You cannot run away from racing when you have Harvick as your surname. Kevin Harvick became a father in 2012 just a day after finishing 23rd at the Daytona 500. “I’ve accomplished a lot in my life that I’m proud of, but those moments don’t hold a candle to becoming a father and seeing that little face looking up at you,” he had said back then. The next year, he returned to the same track, blessed with fatherhood, far more “more relaxed and more focused.” Before grabbing victory, he had a special moment. Kevin put one-year-old Keelan behind the wheels. 12-years later, that memory still doesn’t feel too distant to him. But 12-year-old Keelan has already come a long way following his father’s footsteps until he hit a bump on the road just recently.

In November, last year, Keelan took part in his first Limited Late Model event at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway. On a track that is known for its abrasive nature on tires and equipment, Keelan drove a clean, methodical race against many established veterans and finished a quiet-but-solid eighth. “He surprises me all the time… he’s 12,” Kevin had said back then. The next big step in cementing his position on the racing landscape was set to be Keelan’s debut on March 1 in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series at the New River All-American Speedway, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the young driver was excited about it.

“I’m really excited,” Harvick told FloRacing. “I think that it’ll be a new learning curve for me, especially because I’ve never driven it, but I think it will be fun. My confidence is definitely up, but you can just never let it get too high or it’ll come crashing right back down.” However, ahead of the event, tragedy struck as the 12-year-old driver decided to withdraw his entry from the mega event just hours before the race. He took on social media platform X to announce the news as fans were anticipating a blistering debut.

“Unfortunately, my CARS Tour Pro Late Model debut is going to have to wait… I’ve been battling a stomach bug for the last 24 hours, and I am not able to give 100% behind the wheel. I hoped I would feel good enough to race because I don’t want to let my Rackley WAR team down, but it wouldn’t be fair to them or my competitors to try to compete in this condition,” he wrote. Notably, Keelan’s disappointment was evident. Kevin dropped a small but supportive message to Keelan as he wrote “Feel better @keelanharvick” sharing Keelan’s post on his Instagram stories.

There was a lot of hype around this particular race with Keelan transitioning into full-time stock car racer. The series, one of the most competitive late-model circuits in the country, serves as a proving ground for young drivers hoping to make it to NASCAR’s top levels. Keelan had spent weeks preparing for this moment, training hard and learning the nuances of Pro Late Model racing. But his health took a turn for the worse at the worst possible time. Despite this setback, Keelan’s journey in racing has been nothing short of impressive.

From dominating go-kart races in Europe to winning in Late Models in the U.S., Keelan has already made a name for himself. He started his career in go-karts, where he quickly made a name for himself by competing in both the U.S. and Europe. In 2023, Keelan transitioned to Legends Cars, where he continued to dominate. He became a perennial contender in the Young Lions division, collecting multiple wins and proving that he had the potential to follow in his father’s footsteps.

By 2024, he had racked up 27 wins in 49 starts, earning the INEX Young Lions Asphalt National Championship. His move into Late Models was the next natural step. Just a few months after his Late Model debut, he secured his first stock car victory at Florence, showcasing his adaptability and skill. Keelan prepared to take the next big leap in his career with Dale Jr.’s CARS Tour race on his schedule. But for now, he would have to wait. Amid this, there is exciting news for the racing fans.

On May 31, the father-son duo will race against each other for the first time in a CARS Tour West Pro Late Model race at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield, California. Kevin was understandably excited. “Racing Keelan in my hometown for the first time is a pretty cool dad moment. Bakersfield has meant so much in the progression of my racing career, and being able to tie that together with the beginning of Keelan’s racing career is pretty special,” he had said. While supporting his son in developing his career, Kevin’s attention has not completely shifted away from the happenings at the NASCAR Cup Series.

Kevin Harvick picks his favorite for the COTA Cup race!

While Keelan Harvick’s racing dreams were put on hold, Kevin Harvick turned his focus to the NASCAR Cup Series. As the sport shifts to its first road course race of the season at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Harvick made his pick for the driver most likely to win. On the latest episode of Happy Hours with Kevin Harvick, he named William Byron as his favorite to take the checkered flag.

“I’m going to take William Byron. I think that he just notoriously has the early-season mojo to get into victory lane. He has done well on road courses. So, I’m going with the 24,” Harvick said. Notably, his backing comes with confidence as William Byron has been phenomenal in the ongoing season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver won the season opener, the Daytona 500, for the second year in a row.

Byron has already proven himself to be a strong road course racer. His wins at Watkins Glen in 2023 and at COTA in 2024 show that he knows how to handle the twists and turns of technical tracks. He also finished second behind Connor Zilisch in the Xfinity race before the Cup event. Notably, the 2.40-mile COTA circuit is one of the toughest on the schedule. With a steep uphill climb into Turn 1 and a series of fast, sweeping corners, drivers must balance aggression with precision. Harvick believes Byron possesses the skill and confidence to get the job done.