DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Carson Kvapil has dealt with late-race issues as a rookie, but he delivered a much-needed performance Saturday at Darlington Raceway. This was one he could build off after a difficult early stretch.
"I felt like we've really been getting our tails kicked the last few weeks in a row," Kvapil told AltDriver on pit road. "Finally, we were able to knock out a good finish.
"Obviously, we want to go up there and race in the top three for the win, but at the same time, we're just looking for some traction here."
Kvapil crossed the line fifth overall at Darlington in what was his best finish since Daytona in February. This was his second top-five finish of the season and his third top-10.
This race at Darlington snapped a streak where he ran well before something unexpected took him out of the win, and it was a significant moment for the rookie. He finally got the finish that he and the No. 1 team felt they deserved.
"It's a struggle, right," Kvapil said. "I mean, you run second at (Circuit of the Americas), and then it was my mistake -- locked up the tires. But we were fighting for the win and had, I felt like, second place locked up, and then we blew a tire.
"Had a really fast car last weekend at Martinsville and then had a lot of adversity at the end of the race. With 25 to go, we were in a really good spot on tires and just got turned around."
Saturday's race wasn't necessarily smooth sailing for Kvapil, who qualified sixth. He only scored five stage points while dealing with a car that needed some adjustments. However, he still performed better than last season's two trips to Darlington when he finished 19th and 14th.
This improvement was a testament to the offseason work put in by Kvapil and his team. They were able to build a better foundation and then make the in-race adjustments they needed on Saturday. The result was a hard-fought top-five finish.
"We knew we had to go to work at this one," Kvapil said. "I knew I had to go to work, and we had to make the car a little better. We did.
"We fired a little bit off, but toward the end of the race, these guys just gave me a really fast Johnny Morris/Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Chevrolet. It was a lot easier to work with than what we had last year."