It’s Harvick Versus Harvick In A Showdown With No Tie And No Mercy

Kevin Harvick has spent his life racing legends. Jeff Gordon. Jimmie Johnson. Dale Earnhardt Jr. But on May 31, the 2014 NASCAR Cup champion will face his most personal challenge yet: racing his 12-year-old son Keelan, wheel to wheel, at Kern Raceway.

This isn’t a parade lap. No ceremonial green flag. It’s a full-on late model race on the CARS Tour West stage in Bakersfield, California. One Harvick will win. The other won’t.

“I never really thought I’d race him,” Kevin admits. “That kind of evolved after I retired. I was just gonna watch him race. I didn’t have any plans to get back in a car.”

Turns out, plans change.

Keelan, on the cusp of his teens, has quickly graduated from karting to legends cars to full-bodied stock cars, and most recently notched a podium at North Wilkesboro Speedway—racing against veterans like Josh Berry and Spencer Davis.

One of Keelan’s earliest racing memories was at Michigan, riding shotgun—literally—after his dad won. “I did a burnout with him. That was a core memory for me,” Keelan says.

He never imagined though he’d be racing against dad, at least not so soon. “That was always the goal, but I didn’t think I’d be racing against him this early though.”

Now a full-time analyst in the FOX booth, Kevin sees the May 31 race as more than just a one-off. Sure, it’s branding. It’s marketing. But it’s also deeply personal.

“It’s a great promotional tool, not only from our branding standpoint, but for the CARS Tour in general and short-track racing. But the cool factor of racing him? That’s something I never planned for— it’s turned into one of the most fun things I’ve ever done,” Kevin says.

Behind the scenes, things have shifted too. Early on, Kevin coached Keelen’s every lap. “Back in karts, it was every session. That wasn’t healthy,” he admits. “Now it’s two or three things a weekend. He listens more. I talk less. It works better.”

And yes, Keelan listens—but he’s also started to offer critiques of his own. “Especially when I’d come home from Cup races,” Kevin says, “he’d go, ‘What about that restart? Why’d you do that?’ I’d just laugh. I hear it from the fans; I don’t need to hear it from him too.”

Now Keelen’s his turn to be critiqued—on the track, and maybe in the household.

“I’m not nervous,” Keelan says. “I just don’t want to hit him. He said he’d kill me if I hit him, so I’ll stay as far away as possible.”

“I told him if he wrecks me, he’s mowing the lawn. For a year,” Kevin adds with a smirk.

They joke, but the tone shifts when it comes to accountability. “He’s been around this his whole life. He knows what we expect,” Kevin says. “Racing or school, it’s all the same. Put in the effort. Do the work. You can have fun, but you’ve got to bring the focus when it’s time.”

And Keelan’s not the only Harvick kid getting the racing itch. Piper Harvick, she turns eight in December, is gearing up to follow the same tire tracks.

“She just had her last soccer game. She told me she’s racing as soon as it’s over. Said she needs more horsepower,” Kevin laughs. “She’s been my motivation to get back into shape.”

That shape? “Booth shape,” Kevin calls it. “I got back in my kart and realized—I’m in TV shape, not racing shape. I’ve got four or five weeks to fix that.”

At Kern, Kevin trades the mic for a helmet and the tie for a fire suit.

“I love being in the FOX booth, but I’m excited to put the fire suit back on,” Kevin said. “Especially for this. It’s Bakersfield, it’s my hometown, my whole family will be there. His cousins, my sister. We’ll probably end up at a pool party after the race.”

Asked what happens if Keelan wins, Kevin doesn’t blink. “If he beats me, we’re doing something right. That’s a good thing. I’ll put it in so deep into turn one the next time that he gets tired of hearing about it.”

Keelan grins. “Same here. If I beat him, I’ll talk about it every day.”

The bet? Mostly bragging rights. “He doesn’t like getting beat,” Keelan says. “So I’d definitely bring it up.”

They’re quick with the wit, but they’re also absolutely serious about the long-term plan. Kevin knows exactly what it takes to climb the ladder. As head of KHI Management, he’s not just grooming a driver—he’s building the entire support system.

“If it turns into Trucks, Xfinity—whatever—it’s all doable,” he says. “We’ve got the people. Some have been with me for over 20 years. We know the right paths, the right partners. If he wants it, we’re ready.”

That’s the future. For now, it’s about one night. One race. One very fast family reunion under the lights at Kern. And regardless of who crosses the finish line first, the true victory lies in the legacy being forged—a testament to passion, perseverance, and the unbreakable bond between father and son.

Oh—and for the record—it’s officially called Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. The track was renamed in 2023 by new owners to honor Harvick, a proud Bakersfield native. But if Keelan wins, someone may want to start making room on the sign.