Sports

Dale Jr. apologizes and Kvapil explains controversial burnout across Indy bricks

July 26, 2026

Source: Yahoo Sports · Read on source site

Motorsport photoIn his 64th career start and after five runner-up finishes, Carson Kvapil finally snagged his first win as a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver on Saturday, conquering Indianapolis.

>The JR Motorsports driver excitedly celebrated the emotional victory, and left a burnout across the hallowed Yard of Bricks in the process -- which is frowned upon.

>NASCAR did radio Kvapil on the cool-down lap to remind him of that guideline, but it appears the message never actually reached the race winner's ears.

>"I looked at that about 20 minutes after the race and I was like, uh, probably wasn't good," said Kvapil in the post-race press conference. "I was unplugged (from the radio), so I have no idea if they said anything or not. Yeah, I made a little bit of a mistake there, probably."

>Later, JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. addressed the burnout on the fabled Yard of Bricks via social media, with Dale Jr. posting: "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."

Carson Kvapil, No. 1 JR Motorsports ChevroletCarson Kvapil, No. 1 JR Motorsports ChevroletJust over an hour after celebrations wrapped, employees at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were out on the frontstretch, working by hand and scrubbing away at the historic bricks to remove the black streak of rubber across them. Angela Moryan of the WISH-TV8 local news station caught the process in the following video:

👀 😬

All hands on deck to clean off the legendary yard of bricks after first-time champ Carson Kvapil burns out over them after winning the Pennzoil 250. pic.twitter.com/btSNocUaL2

— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) July 26, 2026Now, Kvapil isn't the first to break this unwritten rule at IMS. In 2015, NASCAR legend Kyle Busch angered fans (and the speedway) when he performed a burnout across the bricks following his win in Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly race. He ended up sweeping the weekend and following his first Brickyard 400 victory on Sunday, KB kept that celebration far away from the start/finish line.

>Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson also parked his car on the bricks and did a burnout while nosed up against the wall following his 2012 Brickyard 400 triumph.

>So hey, at least you're in good company, Carson!