Kevin Harvick’s Departure Puts NASCAR in a Predicament, Highlighting Jeff Gordon’s Complaints, as Fans Left Stranded

After serving for almost three decades behind the wheel in NASCAR, Kevin Harvick has just 2 more races left in his Cup Series career. With retirement approaching, he might be leaving a bigger hole in the ship than he would have imagined. The #4 driver of Stewart-Haas Racing has, throughout his illustrious career, won over many loyal supporters. Hanging up his boots, he now leaves them stranded, seeking a new face to root for.

The clueless void that Harvick’s retirement will create finds an echo in the words of 4-time Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon. Talking at the racer’s forum recently, the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports explained his trouble with fans rallying behind drivers rather than teams.

The void that Kevin Harvick creates by getting out of the #4 car

Kevin Harvick’s name will forever be remembered at the forefront of NASCAR’s history. Winning the 2014 championship, he has been part of one of the most dominant teams along with his crew chief Rodney Childers. The highly acclaimed duo having to part ways will certainly evoke heavy emotions among fans who have witnessed their races over the years. However, once the 2024 season gets underway, where would the allegiances shift for those who’ve staunchly supported the Harvick over the years? Getting curious about the question, the hosts of the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast gave their takes on it.

Large said, “So, we’re gonna close off Kevin Harvick’s career as a racer. And, yeah best of luck to the Harvick fans choosing… You can’t go Denny, you can’t go Truex because you’re just going to run into this problem within the next couple of years, you know? Kyle Bush, obviously… those guys moving out. So I guess from the young guns we probably have them all covered.” 

The group’s discussion stemmed from Jeff Gordon‘s words about drivers needing to develop their personalities to have people follow them in particular. With a number of names including Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson popping up in the discussion to pick a destination for Harvick’s fans, they settled down on the fact that it will have to be one of the “young guns.” Jeff Gordon’s words, however, carry a deeper layer to them.

Jeff Gordon does not want fans to be loyal just to the drivers

Talking at the Racers Forum last week, Jeff Gordon said how he would like for teams to put in more of an effort towards building their own fan support. Talking about how they ought to stay loyal to the team regardless of who was behind the wheel, he expressed how he believes that such a scenario would benefit the sport as a whole.

Watch This Story: A Tearful Farewell: Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Journey

In his words, “We’ve seen this recently with Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jr, and myself. Several big drivers that have huge fan followings stepped away from the sport, and I think it had a big impact on the sport. Because the fans seem to not have a connection to the team as strongly as they did to the driver.”

Considering the predicament that the fans of Harvick might now be in, it can only be hoped that they do not let their love of the sport diminish. Continuing at the forum, Gordon also clarified that he did not wish to bring down the star power that drivers hold. Acknowledging that they were the stars of the show, he made it clear that he just didn’t want fans to quit the sport along with their drivers.

Regardless of who or what future fanbases are centered on, let’s take these final few weeks of the 2023 season to celebrate the career of the icon, Kevin Harvick. We will see him racing next in Martinsville on Sunday.

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