MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 21, 2024) – Carson Kvapil wanted to end his full-time Late Model career on Saturday night with a victory for JR Motorsports at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
For 110 of the 125 laps, it looked like the walk-off was going to happen, but a late burst from Connor Jones and a tight condition in the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet saw the 21-year-old driver finish a solid second in the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car division event.
Kvapil, the two-time and defending Late Model Stock Car Series champion, started the race from the pole and on the parade laps, the normally all-business driver had a message for his team prior to his ascent to the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season: “This is our last one together for a while, and it’s been a blast,” he said. “I’ve learned a bunch from all of you. Let’s get one last one here.”
Kvapil wasted no time putting the black Bass Pro Shops No. 8 on the point and driving away, using the higher line in the early going and gapping second-place Brenden Queen.
Under caution at lap 40, Kvapil radioed to crew chief Bryan Shaffer that the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet was building to the tight side. Still maintaining the lead on the high line, Kvapil hung on until the break, where he came to pit road for adjustments and fuel.
On the ensuing restart, Kvapil again took the high line and drove away, only to have the tight condition return. Battling a closing Connor Jones, Kvapil was forced off the preferred bottom line in Turns 3 and 4 and had to race hard into Turn One. At lap 110, Jones finally made the pass stick and took the lead.
On the final restart, Kvapil drove hard into Turns 1 and 2, hoping to push the leader wide, but Jones drove away and earned his second straight CARS Tour win. Behind Kvapil came Mini Tyrrell in third with Connor Hall fourth and Queen fifth.
“I felt like I was pretty aggressive on him (Jones) down in 1 and 2 and he was either going to get up into the marbles or he was going to lift for me,” Kvapil said. “I knew this was going to be one last hurrah and I also knew that if he got in front of me I wasn’t going to have much for him. I got one last shot at him and gave it my all, but he was just a little bit better than I was.
“We just got really, really tight as the race went on,” Kvapil continued. “We had set the car up to be loose at the start of a run and tighten up at the end of a run, but it just got too tight. We held them off until the break, and we made some pretty big swings to free it up and be good at the end of the race.”
The adjustments worked for a while, Kvapil said, but he knew that the handling would return to the tight side as the laps went away.
“About 10 laps into the run, I thought the car was at its peak, so I knew we were going to get tight again,” he said. “It’s just a weird trait of this place, something you have to expect. Overall, it was a pretty great day. We led a lot of laps and had a chance to win it at the end. I really wanted to win this race for these guys, but sometimes it just doesn’t seem to work out. Hopefully, this team can rebuild some of the stuff I’ve wrecked this season and get it ready for Connor (Hall).”
Queen’s fifth-place finish netted him the 2024 series championship after a tight battle with Hall, who will take over the No. 8 for JR Motorsports next season.
