“Nobody Will Ever Replace Him”: Kevin Harvick Paid Tribute to “The Best Race Car Driver” After His Major Career Break Years Ago

Kevin Harvick made the announcement regarding his retirement a few days ago. There had been a lot of speculation regarding it and his fans were aware that he would retire sometime soon. Many had expected 2023 to be his last season, though they harbored hopes that it may not be so. Unfortunately, the maverick racer has put an end to speculations and confirmed that he will indeed retire at the end of 2023.

Harvick has enjoyed a great career in the Cup Series. He may have won the title only once (2014), but he was always among the most consistent drivers. Both statistics and fan-following of the Stewart-Haas Racing driver are a testament to his consistency.

But his entry in the Cup Series didn’t come in a manner he would love to remember. After a 3rd-place finish in the Xfinity Series in 2000, Richard Childress Racing considered Harvick a good enough driver. However, he was put on reserve as the team already had the legend Dale Earnhardt in their ranks.

Everything changed at Daytona—during the first race of the 2001 Cup Series. Dale Sr passed away in the most heartbreaking of tragedies. Harvick was fast-tracked and chosen to replace the legend; his car was renumbered, however.

Ahead of the Dura Luba 400 at Rockingham—the first race since Earnhardt’s death—Harvick had something to say. “Dale Earnhardt was probably the best race car driver there ever’s gonna be in NASCAR. And nobody will ever replace him,” he said at the press conference. “I think we all know that. So I would hope that you guys don’t expect me to replace him.”

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Though it was not the best of circumstances to make the biggest move of his career, Harvick took that chance with grace and built one of the greatest careers in NASCAR.

The Kevin Harvick NASCAR knew

From February 2001 to the present, Harvick has shown the world why he was chosen to take over the baton from the greatest NASCAR driver ever. But now that he calls time on his career, it’s important to understand why he did that.

“All I wanted to do was race. It started when I was 5, and unbelievably by the time I was 25, I was in a NASCAR Cup Series. I’ve called NASCAR’s premier series my home for the last 22 years. I’ve seen a lot and I’ve done a lot. And I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Harvick said in his retirement announcement video. 

“I’m always ready for a new season. It presents new challenges and enforces you to find new ways to outsmart and outrun the competition. But come November, when the checkered flag drops on the season finale in Phoenix, it will also by last race as a NASCAR Cup Series driver. It’s time to call time.

“To enjoy all that we’ve achieved as a race team and to savor it with the ones that’ve made this journey possible,” he said, alluding to wanting to spend more time with his family and his children.

“The unbelievable became believable, thanks to the support of many. A new chapter is calling…”

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It has been a beautiful career, laden with achievements, records, and trophies. But for Harvick, it is all about his love for the sport. Hopefully, he will end it on a poetic high.