“I’d Be Perfectly Content With That” – Retiring Kevin Harvick Confesses One Thing That He Wouldn’t Miss About Racing

NASCAR bid farewell to Bristol last weekend, and with it, it marked the end of the road for four championship hopefuls, including Tony Stewart‘s star driver, Kevin Harvick. The 2014 NASCAR champion’s farewell season has been a tumultuous journey behind the wheel of the No. 4 Ford; emotions have run high, and disappointments have been aplenty. Bristol, a track where the SHR driver has tasted victory three times before, proved to be merciless this time around as he crossed the finish line in 29th place, a daunting five laps behind the frontrunners.

Despite the crushing defeat, the Stewart Haas Racing icon didn’t shy away from revealing some profound reflections. As he approached the conclusion of his illustrious career in the Cup series, No. 4 opened up about the aspects of racing he won’t miss and the actions he vows never to repeat.

After a crushing championship defeat, Kevin Harvick reflects on moving beyond racing

The 47-year-old recently made an appearance on ‘The Athletic’ podcast following the Bristol setback, tackling a unique hypothetical dilemma. During the podcast, Kevin Harvick was posed with an intriguing question offering an intimate glimpse into the life of a high-profile athlete, showing that even the racing elite have their own everyday battles and mundane routines.

When questioned, “You must pick one chore or obligation to do every day for a year. But if you do it every day for a year, you never have to do it again for the rest of your life. So what would you like to knock out forever?” 

Kevin Harvick, in the twilight of his racing career, leaned on the wisdom of his young son Keelan, who suggested “meetings” as the task to eradicate. Harvick concurred with Keelan’s choice and admitted to being uncertain about how his post-racing days would unfold, hinting at a shift in his daily routine. “I don’t really understand exactly how my days are actually going to operate going forward [after he retires from racing]. It’s a new schedule, so I’m sure my obligations at home will probably be different compared to what I do now.”

Through it all, No. 4 expressed a strong desire to bid farewell to meetings. Kevin Harvick confessed, “But if I never had to sit in another Zoom meeting again, that would be really, really good. I sit in more meetings now than I probably ever have in my whole life.  His unequivocal response? “So if I could figure out how to just do every meeting for one year and then never have to do another meeting again, I’d be perfectly content with that.”

Read more: Retiring Icon Kevin Harvick Adds Another Feather to His Cap Amid Tony Stewart’s Heartbreak Season

Amidst the uncertainty surrounding his future, the Stewart Haas Racing driver has solidified his ties with NASCAR after his sunset races. Following his departure from the Stewart Haas Racing cockpit, Harvick is set to swap his steering wheel for an announcer’s mic, joining the FOX Sports booth as an analyst for the 2024 season. As he bids farewell to his racing career, the NASCAR champion isn’t leaving without imparting some sage advice to aspiring young drivers aiming to ascend the NASCAR ranks and mirror his championship success.

Harvick’s parting wisdom for navigating the road to NASCAR glory

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“Leadership,” Harvick declared. While many might associate racing success solely with driving prowess and speed, Harvick offered a more holistic perspective as he emphasized that being a successful race car driver goes beyond simply being fast on the track. Instead, it hinges on the ability to actively contribute.

He exclaimed, “So many people look at this as, “Hey, he’s a good driver,” or, “He’s fast,” but in the end, that isn’t really what gets you what you want. You have to be able to communicate and be part of the process of how you get to where you want to be. Whether it’s setups or helping with the conversations in the team, everything you do is about being a good leader and being a part of that process in order to make things better.”

Furthermore, Harvick highlighted the distinction between easy and hard years in racing. He underlined, “There’s so much more that goes into it than just saying, “Hey, we have a fast car and I can drive it.” There are years that go like that, right? Those are the easy years. The hard years are when you have to work through things, and it’s keeping that dip from being as low as where everybody else would go that’s not involved in the process.”

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Where every lap holds a story, fans are now watching with bated breath, waiting to see what thrilling surprises the numbered races in Harvick’s career still have in store.