“I Get To Close It Myself”- Emotional Kevin Harvick Unravels the Significance of Ending His NASCAR Chapter at Phoenix

Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick is days away from making his 826th Cup start at Phoenix Raceway. Alas, there will be no 827th. The Stewart-Haas Racing legend is nearing the end of his long and illustrious career, spanning over two decades. However, it looks like he has quite a hold of his emotions.

Kevin Harvick considered himself fortunate to be able to close the current chapter of his life and move on to another one. But while doing so, the #4 Ford star revealed something special about the 1-mile tri-oval racetrack at the foothills of the Estrella Mountains. And that specialty comes through his numerous runs on the low-banked raceway.

The end of an era for the NASCAR fans and Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick was ushered into the NASCAR arena under unique circumstances. When Dale Earnhardt met his unfortunate death at the 2001 Daytona 500, Harvick entered the scene two weeks later. He sat behind the wheels of Dale Earnhardt’s old #29 car for his old team (Richard Childress Racing), started fifth, and won the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Many thought the race was won from heaven as if a higher power came to Harvick’s assistance.

13 years later, Harvick drove for Richard Childress Racing before transitioning to Tony Stewart’s team in 2014. Interestingly, this happened when Harvick was 40. The biggest highlight in the next ten years came when he lifted the Sprint Car Championship trophy in the same year for Stewart-Haas Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Even though it was Homestead-Miami that got him his single most coveted title, it’s Phoenix Raceway that perhaps stands out to him as one of his favorites to drive on. Although 9 victories out of his 60 Cup Series wins came at Phoenix, it’s not why this track holds a special place in his heart.

In a conversation with SiriusXM NASCAR radio, Kevin Harvick remembered how his grandfather was his biggest fan. “I would drive our Stewart over there and sit at the back gate and my grandpa would be sitting there smoking a cigarette,” he said. “he’d take his motorhome over there a month early and park in the very spot in the corner right next to the chain-link fence and he’d be standing on the fence smoking a cigarette waiting for me to come through, yelling at me and if I didn’t stop, he’d cuss me out and tell me what he thought about it. So I always stopped”, added further.

Harvick felt like he was extremely fortunate to be able to end his career on a track where he had grown up racing. Although it’s going to be emotional, Harvick admitted, “I’ve really gone through so many of the emotions planning everything going into this season that it’s just the end of the chapter. I’m very fortunate to be in a position where the book that was written I get to close it myself and walk off.”

Watch this story: How SHR’s tribute to Kevin Harvick backfired

A glorious end to an era. Kevin Harvick is expected to switch his career path from being a NASCAR driver to being a FOX Sports NASCAR analyst. Back in the playoff race at Homestead-Miami, the race was renamed the 4EVER 400 to glorify Harvick’s career piloting the #4 machine. And now, Anheuser Busch has come up with something else to give a shout-out to the NASCAR veteran on his final ride.

Busch Beer’s final paint scheme; Harvick reveals what he will not miss about racing

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Busch Light and Stewart-Haas Racing unveiled the car that Kevin Harvick will be driving on Sunday. And there was something different about it. The entire community could not help but notice that the “Busch” lettering on the bonnet and the rear ends of the car were replaced with the word “Harvick”. In recognition of their 13-year partnership, the beer company will defer its brand to Harvick’s name. But that’s not all.

As reported by FOX Sports, Kevin Harvick has a special helmet for this race too. He said, “It’s got a picture from every win on my helmet like I did for my last race at RCR. It’s got a picture of every Cup series win on my helmet that represents each one.” It would be great if Harvick got to keep that helmet and the car after he’s done racing.

Nevertheless, that remains uncertain, as Harvick admitted, “I’m not sure now how that works in the new age of NASCAR chassis, bodies and things like that. So I might wind up with a rebuilt replica somewhere down the road.”

Despite missing the people behind the garage, Harvick shed light on what he is not going to miss at all. And it’s the competitive mindset that goes into driving a Cup Series car. Even veteran driver Carl Edwards told Harvick, “Kevin, I can’t tell you how much more in-tune you’re going to be with your kids and your family and the conversations that you have when you don’t have to think about everything else that you have going on with that car, and that team and those sponsors and those people.” Harvick, too, agreed.

Read more: Kevin Harvick’s Farewell Tour Riddled With Chaos as Tony Stewart’s Team Misses Another Golden Opportunity

Although he holds nothing against his team, it’s true that committing full-time to the top-most racing series in NASCAR does take a heavy toll on the work-life balance of the athletes. Finally, Harvick has time to himself to enjoy his retired life. And we couldn’t have been happier about it.