Dale Earnhardt Jr. Might Have One of the Most Underrated Drivers in NASCAR in 2026

The 2026 crop of NASCAR prospects is full of talent, but one name flying under the radar is Carson Kvapil. The son of former Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil is currently in his second season in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for Jr. Motorsports. Carson has four top fives and eight top tens in 16 races, and he currently has the third most stage points with 123. In 2025, the five-foot-nine driver made the Final Four, ultimately falling short of the championship to Jesse Love. Despite being so consistent, Kvapil is barely mentioned as a threat, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not even have him racing the entire season for his team.

Last year's third-place points finisher was brought up through the ranks by the NASCAR legend, so the decision to give some of his starts to Connor Zillisch came as a surprise. Kvapil signed with DGM Racing to drive the 91 car in four races just to complete the entire 2026 season. This raises questions about whether Jr. Motorsports is truly committed to developing the underrated driver as much as it is to Zilisch, who is currently trying to raise Trackhouse Racing to new heights in the Cup Series. ‘Junior’ has shown that he goes above and beyond for Zilisch, but the 19-year-old star is now developing in the Cup Series while Kvapil is still trying to compete in the O’Reilly Series. Taking away valuable starts limits the North Carolina native’s opportunities to gain experience on a contending ride and could significantly slow his development.

​Kvapil needs to make a huge statement to earn the attention of his Hall of Fame boss. He has been in contention for his first career win multiple times, with one almost coming in a second-place run at Dover back in 2024, where he barely lost in overtime to Ryan Truex. If he can break out and finally get his first O’Reilly Auto Parts series win this season, ‘Junior’ will finally be able to see his full potential and give him more opportunities. Kvapil’s situation is similar to Chase Elliott's in 2018 before he finally won his first Cup Series Race at Watkins Glen. If the 23-year-old can break through just as Elliott did, he may take that next step and no longer be viewed as under the radar, but as one of the future stars of NASCAR.