Kevin Harvick hits Son Keelan with Wake-Up Call

Epic Battle in CARS Tour West Season Opener

 

Keelan Harvick will one day have his day in the sun; Saturday at Tucson Speedway was not the time nor the place. His father, 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, reminded him that his “maiden voyage is over.”

 

The Harvicks headlined the field for the CARS Tour West Pro Late Model class season opener at Tucson Speedway. Keelan and Kevin banged doors and traded paint late in the race, the 13-year-old initiating it and the 50-year-old ending it. The elder Harvick took the checkered flag with Keelan coming in second, making it a father/son 1-2 finish.

 

“It got a little physical, but I was like, ‘You know what, buddy, you’ve moved me out of the way today, your maiden voyage is over, you’re gonna get the bumper back.’ I’m glad he didn’t wreck, but I would have been fine with that, too, today,” Kevin Harvick told Short Track Scene. “It was fun. Hopefully the crowd enjoyed it, it’s fun to be in Victory Lane.”

 

It was an entertaining duel between father and son, one of many we could see as Keelan Harvick continues to rise through the ranks of motorsports. Keelan Harvick put up a fight but came up just short going up against an experienced wheelman in his dad, a 60-time Cup Series winner.

 

“I had him the first time and we kind of got hung together there off of [Turn] 4 door-to-door and it kind of shot me down the racetrack just a little bit, and I didn’t get a great entry into [Turn] 1,” Kevin Harvick said. “I lost that battle there and the second time, I think he thought I was gonna roll the top or he thought I was at the top and tried to cross me over, I don’t remember exactly what happened right there. He didn’t get there, and then he moved me in the next corner. From there, it was game on.”

 

Pole sitter @KeelanHarvick breaks down his early battle with Colton Hale and finishing second to his dad, @KevinHarvick, in @CARSTourWest Pro Late Models at Tucson Speedway.@ST_Scene | #SoundGear125 pic.twitter.com/cd102y5Ctq

— Rence Brown (@rencethefence) January 18, 2026

Keelan Harvick really wanted to beat his dad. That being said, he enjoyed the battle.

 

“It was really fun,” Keelan Harvick said. “Hate that I couldn’t win but still really fun racing him.”

 

 

 

source: ON3 Media

Keelan Harvick Embodied Father Kevin’s Composure

The Closer, Part II becomes the Youngest Snowflake 125 Winner in History

 

For a brief moment, Keelan Harvick thought he let a victory slip away in his debut Snowflake 125 appearance at Five Flags Speedway early Sunday morning.

 

A bad restart with 45 laps remaining stymied a valiant charge the young Harvick had made from the 15th starting position, which forced him to play catch up against Tristan McKee and reigning Snowball Derby winner Kaden Honeycutt. Possessing the same poise as his father Kevin, Harvick did not waste the limited time at his disposal.

 

“I thought I was in third gear, but I was in second gear,” Harvick said. “I just made a mistake, but I knew I had to fight back. [It would have been] a pretty embarrassing way to lose the Snowflake [125] after I had just got the lead.

 

However, not even 20 laps passed before Harvick found himself on McKee’s rear bumper to re-take the top spot. Harvick easily dispatched McKee and held him off in the closing laps to become the youngest Snowflake 125 winner at 13, surpassing the record previously established by a 14-year-old Hunter Robbins in 2005.

 

𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆 - At 13 years old @KeelanHarvick became the youngest winner of the #Snowflake125 at the end of a very late night at @5FlagsSpeedway.

He caught up with our @RobBlount to explain how scored the biggest win of his life 👇 pic.twitter.com/qcequVXJsP

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) December 7, 2025

Battling his way to a Snowflake 125 victory was a mentally taxing experience for Harvick, who climbed out of his No. 62 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford shortly before 4 a.m. CT. Yet he still made time to appreciate and reflect upon the journey that led him to prevailing on the Pro Late Model discipline’s premier stage.

