Carson Kvapil will be piloting JR Motorsports’ No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro entry for the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
The news was made through social media by JR Motorsports (JRM) on Thursday, August 27. It also comes a day after Sammy Smith, who currently pilots JRM’s No. 8 entry, revealed through his social media account that he will be departing JRM at the conclusion of this season.
JRM’s decision to have Kvapil drive the No. 8 entry for next year’s O’Reilly campaign marks a full-circle moment for the 23-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native, who inherited the No. 8 when he joined JRM’s Drivers Edge Development program in 2022 for a full Late Model Stock Car Tour campaign. While driving the No. 8, Kvapil achieved back-to-back championships (2022 & 2023) and a total of 12 victories, including three in 2024.
Kvapil made his first nine career starts in the O’Reilly division with JRM in 2024, where he piloted the No. 88 Chevrolet entry to four top-10 results and three top-five results, including a season-best runner-up result at Dover Motor Speedway. This past season, he campaigned in his first full-time O’Reilly season in the No. 1 entry, where he recorded seven top-five results, 14 top-10 results, 104 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.7 throughout the 33-race schedule. After reaching the Championship 4 round, he settled in fourth place in the final standings.
This season, Kvapil spent the first 20 scheduled events transitioning between JRM’s Nos. 1 and 9 entries along with DGM Racing’s No. 91 entry amid a second full-time O’Reilly campaign. He is coming off his first two career victories in back-to-back events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway, respectively. With a total of eight top-five results, 14 top-10 results, 131 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.2 through 23 events, Kvapil is currently ranked in the runner-up spot in the regular-season standings. He is one of eight competitors who have secured berths to this year’s Chase and contend for the series’ championship.
Through 65 starts in the O’Reilly division, Kvapil has achieved two victories, 18 top-five results, 32 top-10 results, 298 laps led and an average-finishing result of 12.8 as he continues the pursuit of his first championship.
As for Sammy Smith, the two-time ARCA Menards Series champion from Johnston, Iowa, was named a full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competitor for JRM for the 2024 season on September 26, 2023. Driving his current ride, the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro entry, he achieved a Playoff berth after notching 13 top-10 results throughout the 26 regular-season stretch. During the second Playoff event, he executed a last-lap pass to win at Talladega Superspeedway that enabled him to transfer from the Round of 12 to 8. Despite falling short of reaching the Championship 4 round, he settled in 11th place in the final standings.
This past season, Smith was awarded a victory at Rockingham Speedway from the runner-up spot after the event’s initial winner, Jesse Love, was disqualified due to his race-winning entry failing the post-race inspection procedure. Smith also recorded a total of eight top-five results, 18 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 14.0 throughout the 33-race schedule. He advanced to the 2025 Playoffs and finished eighth in the standings.
This season, Smith has piloted JRM’s No. 8 Chevrolet entry to six top-five results, 10 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 11.6 through 23 of 33-scheduled events, with his highest-finishing result being a third-place run at Martinsville Speedway in mid-March. He is currently ranked in eighth place in the 2026 standings. Like Kvapil, he is one of eight competitors who have clinched berths to this year’s Chase.
As a JRM competitor, Smith recorded two of his three current victories along with one of his three poles, 21 of his 28 top-five results, 44 of his 62 top-10 results, and 178 of his 530 laps led as he sets his sights on campaigning for his first O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship to cap off his final season with JRM.
While revealing his decision to depart JRM at the conclusion of this season through social media, Smith, who has yet to reveal his plans for 2027, stated the following:
“I’m incredibly grateful for everyone at JRM who has been part of the last three years. Being a part of this No. 8 team has given me so much to be proud of, and I’ll always be thankful for the people who have helped me get to this point. But the job isn’t finished yet. My full focus is on this championship run, for my team, our partners and everyone who has believed in me along the way. Nothing is given. Everything is earned. I’m excited for what’s next and for the opportunity ahead.”
The 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season for Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith and JR Motorsports resumes this upcoming Friday, August 28, at Daytona International Speedway for the Winn-Dixie 250. The event is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM.
