Getting into a race car after a long break and performing at your usual caliber simply isn’t possible. Even if you are Kevin Harvick. The retired icon recently raced in a CARS Tour Late Model Stock event at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Although he finished in a commendable 10th place, he realized that he wasn’t able to compete at the level that he was accustomed to in his NASCAR days.
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This understanding is what has led him to make a decision that fans will love. Harvick revealed in a recent episode of Harvick Happy Hour that he will be participating in at least 14 or 15 races in 2025. This could be in Late Model Stocks or different disciplines but the number is fixed for now. “We are going to race next year,” he said. “I can’t get throttled every time I go.”
His desire to be competitive even though he doesn’t necessarily have to be stems from the innate need for speed. And admitting a sore weakness must have been quite the rude awakening. In North Wilkesboro, he did not have to wait till the end of the race to see where he stood. He qualified to start the race at a humbling 20th place out of 33 cars on the field.
“I learned that I am slow,” he lamented to FloRacing. “That’s what I learned the most and you know it’s hard to come in here and compete with these guys when they race all the time.” Harvick’s participation in the race wasn’t just about getting back into the car and finding his form. He had a bigger purpose as a co-owner of the racing series alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others.
“I was the last man standing to show up and race”
With the race going down during the Olympic break that NASCAR took, Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s No. 62 entry was without a driver. Josh Berry had gone on vacation and William Sawalich had duties to complete in ARCA.
This left Harvick holding the torch. “So I was really the last man standing to show up and race,” he quipped. What better fill-in driver than a Cup Series champion?
He got to observe up-and-coming racers like Connor Zilisch during the stint and expressed his gratitude to the North Wilkesboro track for hosting the series. He will be continuing his analyst job with Fox Sports in 2025 and will get to racing once that part of the year is done and dusted. The young lads in the CARS Tour better watch out with the veteran’s ego now being struck.