 

“It’s just really cool,” he said. “[I’m thankful for] everything that everybody has sacrificed for me to get to this point. My dad took me to Italy when I was 10 to get the experience with all the other kids who are so much better. That helped me understand the value of racing and helped me get to this point.”

 

 

“We typically try to find the hardest races because you learn the most,” Kevin said. “This race is no different. Not going to find the best competition you can is detrimental to the kids. [Keelan] has done a great job, but Rackley [W.A.R.] has done a great job of preparing the cars all year and getting him used to driving the [Pro Late Models].”

 

Getting the sneaking suspicion this golf thing is going to be put on the back burner… 🙃🥰 #itried pic.twitter.com/kOMnvAnyPH

— DeLana Harvick (@DeLanaHarvick) December 7, 2025

 

source: NASCAR Media

Fans Vote Keelan Harvick CARS Tour PLM Most Popular Driver

“Being voted Most Popular Driver means a lot and is a huge honor for me,”

 

Keelan Harvick was named the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Most Popular Driver during the season-ending awards banquet at the Speedway Club at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

Voting for the MPDA, which was presented by CARS Tour broadcast partner FloRacing, ran from Oct. 17 – Nov. 5 and allowed fans to vote for their favorite driver daily. Any driver who competed in more than half of the season’s events was eligible.

 

“Being voted Most Popular Driver means a lot and is a huge honor for me,” Harvick said. “The fans are everything in racing, and this is their award to give, so it’s special that they took the time to vote for me. There are so many great CARS Tour drivers who have won this in the past, and I’m really humbled to win it this year.”

 

This marks Harvick’s first Most Popular Driver Award in any series and complements the 13-year-old’s strong CARS Tour PLM season that included four wins (Hickory Motor Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway, South Boston Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway), four top-five and five top-10 finishes, along with two poles in seven starts.

 

Thank you to all the fans that voted! https://t.co/0TDklZ11cD

— Keelan Harvick (@KeelanHarvick) November 17, 2025

 

source: Kevin Harvick Inc Media

Keelan Harvick Likes Racing Where His Father Raced

Keelan and Kevin Were At Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on November 8th 2025

 

Keelan Harvick, who turned 13 this past summer, was at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on Nov. 8, where he made his debut on the 0.58-mile track. He finished eighth in a 34-car field in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour All American 100. Corey Deuser won the race.

 

"When COVID hit, I had nothing to do, so I asked my dad if I could go to the go-kart track and I've loved it ever since," Keelan said. "I got hooked on racing and my dad has supported me since then. I didn't know I'd be this far along in just a few years, but I'm really happy to be here."

 

Keelan was on the same track his father Kevin raced early in his career, which eventually included 60 NASCAR Cup wins, the 2007 Daytona 500 championship and three Brickyard 400 victories.

 

Keelan said the tracks he likes to run the most are those like Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, for a couple of reasons.

 

"One, I just think it's neat to be on the same track he was on, and also because he knows the track and can tell me what to look out for," Keelan said.

 

What Kevin Harvick told his son about the unique Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway paved oval with an 18-degree banking was that it can be tricky.

 

"It's a very difficult track," Keelan said. "But I like that. I like being uncomfortable. It pushes you to the edge. And I like a track where you have to save tires, and you definitely have to save tires on this track. I'm pretty good at saving tires, sometimes."

 

Even tho we didn’t get the finish we wanted, my first time in a Late Model at Nashville Fairgrounds was pretty cool! I also got to check off another track Pops and I have both raced too!

I qualified 5th, but had to start 8th with the redraw. I worked my way into the top five… pic.twitter.com/L2a9yxby1k

— Keelan Harvick (@KeelanHarvick) November 11, 2025

 

 

source: The Tennessean Media

Next Gen of Racing Takes Over the Quarter-Mile

Brexton Busch and Keelan Harvick are following in their fathers’ footsteps as they take on the quarter-mile at America's Home for Racing.

