JR Motorsports announced on Thursday morning that Carson Kvapil will move to the #8 entry for the team next season. Kvapil has made just over 60 starts for the team so far, recording 18 top fives, 32 top tens, and around 300 laps led. In addition, Kvapil scored his first two wins of his career over the previous two races in Iowa, and Indianapolis. A driver who initially disappointed due to not winning, is now going to be driving the iconic #8 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
This brings us to the driver he’s replacing, that being Sammy Smith. There has been a heavy rumor circulating around the industry about a driver swap between Smith, and Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer. Considering this news, and Mayer’s prior stint at JR Motorsports, it makes sense. In his three full-time seasons with JR Motorsports, Mayer scored seven wins, and led 454 laps. Mayer is currently in his second season with Haas Factory team, and despite leading a similar amount of laps, he has only one once for the team. His lone win came at the Iowa Speedway in 2025. So far in 2026, Mayer has not found victory lane, but his teammate Sheldon Creed scored his first career win at Atlanta.
Not only does Mayer have prior ties to JR Motorsports, but when he drove full-time for the team, he sported the #1 entry. Ironically enough, Kvapil’s move to the #8 car, leaves the #1 without a driver. This is just one more reason to assume that Mayer will be returning to the team. If you’re wondering why Kvapil made this move, he carried the #8 prior to his career in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Series. Similar to how Chase Elliott made the switch from #24 to #9, the #8 has a ton of personal value to Kvapil. As it stands right now, JR Motorsports’ confirmed drivers for 2027 are Justin Allgaier in the #7 and Carson Kvapil in the #8. Rajah Caruth currently drives the #88, but his contract expires at the conclusion of this season. He is not under contract for 2027 as of now, but a deal seems to be in the works between the two parties.