It looked like he had a car capable of winning at one point, but Kevin Harvick comes home P7 in his final NASCAR race. After the race, Harvick admitted that he was emotional and he’s not the tough guy that he often tries to portray himself as.
The last of the Winston Cup Series drivers is now retired. Kevin Harvick will move to the Fox broadcast booth in 2024 and help tell the story of NASCAR now. With his top-10 finish today, he now has 21 straight at Phoenix, a track he’s dominated for so long.
Ross Chastain winning the race and Ryan Blaney winning the championship overshadowed The Closer’s finale a bit. However, Harvick got an exit interview before the broadcast was over.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster for sure,” Harvick said. “This really means a lot to me because I love driving a racecar, I love being around the people more. This sport’s done so much for me. I opened this chapter unexpectedly in 2001 and closed it how we wanted in 2023, being competitive. … There’s been so many great so tires and things that have happened this year, but especially this week.”
As far as how he wants to be remembered?
“We gave it all we had. Every lap, every week. We touched every facet of this car. There’s just not any piece of it that I feel we’re not a part of in some way, shape or form.”
Kevin Harvick goes out as one of the 75 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR history. He’s a future Hall of Famer and will be an excellent broadcaster.
Kevin Harvick, The Closer, closes out his career
Watching Harvick drive this final race was emotional. If you remember NASCAR before Dale Sr. died, it is very emotional. This is the end of an era. The last vestige of a time gone by. While the win never came this season, it was a great final two years for Harvick in NASCAR.
Next year, Kevin Harvick will be in the booth with Mike Joy and the crew. It will be a pleasure to see the stories he tells and the voice he brings to the races next year.
“I feel like I can walk into any trailer in that garage right now,” Harvick continued in his post-race comments. “We can walk into any meeting, I still want to be part of the driver’s council. These guys are rock stars, I want everyone to know how hard these guys work.”
This season, Harvick acted as a veteran voice in the garage. Concerns over respect and aggressive racing were bubbling up every week to start the year. Ever since the Busch Light Bumper Car Clash until Darlington in the spring, really.
Harvick was able to also give drivers a voice on the safety of the Next Gen car. He was very vocal about changes needing to be made. Although he didn’t make it a big deal all the time, Harvick let his opinion on NASCAR’s pressing issues be known.
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