 

For 30 years, the Cook Out Summer Shootout has transformed many grassroots racers into renowned household names. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are two of the most recognizable names in all of motorsports, and this summer their second generation has found its way to the famed quarter-mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

While it seems natural that Brexton Busch and Keelan Harvick would develop a need for speed, their NASCAR champion fathers both credit a time when at-track activity came to a standstill as the stimulus for their sons’ desire to race. Kyle Busch took Brexton to a go-kart track for something to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Keelan began watching Kevin race on the simulator before eventually getting behind the wheel himself. From go-karts to Bandoleros to Legend Cars, these young drivers haven’t let up off the gas.

 

Eight-year-old Brexton Busch made his Charlotte Motor Speedway debut this summer in the Beginner Bandoleros division in his No. 18 lime green Serv-Pro machine. Brexton wants to follow in his dad’s tire tracks, as Kyle Busch is the winningest NASCAR driver at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 19 wins across three national series. Brexton is already showing a competitive spirit like his father. In just two feature races, he has already tallied a second-place finish.

 

 

“Whenever I wanted to do racing it was because of my dad because he was really good at it,” Brexton said. “The best part about racing for me is the competition because I like to have some good competition.”

 

Made my first start in the Cook Out Summer Shootout last night 🦖‼️ It was cool to race @CLTMotorSpdwy like my dad. Won't be long before I'm on the big track. 😉@SERVPRO | @FarOutToysInc | @SportClips | @KBMteam pic.twitter.com/YAsNBPDoXD

— Brexton Busch (@brextonbusch) June 13, 2023

For 10-year-old Keelan Harvick, racing at America’s Home for Racing is the next “exciting” step in his journey as he also looks to follow his father, Kevin Harvick, a two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Keelan, who is looking for more experience to grow as a driver, is launching his Shootout career driving the No. 62 Hunt Brothers Pizza Legend Car in the Young Lions Division. So far, Keelan has tallied a sixth-place and a fifth-place finish in two feature race appearances.

 

 

“I was really excited and pumped up to come here and it went really good,” Keelan said. “My favorite part is that it’s always a new challenge, you don't know what is going to happen this night or last night so that’s kind of what I’m shooting for.”

 

I had a lot of fun at my first Summer Shootout double header!

Night 1:
Qualified 15th out of 32 cars and worked my way up to P6.

Night 2:
Qualified 2nd out of 33 cars but started 5th with the invert. I worked my way to the lead but couldn’t hold on because my car wouldn’t… pic.twitter.com/ipwh5ZKRzk

— Keelan Harvick (@KeelanHarvick) July 5, 2023

Both Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, say they love the feeling of just being a ‘dad’ during their sons’ racing journeys.

 

“I think for me, my favorite part is just the growth. And as he (Brexton) gets better and as he learns, he gets more confident,” Kyle said. “I think it’s more fun when you’re able to go to Victory Lane with your son.”

 

“COVID-19 really changed directions for our family and it kind of helped me decide when to retire after he started racing,” Kevin said. “I can just be a fan and watch and learn and try to help him learn…and chew him out sometimes and all those things that come with being a dad.”

 

While getting the experience that both dads say is so important, Brexton and Keelan have continued to gain more exposure across different forms of motorsports. Brexton has taken his driving skills to the dirt, as he’s picked up championships in Box Stock Racing. Keelan is earning both racing stripes and passport stamps as he’s taken his driving abilities across the country and around the world.

 

“Italy so far has been my favorite, because all of the tracks in Italy are really fun and I kind of enjoy that a lot,” Keelan said.

 

While the two NASCAR dads are now coaching their sons, the goal is for them to succeed and have fun doing it.

 

“Good luck, do your best, give it everything you got and we’ll see what happens in the end,” Kyle tells Brexton before he leaves the pits.

 

“The gas is on the right, the brake is on the left,” Kevin says with a grin before Keelan races out.

 

 

source: Charlotte Motor Speedway Media