Ever since he announced that 2023 would be his last season in NASCAR, Kevin Harvick had iterated that he doesn’t feel and wouldn’t be all that emotional about him stepping away from a sport he’d been a part of for over two decades. However, after Phoenix, his last race in the sport, Harvick admitted he was pretty emotional after all.
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Speaking to journalist Bob Pockrass after the race in Phoenix, Harvick opened up on his final week in NASCAR, claiming, “It was all emotional. I think for me it was way more emotional I had ever anticipated it being.”
“I really thought I could climb out of that car and just have a good time but I think all the work and the effort and the people the emotions and everything that you see around you and how much it means to everybody, it means a lot to me.”
The future Hall of Famer emphasized how much he cares about the people surrounding him, and about the sport, all of which led to “a lot of emotion” getting in and out of his racecar for the final time, the driver’s meeting, the last team dinner, and such. “I’ve been an emotional wreck all week,” he continued.
“Hopefully, I’ll be more stable as I get through next week and able to kind of start to let it go and start work on new things.”
Kevin Harvick on his final race and the emotions of Phoenix: pic.twitter.com/LRfkTWuiRc
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 6, 2023
How did Kevin Harvick feel about remaining competitive until the end?
There have been multiple cases in sports in which legends drag out their careers until the very end, leading to an almost sour taste of going out without much competition they were once known for. This wasn’t true with Kevin Harvick. Despite not winning a race in his final year, Harvick proved he was not only going out as a racecar driver who still has a lot left in his tank but also as one who could compete for wins.
“I think it’s always important to be competitive,” he said after Phoenix. “You see so many of these things happen with the last year, the storytelling, the merchandise, and then you got nothing to deal with on the racetrack.”
Harvick admitted and thanked his fans for his support and their desire for him to win a race in his final year, adding that he was aware that the only person who could screw up his final year was him.
But he didn’t, and they made it through the year without screwing up, all of which has resulted in a “great experience” for a NASCAR legend who has now bid farewell to the sport.
