KHI just might have been handed a new lifeline with Kevin Harvick’s son Keelan rising through the ranks at the grassroots level. The Truck Series-winning organization pulled the plug on NASCAR racing back in 2011, but KHI was back on track after Harvick retired from SHR. Initially, it looked like a side project in 2023, but a new partnership with Rackley WAR Racing is evident that KHI is in it for the long run. And, this time around 12-year-old Keelan Harvick is the one leading the charge.

Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, just hung up his racing gloves, but his 12-year-old son, Keelan, is already strapping in. The kid has shown real promise with his racing talents. In 2024 alone, Keelan bagged 27 race wins, enabling him to clinch the 2024 INEX Young Lions Asphalt National Championship. This glory came while driving the legend cars and the go-karts and now he’s ready for stock car racing action. 

It has to be noted that Keelan Harvick made his first start in a Limited Late Model race at Florence Speedway. And this experience is going to come in handy when he makes his CARS Tour Pro Late Model debut at the New River All-American Speedway. It is normal for a 12-year-old kid to feel the nerves ahead of making such a big leap, but young Keelan is ready for the challenge.

“I’m really excited. 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… I think it will be similar, but different in its own ways. My confidence is definitely up, but you can just never let it get too high or it’ll come crashing right back down.” Keelan said this in an interview on Flo Racing.

Starting out with the karts, then mastering the legends car and now transitioning into Late Model Stock cars, Keelan is definitely on the right path. At this rate, he is destined for NASCAR racing and fans just couldn’t believe how quickly he has progressed as a race car driver.

Fans React On Keelan Harvick’s Big League Debut

Not all second-generation drivers are able to live up to the billing or the legacy of their family. Take Ty Dillon for example, NASCAR fans time and again remind him about his privilege and that he is not worthy to drive the No. 3 RCR car. However, fans feel differently about Harvick’s son Keelan. So much so that they made old predictions about his future.

“Jesus, isn’t he like 12?” one fan blurted out, setting off a chain reaction of disbelief, nostalgia, and mild panic. Back in the day drivers started in stock cars, but Jeff Gordon was the one who changed this dynamics as he started racing when he was just nine. And just like that, a new blueprint was set and the likes of Brexton Busch and Keelan Harvick have been following it. 

Another quickly followed up with, “He’ll be 16 in Cup at this rate.” This is indeed an exaggeration, but a Truck Series debut is well within the sight of the Harvicks. Right now KHI doesn’t have the means and resources to field a car and is leaning on Rackley. Harvick is being roped in as a consultant to oversee Rackley WAR’s Truck program and who know they might return this favor later when Keelan is of age. 

It’s just insane how quickly these young kids transition into the role of full-time drivers. It was only two years back we saw Harvick racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. But within a blink of an eye, the veteran driver is now the mentor to his son Keelan, who is now making his CARS Tour debut. The disbelief wasn’t just about his talent; it was about the sheer speed of time itself. “God damn, this makes me feel old lmao,” one fan lamented.

But for all the existential dread, there was also respect. “Damn, 13 years old and already running CARS Tour races?” one fan pointed out. Most kids his age are worrying about school dances and not managing tire wear at New River All-American Speedway. While other teenagers are learning to parallel park, Keelan is out there refining his racecraft against experienced rivals.

The truth is, Keelan isn’t only a name with a well-known last name; he’s earning his way on the track. And if he continues to rise at this rate, we might see him follow in his father’s footsteps and make it big on the NASCAR stage.