Kevin Harvick Fans Will Be Happy With Happy’s Latest Remarks on His Racing Future
The Kevin Harvick era ended when he crossed the finish line seventh in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Phoenix. It was the conclusion of a first-ballot Hall of Fame career with 60 wins, including the 2007 Daytona 500 and, more significantly, the 2014 Cup Series championship.
There will be no more titles. However, according to the 47-year-old driver, there still might be more wins in NASCAR. He revealed as much during his recent appearance on the Dale Jr. Download.
Kevin Harvick’s Hall of Fame career comes to an end
Kevin Harvick will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best to ever strap in behind the wheel and drive a car in the NASCAR Cup Series. His accomplishments are many, including earning Rookie of the Year honors in a year that he wasn’t even supposed to be behind the wheel full-time, only pressed into service due to the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt at the 2001 Daytona 500.
The younger driver pulled off the improbable in his third-ever Cup race, edging out Jeff Gordon by inches to take the checkered flag at Atlanta. That special victory was a precursor of things to come.
In 2022, an impressive 21 years after that first trip to Victory Lane, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver did it on back-to-back occasions at Michigan and Richmond.
This year, as much as everyone in the industry, including fellow competitors, wanted the driver to win one final time, it didn’t happen. He came close and led laps on multiple occasions, including the season-ending race at Phoenix, but managed a best finish of second earlier in the year at Darlington.
He made the playoffs on points but failed to advance to the Round of 12 and finished 13th.
Kevin Harvick doesn’t rule out NASCAR racing in his future
Kevin Harvick doesn’t need to race again to prove anything. His legacy is secure. But he’s a racer. That’s what he does. So his answer about his racing future on the season finale episode of the popular weekly podcast hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t come as a total surprise.
“The big question: Are you going to drive anything next year?” Earnhardt asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Harvick answered.
“The door’s open?” Junior wondered.
“The door’s open,” he replied. “I’m not going to drive Cup ever again.”
“Ever again,” the podcast host reaffirmed.
“Never again,” the 2014 champion confirmed.
“That’s the way I feel,” Earnhardt admitted.
“I can’t be competitive,” Harvick acknowledged. “I can’t make myself go there and say, ‘I’m looking for a top-30 today.’ That’s what it would be. I’m telling you. You’d be lucky to run 30th. It’s too hard.”
Following Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s path to Xfinity Series races
Harvick told Earnhardt later in the podcast that he would lean on him and his experience and what he’s done competing in the Xfinity Series but was first committed to working with Fox and its NASCAR coverage during the first half of the season and would see what might happen in the second half of the year.
While the former SHR driver might not see himself being competitive in the Cup Series, it could be a different story in Xfinity. Earnhardt proved that twice in 2023 with two solid performances at Bristol and Homestead, including a fifth-place finish at the latter.
NASCAR fans can only imagine the two greats going toe-to-toe in the final laps of an Xfinity Series race, battling for the win, or even a top-5. In either case, it would be an entertaining product that would bring back fond memories of the past while making new ones for those who didn’t get to enjoy their friendly rivalry the first time around.
