BRISTOL, TN - SEPTEMBER 20: Dale Earnhardt, Jr 88 JR Motorsports Hellmann s Chevrolet looks on during qualifying for the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Xfinity Series Food City 300 on September 20, 2024, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: SEP 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon240920557
BRISTOL, TN - SEPTEMBER 20: Dale Earnhardt, Jr 88 JR Motorsports Hellmann s Chevrolet looks on during qualifying for the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Xfinity Series Food City 300 on September 20, 2024, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: SEP 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon240920557
In any form of racing, there is often a very fine line between celebrations that either get labeled epic or go completely wrong. Carson Kvapil is finding out the hard way after his burnout on the sacred bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
As a result, Dale Jr. had to apologize. Reacting to the incident on social media, the JR Motorsport team owner took responsibility and admitted the celebration should not have happened on the Indy bricks, one of NASCAR’s most historic landmarks.
“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,” Dale Jr. said on X.
Junior's apology on X came after Kvapil celebrated his maiden O’Reilly Series win by performing a burnout across the start-finish line, before joining his team for the traditional ‘Kiss the Bricks’ celebration.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 25: Carson Kvapil 1 JR Motorsports Wilde Protein Crackers Chevrolet does a burnout after winning the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA OÕReilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250 on July 25, 2026, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 25 NASCAR OÕReilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon116260725020250
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 25: Carson Kvapil 1 JR Motorsports Wilde Protein Crackers Chevrolet does a burnout after winning the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA OÕReilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250 on July 25, 2026, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 25 NASCAR OÕReilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon116260725020250
He performed a burnout that left visible rubber marks on the famous strip of bricks, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway staff to scrub the surface clean.
NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck also weighed in on the incident, serving a reminder to Cup Series drivers not to indulge in the same when they race at the venue. He re-posted the video of the staff cleaning the bricks.
Kvapil’s celebration has attracted a lot of heat from fans, as they left disapproving comments under Dale Jr.’s tweet. They felt that the driver should have had it in him to respect the landmark. However, many others also pushed back by saying it wasn’t really the end of the world.
Times when Cup drivers faced backlash for celebrations at IMS
In 2015, the late Kyle Busch faced a lot of heat from fans after he performed a burnout directly across the bricks, following his winning the Lilly Diabetes 250 in the O’Reilly Series.
This prompted complaints from fans and a message of displeasure from IMS officials through NASCAR. When he won the Brickyard 400 the following day, he deliberately kept his burnout away from the bricks, as he later admitted he wanted to avoid another controversy (as reported by NBC Sports).
Similarly, three years earlier, in 2012, Jimmie Johnson won his fourth Brickyard 400. He then parked near the start-finish line and performed a burnout that covered the Yard of Bricks with tire rubber.
The celebration sparked backlash from some fans, who felt it disrespected the historic bricks. However, unlike in Busch’s case, the IMS officials defended Johnson and said they understood the emotion behind the celebration, as reported by the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Read more at Daytona Racing Digest.
Written by
Aaradhya Singh
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason