Caden Kvapil, Go FAS gears up for Oxford 250 with vital test session  

The countdown is on for one of the country’s most prestigious super late model races, the 53rd running of the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

The event has become well known to attract the biggest names in stock car racing, including 2011 Oxford 250 Winner Kyle Busch, 2008 Oxford 250 winner Kevin Harvick, 2018 Oxford 250 winner Bubba Pollard, just to name a few of drivers who invaded from outside of New England won the race, with many more who have raced, but not won the prestigious race.

Now, in 2026, one of the fastest-rising stars in Late Model Stock and Super Late Model racing will make his Oxford 250 debut—Caden Kvapil, son of 2003 NASCAR Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil. Caden Kvapil comes off a huge win at Langley Speedway in Virginia and currently leads the CARS Tour Late Model Stock championship standings.

On Friday afternoon, Caden Kvapil was at the Oxford, Maine Speedway making test runs on the track aboard the Archie St Hilaire Go FAS Racing FURY Chassis Chevrolet. For Kvapil, it was the first laps he had made in New England as he becomes comfortable at the historic facility.

“It’s definitely a little different, I’m coming off Langley Speedway, and that’s probably the closest thing we’ll get to a place like this (Oxford Plains). They’re both pretty circular and pretty flat and not a whole lot of grip,” Kvapil explains, “that’s the closest thing I can compare it to, and it’s definitely different with the curbing.”

Another thing picked up by the 19-year-old after his first few sessions, is how difficult it can be to find a consistent line.

“It’s kind of hard to be consistent. There’s no real markers on the track to know when you got to lift or turn or anything like that. So it’s definitely a little different for me, but it’s a lot of fun,” Kvapil says.

Caden and his older brother, Carson Kvapil have been racing for Archie and his Go FAS Racing team since 2023, and picking off wins along this journey together. Now as we head into August, he finds himself in New England for the first time, or as this far north to race in the northeast.

“We’ve been running Archie’s super and his late model stock the last couple years. Archie wanted me to come up here and run this race for the first time, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Kvapil says “obviously their stuff is really good up here. Brandon Barker has been running really well. We’ve run in Wisconsin with him (Archie) a couple times, but I never really thought I was going to come this far north in Maine.”

Over the last few years, Caden has watched the Oxford 250 from home, and understands the importance and history of the Oxford 250 race, but also the difficulty for newcomers outside of New England to come to Oxford and be successful.

“I’m grateful he (Archie) is letting me do this. It’s really cool. This place obviously has a lot of history and it’s hard for guys like that to come up here and be successful,” Kvapil said. “Obviously, Bubba (Pollard) has won, and Kyle Busch has won, and they are some of the best Super Late Model drivers. Hopefully we can run well and be like them, it will be really cool.”

Caden’s dad and former NASCAR Cup Series driver, Travis Kvapil has always had his heart with super late model racing from his years racing in Wisconsin. Travis has always kept tabs on the Oxford 250, and he’s looking forward to coming back to Maine later this month.

“It’s a neat place. I knew it would be kind of cool to make the trip out here. Whether it was me racing or one of my boys. The rules are somewhat similar, but not what we are accustomed to weekly. When Archie presented this, I thought, man, what a great opportunity for Caden to get to experience, especially coupled with this group,” said the elder Kvapil.

“Kyle DeSouza and the Landshark Performance crew seem like they really got a real legitimate program going. The car has good speed and these are some solid guys working on it. I thought it would be a great opportunity for Caden to come up and get these laps” Travis says with gratitude of the hard workmanship, “Caden is trying to build his career and build that foundation up, working his way up the ladder. So what better way to do that than just experience different racetracks and work with different guys here. I’m really excited about it.”

As an invader to a new track, let alone a whole region, the youngster understands the tall task ahead.

“This place is definitely tricky and there’s a lot of people that run up here weekly that are really fast, so you’re going to be comparing yourself a lot to them and know how we are based off them. Right now, I think we’re doing pretty good in our practice, so I feel like we’ve gotten up to speed pretty quick and I’ve got a pretty good handle on this place, but there’s a little fine tuning we still have to do,” a humble Caden Kvapil says.

