There are only a few drivers as versatile as Kevin Harvick. He has won two Xfinity Series championships and one Cup Series title apart from various race victories across all three of the NASCAR series. But the veteran driver had faced a tough time trying to bask in his achievements when he was at it.

All the pressure of building upon the achievements piles up on NASCAR drivers way more than what is usually perceived. Their fans might think that they’ve made it big, but that does not get through to them. That’s one of the downsides of running on the terms of the teams rather than on their own terms. Such was the case with Harvick, who, despite making a name for himself, succumbed to the pressure that came along.

When did Harvick realize that he had made a mark in NASCAR?

It took Kevin Harvick his entire racing career to come to terms with his success. He always went on to achieve one milestone after the other without ever pausing to celebrate the achievements. People are often afraid to pause in life, thinking that they’ll get stuck if they pause for too long. This fear is magnified in the case of race drivers who live high-octane lives. There is just no room for stalling because they believe it will make them redundant.

And their fears are not baseless, as everyone moves on so quickly in the NASCAR world that they need to move along to stay relevant. Kevin Harvick discloses on ‘Harvick Happy Hour’ the pressures he faced during his racing career, when he says, “It’s just like when I left RCR like ‘Okay, you left RCR, was going to Stewart-Haas good move?’ Well, then you win. It’s like ‘Okay, now can he win a championship? Okay, he won a championship. Now, can he win two?’ And so, you go through all these different stages and it’s never good enough.”

Harvick also uses Harrison Burton’s example to highlight the plight of drivers. If we look at the discussion around Burton’s Daytona victory, there are very few congratulatory notions. Everyone is majorly concerned with whether he deserved the win or the playoff eligibility that came with it. Others talk about how this could mean that he might attract some offers for 2025. And almost no one other than his father is actually letting the win sink in. That really is the harsh reality of being a NASCAR driver.

So, for Harvick himself, it wasn’t until his last season when he had decided to retire that he could dictate his terms. “The moment that I felt like I’ve finally made it was when I walked out on my own from Phoenix being able to retire and do all those things on your own terms.”, says Harvick. The Hall of Famer walked out of his racing career with his head held high as he made it to the Playoffs for the last time in a 14th succession. 

Harvick is enjoying his freedom post his retirement

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Needless to say, Harvick still finds solace in racing. But he does it for pure enjoyment now. He has joined his co-owned CARS Tour as a driver to help in the development program. “I love driving the race car, I love being around the people more. I love our sport.”, conveys a content Harvick.

The all-time winningest race driver at the Phoenix Raceway, with a total of nine wins, is also taking pleasure in calling race action from the Fox Sports television booth. He helps his son, Keelan Harvick, with his races, which are often reflected in the young boy’s performance. He also played a pivotal role in identifying Connor Zilisch’s talent and promoting him for a NASCAR career.

Kevin Harvick is simply doing everything in his power to aid the new talent in joining the sport to enjoy the process of becoming a professional race car driver. While it is true that drivers need to keep marching forward as Harvick says, “You always reach this plateau of ‘Okay, well now he’s gotta do something else’. There’s always something else out there.” Allowing yourself time to celebrate those victories surely makes for a wholesome career, and who else is a better example than Harvick?