Keelan Harvick, the son of NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick, recently found himself in the spotlight during an episode of “10 Questions” on FloRacing. Unlike his famous dad, Keelan’s racing journey started early; he began competing at the tender age of seven. When asked about his favorite driver, apart from his father, everyone expected him to mention a big name from the Formula 1 world, like Max Verstappen. However, Keelan surprised the audience by naming a driver from Joe Gibbs Racing instead.
Keelan has already been making waves in the racing scene. His impressive track record in go-karting and victories across various short tracks in the Southeast in a Legend Car have caught the attention of many. He even clinched a win in the Legends feature at New River and took second place in his first-ever Street Stock race.
As if that wasn’t enough, Keelan recently snagged first place in the eighth round of the Cook Out Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This achievement placed him just three points away from the overall points leader, setting up an exciting climax for the series.
During the FloRacing interview, Keelan was asked who his racing role model was, apart from his father. His response was unexpected: “Probably, Ty Gibbs.” The host was taken aback, curious about why Keelan admired Ty Gibbs. Keelan’s answer was simple and laid-back: “I don’t know. He’s just cool. We’d have dinner sometimes.”
The conversation took a turn towards Keelan’s experiences in the racing world, particularly his time spent on the F1 circuit in Italy. The host assumed that Max Verstappen would be Keelan’s favorite due to his exposure to F1. However, Keelan clarified, “Yeah! But I haven’t been there like in a year. So, I watch NASCAR a lot now.”
In a separate, amusing anecdote, Kevin Harvick’s son offered his dad a dose of reality. Kevin Harvick has never been a fan of burnouts, a common celebratory move among NASCAR drivers. He recently voiced his disapproval of Alex Bowman, a driver from Hendrick Motorsports, who attempted to drift alongside Bubba Wallace after a race in Chicago. Harvick, speaking on NASCAR on NBC, expressed his dislike, saying, “He tried to do the drifting thing, which I didn’t really like. You’re drifting around like somebody else.”
The story took an amusing twist when Keelan, from the back seat of the car, reminded his dad that he might be out of touch. Kevin recounted on his “Happy Hour” podcast: “We were actually driving home, and Keelan chirps in from the back seat. He’s like, ‘Oooh! Dad, you’re taking some heat.’ I’m like, heat from what? He’s like, ‘Apparently, you critiqued Alex Bowman’s drifting attempt after the race. And he’s a drifter.’ I had no idea. Alex Bowman’s a drifter.”
It’s intriguing to see how Keelan is not only making his mark in the racing world but also keeping his dad on his toes. As he continues to grow and develop his skills, it will be fascinating to watch how he carves out his own unique path in the world of racing. Whether it’s his unexpected choices of role models or his own racing achievements, Keelan Harvick is definitely a young driver to keep an eye on.
