The JR Motorsports driver, Carson Kvapil, started the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in Kansas from pole position. But just three laps into the race, he went airborne. The driver escaped unharmed, but this incident caused a lot of chatter about the caution timing by NASCAR.  

The #1 JR Motorsports driver was fighting for the lead of the race with Justin Allgaier and William Byron. During the fight, Kvapil and Byron made contact, causing Carson to slide sideways before being hit by Parker Retzlaff. This contact sent him airborne. 

Prior to Kvapil going airborne, Allgaier had spun out. During this, NASCAR failed to throw out a caution. This has caused a lot of talk in the NASCAR world.  

“A lot of stuff happened in turn one. I know we've been harping on throwing cautions and stuff," said Tommy Baldwin on the April 21st episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast. "There was guys up in the wall. If they did throw that caution, none of that would have happened."

As Kvapil slid sideways, Retzlaff made contact with his right rear. It sent the car airborne. After that, it traveled briefly through the air, barrel-rolled, and came to rest on its roof.

“I was late calling the flip because I'm looking at the NASCAR radios have not been great for us to monitor NASCAR this year," said Freddie Kraft

During Kvapil’s incident, the caution was thrown out eventually, which allowed the safety crew to clear the track.

“Just a very aggressive start that caused a wreck that really wasn’t necessary to happen that early in the race,” Retzlaff said after the race. “We knew we had a competition caution in 20 laps in the race."

The race was halted for 12 minutes and nine seconds.  

Carson Kvapil Talks About His Experience Going Airborne in the NASCAR Car

The JR Motorsports driver walked away from the crash unharmed. He was shortly released from the infield medical center. 

“I actually didn’t think it was going to flip over like that but once it started doing that, really didn’t seem too bad,” said Kvapil after being released in an interview with CW.

Kvapil was fighting for the ‘Dash for Cash’ reward of $100,000 bonus money. But with the DNF, he was immediately out of contention. 

NASCAR will review the incident to identify any potential safety improvements. According to Jonathan Fjeld of The Racing Experts, Kvapil’s car was not sent to the R&D Center, but officials are expected to work with Kvapil’s team this week to gather data from the crash.

While NASCAR has yet to review, Kvapil now focuses on his next, the Talladega race scheduled for April 25.

What are your thoughts on NASCAR's role in Kvapil's incident? Share in the comments.

Find more at RFK Racing Digest.

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar