(Editor’s note: Race-winner Carson Kvapil was disqualified following post-race inspection at South Boston. Original second-place finisher Bobby McCarty was declared the winner of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200. The following is the race report from Saturday, July 1.)
SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — Josh Berry and JR Motorsports were long synonymous with efficiency in Late Model Stock competition during the 2010s.
Although the duo accumulated numerous accomplishments together in the discipline until Berry moved up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021, one that always eluded them was the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.
Berry’s JRM successor in Carson Kvapil took a crucial first step toward securing the team its maiden Virginia Triple Crown championship Saturday evening when he dominated the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway to claim his first win across the prestigious three-race stretch.
A Virginia Triple Crown title was far from Kvapil’s mind when he pulled into Victory Lane. Instead, he was elated to break a recent slump and celebrate a victory with his team.
“I’m just happy,” Kvapil said. “I felt like we ran really good at the beginning of the season but struggled in the last few races. To bounce back in one of the biggest shows of the year really brings the confidence back up. Without all my guys, I wouldn’t be here.”
The first race of the Virginia Triple Crown belongs to @Carson_Kvapil!
He wins the #ThunderRoadHD200 at @SoBoSpeedway57 @FloRacing pic.twitter.com/dpVw1i0s3j
– NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) July 2, 2023
There were numerous points preceding the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 when Kvapil had doubts about contending for the win.
After only climbing as high as sixth in the three Saturday practice sessions, Kvapil and his team worked to ensure the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet would be competitive come nightfall. The results were not immediately prevalent in time trials, as Kvapil only mustered a starting position of 10th in the 35-car field.
It was only when the green flag flew for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 that Kvapil’s car came to life. He methodically picked his way through the rest of the top-10 starters before overtaking Brenden “Butterbean” Queen for the lead shortly before the halfway break.
Kvapil’s biggest challenge over the second half of the race came from Landon Huffman. The defending Hickory Motor Speedway track champion was driving in his first Virginia Triple Crown event for Nelson Motorsports, which had previously won the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 with Bobby McCarty in 2021.
Several late restarts provided Huffman plenty of chances to unseat Kvapil, with the last one nearly resulting in a collision between the two. Huffman’s save took him out of contention and enabled Kvapil to traverse the final laps with no resistance.
“[Huffman] had a bunch of speed,” Kvapil said. “I was actually really surprised he had that much speed, and it was hard to clear him. Once we got going after a few laps, my car came around, and we were able to clear him.”
With his win, Kvapil continues to build upon an impressive resume with JR Motorsports that already includes a CARS Tour championship.
Along with defending that title, a goal Kvapil established with his team for 2023 was to excel in the Virginia Triple Crown. He competed in all three races last year, but his hopes of a strong performance were derailed by a mechanical failure in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200.
Kvapil said his performance in that race would have hindered his Virginia Triple Crown prospects even if the mechanical failure did not occur. He and JR Motorsports used their notebook from last year’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 and the CARS Tour race later in the season to put together an efficient plan for Saturday evening.
“Even though we didn’t finish [last year], we weren’t going to finish that well,” Kvapil said. “That was one of our poorer performances we had [in 2022] and was pretty nervous coming back to this race. We changed a bunch on the setup and our strategy for this race. It all ended up working out.”
Winning the first leg of the Virginia Triple Crown has Kvapil confident about the upcoming two races on the schedule. They consist of the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway and the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
For Kvapil, the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 was the missing piece in an otherwise efficient Virginia Triple Crown debut in 2022. He placed third in the Hampton Heat before following that showing up with a runner-up finish to Peyton Sellers in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
Only five drivers have won the Virginia Triple Crown since it was first created in 2012. Kvapil would love to join that elite list not only to bolster his own reputation as a driver, but to reward everyone at JR Motorsports that has shaped him into the driver he is today.
“It would be pretty big,” Kvapil said. “The Virginia Triple Crown is one of the biggest events throughout the Late Model scene. That’s on my bucket list for sure and hopefully we can mark it off this season.”
Kvapil knows matching Josh Berry’s success in a JR Motorsports Late Model is close to impossible. Despite this, Kvapil is determined to leave behind his own legacy with the organizations, which he hopes will include giving them their first Virginia Triple Crown title.