For the Kvapil family, sons Caden and Carson have been on a roll as of late, and Caden hopes to continue that heading into August between the CARS Tour and tackling Oxford 250 Weekend.

“We’ve definitely been on a wave of momentum for sure this year. I feel like as a driver myself, I’ve gotten a lot better. Just making the right decisions every race. It’s all going pretty well for us, but still only about halfway through the season,” Kvapil says, pleased with his 2026 campaign,   “we got to keep our heads down and keep it rolling for the rest of the year.”

The younger Kvapil brother already has a Super Late Model win with the Go Fas Racing team in 2026, picking up a win at Hickory Motor Speedway in May with the ASA Stars National Tour and felt that helped build the momentum for the whole year.

“We won at Hickory earlier this spring, and that was definitely a big confidence boost. This stuff is not that easy to win in. And coming up here to run one of his late models at the Oxford 250 is gonna be hard, but with that win under my belt, I feel like I have a lot of confidence in my abilities, and obviously the car is going to be good. So I can’t wait for it,” a confident Kvapil says.

For Go FAS team owner, Archie St Hilaire, he is always looking forward to bringing an outsider or invader into New England to drive his cars, with most recent years being Kyle Busch, or in 2022 being Tyler Reddick. His super late model program in Maine is also in good hands with Kyle DeSouza and Landshark Performance, so the confidence is high in the equipment.

“Kyle (DeSouza) and Landshark Performance have done a super great job, so just thought we’d bring Caden and his dad up and let them have a little fun. Nobody brings southern drivers up anymore, so I thought, he’s an up and coming driver, let’s see him now, sign some autographs, you never know where he’s gonna head.” St. Hilaire said. “Maybe he will follow his brother’s footsteps and end up in NASCAR. It’s good to see him here when they’re young, and then as they move on, like we saw with a young Kyle Busch, come up and win, and look at what he turned into after that.

“We’re having fun and just shaking it down, just getting used to the track.”

A familiar and current points leader in the Super Late Models at Oxford, Brandon Barker was helping get Caden comfortable Friday afternoon with the test session. Barker, another driver for Archie and Go FAS will be someone Caden looks to for any tips over the next three weeks.

“Brandon has been running really well this year in Archie’s stuff. Obviously he has a lot more experience in this place than I do, but I’m going to be able to lean on him a bunch and kind of get some information off of him,” Kvapil says with appreciation about working with Barker.

For the current Oxford Plains Speedway super late model driver, he’s enjoying working with Caden and adapting to Oxford, especially after Caden helped him out earlier this year.

“It’s cool to get to work with Caden and Travis, they are down to earth people. I know Caden helped me a bit in March when we went to Hickory so it’s cool I can kind of repay that. I’m looking forward to the 250 as I do every year,” Barker says.

At the end of the day and when it comes to Oxford 250 Weekend, Kvapil knows he will have a good car under him with speed, he just needs to be comfortable and get used to the track.

“It will be the little things that I have to work on,” said the younger Kvapil. “But I don’t have a whole lot of expectations. Obviously I want to run well. That’s the main goal at every racetrack that we go to, but at the same time, there’s a lot of unknowns going into it. So I’m just going to look forward to enjoying the Oxford 250 experience later this month.”

For the young driver out of Mooresville, North Carolina, he is very grateful for the opportunity and those giving him the chance to race in one of the more historic races in the country.

“Big thanks to Archie and Go FAS Racing for even allowing this to happen. We didn’t really have a whole big plan to do this till the last couple months. And he’s asked me to do it. I can’t thank him enough for allowing me to do it and Keen Parts for coming on board. My sponsors, Corvette Parts, LKN Mechanical back home. They’ll be on the car and can’t wait to have them out here in Oxford. It’s gonna be cool with a lot of fans. So hopefully we can put on a show when we come back,” an excited young Caden Kvapil says.

Caden Kvapil and the Go FAS Racing team will return to Oxford later this month for Oxford 250 Weekend, August 28–30. As of July 29, more than 40 drivers had submitted entries for the prestigious event. RacingAmerica will provide live coverage of the Oxford 250 on August 30.