“I’m a Little Disappointed in Myself” – Kevin Harvick’s Son Keelan Gets Emotional Moments After Massive Summer Setback

There is no such thing as an early success in motorsports. True racers know what it takes to look forward to the next challenge. That is the attitude Cup Series veteran Kevin Harvick‘s son has to adopt following a recent setback. Keelan Harvick’s Legends career witnessed a pack of trailblazer victories this year. However, it didn’t come without tough competition.

Although Keelan bested his rivals in earlier races, they caught up with him at the final race. Yet Keelan was a solid threat to them until the point where the checkered flag waved. So when his efforts turned futile, the results probably stung a little more.

After racking up 60 race victories and 444 Top 10 finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kevin Harvick has plenty of wisdom to pass on. While his shining victories often steal the spotlight, it’s the countless setbacks that shaped his resilience as a driver. Now, it seems Harvick is sharing that hard-earned wisdom with his son, Keelan, who recently faced a tough break of his own. Keelan came heartbreakingly close to clinching the 2024 Summer Shootout championship, only to see his hopes slip away on the final lap.

Charlotte Motor Speedway saw Keelan at some highs and lows this year. But right at the penultimate moment, a low tide struck as rivals Ryan Zima and Neal Dulin sealed his chances at a championship. While Dulin won the race, and Zima secured second, Keelan had to settle for third. Post-race, a visibly sad Keelan talked about his racing day to FloRacing, “This sucks. We were good all day, we qualified at the pole. But missed out on a trophy…but that’s the Summer Shootout.” 

“A little piece of quarrel among ourselves, but we maximized what we got,” Keelan added.

He had to achieve a runner-up finish to win the championship. However, the points granted race winner Dulin the title instead. As the press asked him if he was disappointed in himself, he sadly nodded and admitted, “We were just so close.” 

However, being Kevin Harvick’s son, he is more motivated to return next year and ravage the 2025 Summer Shootout races. So Keelan sounded all enthusiastic when he said, “Yeah. It gives me a little more fight and determination.” His versatility across race cars may also be a marker of his impending legendary racer status.

Little steps go a long way

Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana did not hesitate a bit when their son first professed his interest in racing. Sure enough, Keelan won his first go-kart race in 2020, when he was only 8. This harked back to his father’s roots, as Kevin Harvick won a 1985 go-kart championship at 10 years old.

37 years later, Keelan followed in his dad’s footsteps and clinched his own go-kart title in 2022. He won numerous Legends races this year, including back-to-back Charlotte wins. Both times, he beat his ferocious rival Max Reaves in an exhilarating competition. And Harvick may be already paving the path to the next stage of his racing career.

In April this year, Keelan competed in the Street Stock portion of the Ronnie Hetu Memorial event. This marked a significant milestone as Kevin Harvick’s son tried his hands at a stock car for the first time. “In the Street Stock, I want to learn as much as I can and finish all the laps since this is my first race in a full-size car,” he said.

For advice, who else will he turn to besides his stellar stock car driver dad? “I ask my dad a lot of questions and he gives me feedback. He always has good advice no matter what I’m driving,” Keelan mentioned. Although this race rained out in the end, it gave Keelan the first taste of his future.

So despite Kevin Harvick’s son bearing the pain of failure, a long journey is ahead of him. It has only begun, and Keelan may match his father’s success in the future, who knows?