MARTINSVILLE, Va. .. Two years ago, Caden Kvapil got to watch his older brother Carson earn his first ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory at Martinsville Speedway.
The moment brought about plenty of emotions for Caden. He was proud to see his brother’s hard work pay off in the Late Model Stock Car equivalent of the Daytona 500, but it also served as a source of motivation.
One day, he would be a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner, as well.
That moment arrived for Caden on Saturday on a cool, autumn evening at Martinsville. After diligently working over Corey Heim during the second half of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, Caden finally made his way to the lead and managed to hold off the field on an overtime restart, adding his name to the notable list of winners in the event.
By winning the Hampton Heat in July and placing sixth in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, Caden also secured the 2026 Virginia Triple Crown championship. Being able to claim those two accomplishments was something Caden never would have imagined when he saw Carson win Martinsville himself in 2024.
“I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet,” Caden said. “I’m still kind of speechless and can’t really believe it. I’m sure after everything soaks in, it’ll kind of feel unreal. Two years ago, when I started Late Model Stock racing, this was kind of all a dream, and I didn’t really think I could do it either with just my abilities in general.
“To win the Triple Crown and Martinsville, some of the most prestigious races you can run in Late Model Stock racing, it’s kind of crazy to even think about.”
😱 @CadenKvapil wins the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at @MartinsvilleSwy as Treyten Lapcevich and Corey Heim crash behind him after the checkered flag! pic.twitter.com/4WvtH7acQ9
– NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) September 27, 2026
If he wanted to be a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner like Carson, Caden knew he needed to rely on the one factor that has always been synonymous with his family: work ethic.
From the moment their respective careers began, Caden and Carson’s father in 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil instilled into them the importance of a blue-collar mindset. The Kvapils always work on their own cars and have continued that philosophy since joining JR Motorsports.
With Travis guiding them every step of the way, the Kvapils wasted no time making a name for themselves in racing. Carson racked up wins and titles in both Late Model Stocks and Super Late Models while Caden became a Pro Late Model champion, an accomplishment that helped him succeed Carson at JR Motorsports later.
Naturally, competition breaks out between the brothers. Caden even bested Carson in a Late Model Stock during last year’s South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway. Yet no matter the circumstances, Carson and Caden have each other’s backs.
That bond was apparent Saturday when Carson, whose bid for a second ValleyStar Credit Union 300 ended early due to a mechanical failure, shifted his focus over to being a crew member for Caden, a role reversal from two years earlier.
“Having [Carson] work on my car at halfway, trying to make the right adjustments for me was even cooler to see,” Caden said. “I got out of the car, and he was the one with the wrenches. That was really special. It’s a really big family thing with me, him and my dad, my mom and my sister. We’ve put a whole lot of work into this and have a whole lot of pride in it, too.”
Many of the crew members on Caden’s No. 88 Jerky Boys Chevrolet were a part of Carson’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 triumph. Being able to experience that moment from a different perspective made Carson further appreciate the sacrifices it took for him and Caden to become successful.
Nothing was ever guaranteed to the Kvapils. Every race was a fight for survival to prove they had the talent to make it to NASCAR’s top levels. Carson is grateful he landed a full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ride, but he also understands Caden may not get a similar reward even after his ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory.
From Carson’s experience, the big win will help Caden. So will a sustained commitment to the family’s established work ethic.
“You’ve got to put in the effort,” Carson said. “The only way you’re ever going to make it in this sport is to work harder than everybody else, do better than everybody else and outrun everybody else. For me and my brother, we’re fighting to get a shot. It’s a really tough sport, and you got to be in front of the right eyes at the right time and win the right races.
“Still then, you might have a shot to make it.”
Caden is more confident in his own future following the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. The event attracted more than 80 competitors, among them being a two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner in Heim and 2023 NASCAR Canada Series champion Treyten Lapcevich, who nearly passed Caden during the overtime restart.
With every victory, Caden gets closer to the expectations he set for himself as a JR Motorsports driver. Matching Carson’s stats with the program was always going to be difficult, but Caden wanted to build his own reputation while simultaneously continuing JR Motorsports’ standard of success.
As a Virginia Triple Crown champion for JR Motorsports, Caden believes he has made his own distinct mark in the organization’s short-track history.
“This year has gone better than I could have imagined,” Caden said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. My brother was exceptional in this car. When I got the opportunity to drive it after him, I felt like I had big shoes to fill. It’s tough because I feel like I’ve always been compared to him growing up racing with him.
“It’s not that I don’t like it. I don’t really care, but whenever he’s had such good success and I’m supposed to try and replicate it, I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself to do that.”
Now that he has both a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 and a Virginia Triple Crown to his name, Caden hopes more opportunities beyond Late Model Stocks keep materializing. Caden made his ARCA Menards Series debut at Toledo Speedway in May before qualifying for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway last week.
Carson understands the uncertainty Caden feels about his future. There were plenty of times when Carson believed Late Model Stocks would be his terminus in racing, a reality he was prepared to accept.
The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 triumph served as a major boost to Carson’s NASCAR ambitions, so he has every reason to believe a similar scenario could unfold for his younger brother.
“I was in his shoes at one point too,” Carson said. “I was racing the late model, trying to win the ValleyStar and finally winning the ValleyStar, all that good stuff. The next time you sit in a seat is not guaranteed. You never know when the last one is. Before my O’Reilly wins, this was the biggest one of my career.
“This might be the biggest win of his career, and 20 years from now, he’s looking back on it like I thought I would be.”
Long-term plans were not a major concern for any of the Kvapils on Saturday night. The evening was a chance for the family to relish in the fact that two of its members now possessed a grandfather clock from Martinsville.
As for what Caden plans to do with his newly acquired clock, he does have a couple of ideas.
“We had a trophy shelf in our shop, and it’s gotten full within the last three years,” Caden said. “A lot of our trophies are either in our rooms or the living room just sat on the floor. They take up a lot of space, and [Carson’s] clock is right next to the couch. He always asks me what time it is. Now that I have a clock, I can tell him I know what time it is.
“I’ll probably put mine right in front of his to block it and make him mad, or I’ll put it next to it. Probably next to it to have some respect.”
The debate over where Caden’s grandfather clock will go in the Kvapil household is going to come later. Caden was just proud to have it and the Virginia Triple Crown in his possession, a perfect culmination to the philosophy that has long defined his family.
Hard work will always pay off.