By: Andy DeLay, Seriously Fast Motorsports
If there’s one thing I love about short-track racing, it’s the history and the legacy. Last Saturday night at Florence Motor Speedway, we watched the next chapter of a racing family write itself in real-time.
For years, we’ve watched Travis Kvapil, the 2003 NASCAR Truck Series Champion, guide his sons up the racing ladder. We’ve seen Carson Kvapil dominate the Late Model Stock world, earning his stripes in the JR Motorsports No. 8 before moving up the NASCAR ranks. This past weekend, under the lights of the South Carolina 400, it was the “little brother’s” turn to hold the checkered flag, though.
Eighteen-year-old Caden Kvapil, piloting that same iconic No. 8 Chevy, didn’t just win; he put on a clinic. What makes this such a great story? The man he had to beat to hoist the trophy was his older brother, Carson.
The Battle of the Brothers
The atmosphere at Florence was electric, reminiscent of the gritty, door-to-door racing many of us grew up watching on Saturday nights at our local tracks. The South Carolina 400 (often colloquially called the Florence 400) has become a modern crown jewel, and this year’s edition did not disappoint.
While the field was stacked with heavy hitters, including a stout top-five run by young Keelan Harvick in his Late Model Stock car debut, the night belonged to the Kvapil family.
Caden, who recently picked up a massive win at the CARS Tour finale at North Wilkesboro, showed poise behind the wheel. He managed his tires, stalked the leaders, and when the time came to go, he found a gear that no one else had… not even Carson.
“We made really good adjustments in the second half,” Caden said in Victory Lane. “I just felt like we could take the lead whenever we wanted to… I could put two tenths on them whenever we needed to.”
That confidence is telling. It’s the same kind of confidence we saw in his father 20 years ago. Speaking of Travis, he was serving as crew chief, watching his two sons battle 1-2 for one of the sport’s biggest prizes.
A Changing of the Guard?
For the 40-to-65-year-old fan base, this race hit all the right notes. It wasn’t just about speed; it was about the torch being passed. Carson Kvapil has arguably been the standard-bearer for Late Model Stock racing for the last three years. But with Caden stepping into the No. 8 full-time for the 2026 CARS Tour season, the hierarchy is shifting.
“I just take a lot of pride in this,” Caden admitted, acknowledging the family dynamic. “To finish 1-2, that’s pretty special.”
Travis Kvapil summed it up best, playing the role of proud father and neutral crew chief perfectly. “Carson has done this for three years… winning countless races and the championships and validated that ride. So now, it’s Caden’s turn. He has to prove himself.”
The Bottom Line
If you needed proof that the grassroots level of our sport is alive and well, look no further than the race at Florence this past weekend. There was plenty of respectful but hard-fought racing between brothers, a father guiding them, and a young talent solidifying his name as the one to watch moving forward.
Caden Kvapil is no longer just “Carson’s brother” or “Travis’s son.” He is the South Carolina 400 Champion. And if this performance was any indication, the kid is just getting started.
Image via Caden Kvapil’s X account