Kevin Harvick Declares He Retired from NASCAR at the 'Perfect time'

Kevin Harvick replaced the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. following the latter’s fatal crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 race. Harvick had some very difficult shoes to fill in as he took the iconic No:3 car of Richard Childress Racing back then. He exceeded expectations and had a two-decade long career in the sport until his retirement, in 2023. The 2014 Cup Series champion has no regret about choosing his retirement date.

Kevin Harvick raced for Stewart-Haas Racing in his final years as the team suffered from a lot of financial issues. The team decided to shut its operation by the end of the 2024 season, a year after his retirement. Harvick ultimately join Fox Sports as an analyst in 2023. The 49-year-old seemed to have some more years left in him if he wanted to continue his career, despite already racing for over 23 seasons.

Speaking on his retirement from NASCAR, Kevin Harvick asserted that he had no regrets despite being very competitive for his age. Harvick reckoned that retiring at 47 years of age in the 2023 season was the perfect time for him. The one-time champion pointed out that everything worked out for him at Fox Sports as he felt at peace with his new job. However, he explained that if it weren’t for the COVID-19 fiasco, his retirement might have come earlier.

 It was the perfect time for me. The way everything worked out in the Fox booth—I think the timing of it would have been a couple years sooner if COVID hadn’t happened. 

Kevin Harvick told autoweek.com.

Regardless of a delayed exit from NASCAR, Kevin Harvick insisted that he was glad to get a few more years racing in the sport. Moreover, the contract for Fox Sports came right when his contract with Stewart-Haas Racing was set to expire. As such, Harvick holds no grudges against the team as he fulfilled his contract until the end without any untoward problems.

But I got a couple more years in the car, then when this opportunity with Fox came I was at the end of my contract. The most important thing was that I fulfilled the end of my contract with Stewart-Haas so I wouldn’t put them in a bad spot.

Kevin Harvick added.

Kevin Harvick reveals his stance on ‘critics on social media’

Kevin Harvick has received his fair share of hate and criticism on the internet over his long career in NASCAR. He hasn’t let the hate get the best of him, as his performance spoke for itself. Despite quitting the sport and being an analyst, Harvick still receives a lot of hate as he reveals his stance on the critics on social media.