Carson Kvapil’s full-time racing plans for the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) season have been finalized. He will compete in four events behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevrolet for DGM Racing, as confirmed by the team on Wednesday.
Kvapil’s first outing for DGM Racing is scheduled for Saturday, February 28, at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA). His remaining three races with the team will take place at Watkins Glen International on May 9, Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23, and Sonoma Raceway on June 27.
Details on Kvapil’s 2026 Racing Commitments and Team Affiliations
In addition to his DGM Racing engagements, Carson Kvapil is contracted to JR Motorsports, where he was the full-time driver of the No. 1 car in 2025. Last year, the 22-year-old driver achieved 14 top-10 finishes and advanced to the Championship 4. JR Motorsports announced prior to the 2025 season finale at Phoenix Raceway that Kvapil would continue competing full-time in 2026, though he will share driving responsibilities in the No. 1 car with Connor Zilisch. Veteran Cup Series crew chief Rodney Childers was appointed to lead the No. 1 team next season.
Rodney Childers shared insight about their close work over the offseason:
With Carson… we’ve spent… almost every day around each other the entire winter,
We’ve been to the simulator probably eight or nine times already. We’re working on races two, three months out. But, you know, for him, he wants to up his game and do better, of course, than what he did last year, and he’s working really hard to be able to do that.
— Rodney Childers, No. 1 Team Crew Chief
Kvapil’s Varied 2026 Race Schedule Across Multiple Teams
For the upcoming season, Carson Kvapil will race in a total of 33 events: 24 races driving the No. 1 car for JR Motorsports, five races in the No. 9 JRM car, and four races behind the wheel of the No. 91 car for DGM Racing. Reflecting on his previous season’s performance in November, Kvapil remarked on his goals moving forward:
There’s just some things on our end that we can work on and hopefully, next year will be an improvement over this year,
Like, this year was good and I was proud of what we did but I was hoping to win a couple of races, which we weren’t able to do, but we did put ourselves in a great spot to make the final four and race for a championship.
— Carson Kvapil, NASCAR Driver
Kvapil began his second full-time NOAPS campaign recently at the season opener held at Daytona International Speedway, finishing seventh and marking his third consecutive top-10 result at this track.
Implications of Kvapil’s 2026 Schedule for His Career Path
The announcement of Carson Kvapil’s 2026 NASCAR schedule highlights both his persistence and growth as a young driver in the sport. Balancing commitments between JR Motorsports and DGM Racing offers him varied experiences across different teams and racing conditions. His steady top-10 finishes and advancement to the Championship 4 last year underscore his competitive potential, while the addition of experienced crew chief Rodney Childers signals strategic support aimed at elevating his performance.
Looking ahead, Kvapil’s diverse schedule and ambition to improve suggest he is positioning himself for stronger challenges and potential victories. Fans and teams will watch closely to see if this mixed schedule and focused offseason preparation translate into race wins and a championship bid in 2026.
Adding Carson to the lineup 🧑🧑🧒🧒 @JRMotorsports Driver, @CarsonKvapil will pilot the No. 91 at four @NASCAROReillyAP races filling out the remainder of his full time schedule. pic.twitter.com/IM80KzpGgh
— DGM Racing (@DGMRacingFL) February 18, 2026
