“Done a Really Good Job of Hiding That”- Kevin Harvick Lets Emotions Flow at Phoenix as He Closes Out 30-Year-Long Racing Career

Kevin Harvick is one of a kind. As Harvick drew curtains upon his remarkable career, the racing hearts of the fandom skipped a beat. Following the conclusion of the postseason in Phoenix for the former Cup Series champion, the feeling of having seen him race for the last time occupies the back of some minds. Harvick had announced that he would be retiring at the end of this year, which he did with a P7 finish at the Phoenix Raceway.

The Stewart-Haas Racing veteran is surely one of the greatest-ever drivers in the sport. With 60 wins in 20 years of Cup racing, he established his name with a championship in 2014. There were a lot of memories for him to reminisce about as he received a standing ovation from his fellow professionals. As the community gathered to wave goodbye to another legend, Harvick made an interesting revelation.

Kevin Harvick has been a part of different legacies in NASCAR

Barring crowning this year’s Cup Series champion, the finale was all about Kevin Harvick. The pre-race driver’s meeting dived into his contributions to the sport through his achievements and being a vocal and responsible member of the community. With the FOX Sports broadcast booth calling for him in 2024, Harvick decided this was the best time to enter another phase of his life.

“I think for me, it’s just we gave it all we had, right?” stated an emotional Harvick. “Every lap, every week, and in some way, shape, or form, we touch every aspect of this race car. I care about how everything looks, whether it’s the color of the car or the stickers. I sit in the sponsorship meetings, the marketing meetings, the team meetings, and there’s just not any piece of it that I don’t feel like we are a  part of in some way, shape, or form.”

The 47-year-old has been an important member of organizations and stabilized them or led them to change. Kevin Harvick won the championship in his debut season at SHR. To add to his credentials, 2014 was also the first year to implement the playoff-based format. Commenting on the same, he said, “We built a team here at Stewart-Haas Racing. We built a team at KHI. We’ve built a management company. We have built so many things from the bottom up.”

Phoenix has been one of the best tracks for Harvick. He has won on the track a whopping nine times and has finished in the top 10 in 21 successive races on the track, including Sunday. His influence was visible as he took the lead in the 93rd lap for a short period of the race. This development excited the fans as the uproar from the stands was heard.

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Harvick’s departure is the beginning of a new phase for Tony Stewart and Co. as well. While Josh Berry has taken over the #4 car and Rodney Childers has been retained, losing decades of experience will take work. The team has also announced to part ways with #10 driver Almirola. This implies a search for replacements is on.

Harvick says he has successfully hidden his emotions

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Kevin Harvick came into NASCAR as a 25-year-old, having to replace the sport’s biggest driver. The Intimidator’s death shook the NASCAR world so much that some even failed to accept Harvick as a replacement. However, Harvick wasn’t one to back out either. He went on to win in the iconic No. 3 car in his only third start at Atlanta. While creating a name for himself, he earned many rivals who tried to impede him from becoming the 10th driver in all-time wins.

Throughout the years, Harvick has never shown much emotion. Almost like a stoic, he broke into tears when he was reminded of his children wishing him good luck on the radio. Addressing his reluctance towards the same, he claimed,

“I think the hard work is something that people recognize, but I’ll also, as you guys have seen through the week, I’m a pretty emotional person. I’ve just done a really good job of hiding that through the years to make you think I’m super tough. But I’m really not.”

“I love people; I care about people. It’s been a lot of fun to get to know a lot of the drivers and crew chiefs and just people in NASCAR racing. It’s been so much fun to tell a story about the last 30 years of my career this year. I think everybody’s done a great job, and I can’t thank them enough.”

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The sport and community can never thank Kevin Harvick enough for his contribution to the sport. Not just his 60 wins or his pranks on Tony Stewart or his replacing Dale Earnhardt, it is the culmination of so many factors that make him one of the greatest ever.