Kevin Harvick answered the tough question on this week’s episode of Harvick’s Happy Hour, Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Chase Elliott?
Throughout his time as a broadcaster, Harvick hasn’t been shy about asking that question to certain drivers he’s interviewed, believing it proves a generation gap. Many have sided with Elliott, but Harvick decided Earnhardt Jr. is his answer to the question.
“I always think generational questions like that are very interesting, right? Because when you listen to the [Joe] Gibbs [Racing] guys answer that question about Dale Jr. and Chase Elliott, as to who the better driver is, they all four said Chase Elliott. I would argue against that,” Harvick stated. “Because I grew up, and I think, you know, it’s the Joe Montana, or is it Peyton Manning? Is it, you know, Tom Brady, or is it Terry Bradshaw? You know, it’s — you have those generational things.
“So for me, I grew up racing with Dale. I think that Dale Jr. had, you know, he had a lot of, he had a lot of different experience in different cars. I would go with, I would personally go with Dale Jr. on on that side of the fence.”
Even though he’s riding with the NASCAR Hall of Famer, Harvick has immense respect for Elliott, and what both drivers as a whole have done and continue to do for the sport.
“I just think that those generational, the different generations of who thinks who is good, has a lot to do with what you’re doing now, and you overlook, and when you put them on the spot like that, I like to see their reactions. If I had to be put on that spot, I would choose Dale Jr., mainly because I raced with him more,” Harvick added. “I got to see everything, his whole body of work. And we still haven’t seen Chase Elliott’s whole body of work. I know that. But it’s, you know, it’s interesting. I think Chase has won 19 Cup races. I think Dale is in those mid 20s. But like, those guys are — they’re in a totally different category than everybody else, as far as what they do for the sport, what they mean to the sport, because of their heritage in the sport, with their name.
“It’s just such an interesting topic of conversation, because they’re both the most popular driver now, for how many years in a row, with with everything that they’ve had, their families. My big thing on those subjects with those two, is people need to understand the magnitude of what they deal with, and how those things go. Both great drivers, right. Both great drivers. I’m a little biased towards Dale Jr. and what he does, and had did in the sport, and what he’s done for the sport, but that doesn’t mean that Chase Elliott’s not great as well.”
In the end, both drivers are phenomenal, and it’s tough to pick a side. Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating topic of conversation, and Chase Elliott still has a lot of time to change Kevin Harvick’s mind from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the wheelman of the No. 9.
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