an interview between Earnhardt and the four NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Four drivers on Wednesday, JR Motorsports posted a clip of the two confirming that the 22-year-old will race full-time next season.
It is currently unknown what this will look like, or if there is more shuffling around at JRM yet to come, as Earnhardt said after stating, “Once we get beyond Phoenix, we’ll have more information about what those remaining races look like.”
While it is unknown what exactly Earnhardt and Kvapil are hinting at in this clip, since the announcement of JRM’s plans for the No. 1, there have been rumors that he, much like 2026 JRM teammate Rajah Caruth, could fill out his schedule with another team.
Of course, what team this would be at is an even larger question, as there are many teams in the Chevrolet camp that field part-time cars. This also brings to mind Kvapil’s rumored ties to Team Penske, and, in this scenario, whether he could end up in a Ford in some capacity next year, if those rumors are true.
But, even then, JRM could factor into these plans in some way, as they will have five cars next year counting the part-time No. 9. Though it does seem like Kvapil will be in another car at some point next season, with Kvapil saying during Wednesday’s episode of The Dale Jr Download, “We’re gonna make it happen either, one way or the other.”
The only question that remains is whether Kvapil wins the championship this Saturday, what could this mean for these plans, and could they change once again?
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is fast approaching, and teams are setting their lineups for the coming season. This article…
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