Race: Mini's Mission 125 at Dominion (Va.) Raceway
Track Specs: .400-mile oval / 125 laps
Race Winner: Brenden Queen
Kvapil's finish: 7th
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 17, 2024) -- Carson Kvapil's hopes of a victory in Saturday's Mini's Mission 125 for zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Cars at Dominion Raceway ended in a seventh-place finish for the two-time and defending series champion. Kvapil's No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet ran short of forward drive in the latter stages thanks to a lingering tight handling condition.
Starting ninth in the field, Kvapil used the early laps to get the feel for his Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet, hopeful of being able to advance up the ladder later in the race. The young star spent most of practice making sure the handling of his Chevrolet would be tight enough for the night-time grind on the flat .400-mile oval.
On the initial start, Kvapil sought to move up the order, but the tight condition grew to the point that it was difficult to overcome and that limited his opportunities. Lack of speed on restarts was a constant problem, and while he advanced to the cusp of the top five during the latter stages of the race, the lingering tight condition limited his ability to gain track position.
Brenden Queen dominated the event, outpacing current points leader Connor Hall to earn the victory. Canadian rookie Treyten Lapcevich was third after a wild battle with Conner Jones over the final 25 laps and local hero Mini Tyrrell rounded out the top five. Ryan Millington nipped Kvapil at the line to finish sixth.
The zMAX CARS Tour will return to action on July 3 at Caraway Speedway for a rare mid-week event on the .400-mile North Carolina oval.
Carson Kvapil, driver No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet team
"Overall, it wasn't a great night, but we brought our Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet home in one piece. We spent practice getting our No. 8 Chevrolet dialed in with good speed and handling and qualified ninth for the feature. At the end of the race, we were just too tight and that limited our fire-off speed. I felt like we had a top-five car, but we just didn't have the track position we needed to get there. Bryan (team manager Bryan Shaffer) and the whole crew worked hard all weekend and I can't thank them enough for all they do. As always, we couldn't do this without Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops, and thanks to them and to JR Motorsports for letting me drive this Chevrolet."