Thirteen-year-old Keelan, NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick’s son, continues to turn heads in the stock car racing world, showing maturity, pace, and composure well beyond his years. Competing in the highly competitive CARS Tour Pro Late Model series, Keelan is learning fast and winning even quicker.
On July 12, Keelan delivered one of his biggest performances, claiming victory at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. The win marked his first in a CARS Tour event and extended his streak of beating his father, Kevin, to three straight late model matchups.
Hickory Victory Marks Keelan’s Third Win Over Dad, Kevin Harvick
When asked how his weekend at Hickory went on his podcast, ‘Happy Hour with Kevin Harvick’, the 2014 Cup Series champion humbly shared his thoughts.
“I got my a** kicked,” Kevin said with a laugh. “And, you know, I think… I think it surprises everybody that he’s faster than I am. You and I have talked about this. I knew this was gonna happen, right? Like, it’s just… The kids have speed.”
Kevin likened Keelan’s rise to other father-son dynamics in the sport, referencing David Gilliland’s memories of being outpaced by his son Todd at a young age.
“I mean, it’s not just Keelan. I was talking to David Gilliland, and he’s like, I remember when Todd was 12, and I put him in the late-model stock, and he ran faster than me, too. It’s just a natural evolution of what happens from generation to generation. We get slow, they go fast,” added Kevin.
Kevin also credited his son’s recent improvements to increased confidence and growing comfort behind the wheel.
He explained, “[They’re not scared] of anything. Yeah, and I told you guys a couple weeks ago, you saw a lot of these pieces start to fall in together with the comfort inside the car, and now it just keeps evolving, and now that confidence level goes up. But we had a great event. Keelan did a great job in the car.”
Held at one of NASCAR’s most storied short tracks, the Hickory event brought together talent from across the racing community. But once again, it was the younger Harvick who stole the spotlight.
Keelan is now the only driver to win a CARS Tour West race and a regular CARS Tour race on the East Coast. This further cemented his reputation as a rising star and possibly the sport’s next big name.