More often than not it would be a safe assumption that someone who is set to leave a sport they have competed in for more than 20 years will be highly emotional, looking forward to something special during each of their last moments in it. But not Kevin Harvick. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver, who is set to retire at the end of the year, has time and again maintained that no extra feelings run through his mind whenever he steps onto a track this season for the last time in his career.
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Ahead of the second playoff race at Kansas, Harvick opened up on his expectations from these last 9 races, and how he views them differently, considering he is set to compete at this level for the last time in his life.
Kevin Harvick does not let emotions take control of him even now
As he has done throughout the season, the #4 driver reiterated that all of the conversations, and all of the celebrations don’t really matter much to him since his team planned everything when he made his final decision.
On emotions finally setting as the playoffs started, the 2014 Cup champ said, “It really doesn’t matter to me. I think for me, we’ve been so set on how this year was going to go. We started planning in November, and I’ve had my arms wrapped around what this whole year was. I think for me, it’s been everything. Even if it’s regular season or playoffs, it really doesn’t matter to me as far as how I approach it or what I feel.”
While Harvick has enjoyed most of the celebrations and support he has received this year, he insists that “it’s just not a new emotion” for him.
“This whole process seems like old news to me, just because of the fact that it’s been happening for so long throughout the year. Not that I’m not going to enjoy the last eight weeks as far as those last moments, celebrations and moments of things that happened with fans, people or sponsors or whatever it is.”
Kevin Harvick has absolutely no regrets as his career draws to a close
Ahead of last week’s race at Darlington, Harvick insisted that his last run in the playoffs was “not bittersweet”, and that he was content with every decision he had made in the run-up to his retirement, be it for his team or his fans.
“I don’t need anything for peace and closure. I don’t really need anything, right, because we’re at this point of where we are because we have been fortunate to be successful and all the things that come with that.”
The first playoff race at Darlington showed what Harvick is capable of, with only an unlucky pit-stop penalty incident stealing what could have been a potential chance at victory. Nevertheless, the signs are encouraging for the SHR driver to make a deep run in the playoffs.
