Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Harvick receives standing ovation from Cup Series drivers ahead of championship race

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 11/5/23

One final race. That’s all Kevin Harvick has left in his legendary NASCAR career. Rightfully, his peers gave him a standing ovation to send him off. During the driver’s meeting, a highlight video was shown honoring Harvick and all of his accomplishments. Afterward, he got a resounding round of applause.

Think about it – Kevin Harvick is the last driver to race in the non-Chase/Playoff era. He is the one who replaced Dale Sr. after he died. There is so much that Harvick has done for the sport by just doing his job every week and showing up to the race track.

Not to mention, he’s one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers and is a Cup Series champion.

His peers, the media, and everyone in the room gave Harvick a standing ovation. He deserves that and more for all that he’s done for NASCAR.

‘@KevinHarvick received a standing ovation ahead of his final @NASCAR Cup Series race. #4EVER pic.twitter.com/6Pv5QV0DLG
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 5, 2023

Things are about to get started real soon. This is the final time we will see Kevin Harvick racing in the Cup Series. He won’t go away for long. He’ll be back in the NASCAR booth with Fox Sports next season. Thank goodness we will get at least half a season of Harvick on the broadcast.

Phoenix is a special track for Harvick. He has nine wins, more than any other driver, and he wants to add a tenth.

Kevin Harvick starting third at Phoenix

While Championship 4 driver William Byron will start on the pole, Kevin Harvick is close behind. Harvick finished P3 in qualifying, a solid effort for the veteran driver. He still doesn’t have a win this season.

If anyone was going to spoil the party today, I hope it’s Harvick. It would be fitting for The Closer to go out on a high note at a track he dominated for so long. While that will be difficult with the championship implications for those four drivers, I think it’s possible.

Harvick doesn’t shy away from challenges. So, I think he’s going to really give this a go and pull out all of the stops.

One more race for Kevin Harvick. That’s it. The Closer is closing out his career. We talked about it all year long, but now it’s real. The moment is here. There isn’t another race next week. So, we’ll see how it all plays out in just a few minutes.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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