JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. issued an apology after driver Carson Kvapil performed a burnout across the historic Yard of Bricks following his victory in the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
First Career Win and Celebration Mishap
Kvapil secured his first NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series victory in his 64th career start driving the No. 1 Chevrolet.
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He had previously recorded five second-place finishes.
However, his post-race celebration left tire rubber across the venue's iconic start-finish line.
NASCAR officials had issued a warning during the cool-down lap instructing the driver to avoid the brick section.
The message went unreceived because Kvapil had already disconnected his helmet radio prior to the celebration.
Kvapil recognized the oversight following the post-race events at the track.
"I looked at that about 20 minutes after the race, and I was like, uh, probably wasn't good.
I was unplugged (from the radio), so I have no idea if they said anything or not.
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Yeah, I made a little bit of a mistake there, probably," said Carson Kvapil, JR Motorsports driver.
The incident required Indianapolis Motor Speedway maintenance crews to manually clean the rubber from the surface before Sunday's Brickyard 400 NASCAR Cup Series event.
Track administration traditionally discourages burnouts on the historic brick section due to the extensive labor required for restoration.
Earnhardt Jr. publicly addressed the incident on social media to accept responsibility for the communication breakdown.
"Our apologies. The driver was unplugged from his radio when NASCAR sent the reminder.
Lots going on when that all went down. Certainly regret any inconvenience," wrote Dale Earnhardt Jr., JR Motorsports owner.
Similar post-race celebrations on the Yard of Bricks have previously drawn attention at the facility, including a burnout by Justin Allgaier in 2018.
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Both Kvapil and JR Motorsports have turned their attention back to the remainder of the NASCAR season following the cleanup.
