Kevin Harvick | Ian J. Malone

I started watching NASCAR back in the late-90s because of friends. Obviously, the skill of driving a racecar wasn’t something I could personally identify with. However, the crew I ran with back then had such a ball watching the races — holy smokes, those were some amazing parties! — that one couldn’t help but get sucked into the NASCAR culture.
In the beginning, I was there for the shindig, the food, and the social aspect of the event, not the racing. As such, I had no allegiance to any driver, although the Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte fans in my life at the time tried like crazy to sway that.
Everything changed in February of 2001 when the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. aka “the Intimidator” passed away suddenly in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500. Naturally, the outpouring of thoughts and prayers from NASCAR Nation went mostly out to the Earnhardt family, as did mine. However, in the week following the crash, Earnhardt’s team (Richard Childress Racing) announced during a press conference that his iconic black Chevy would be painted white, the number 3 would change to 29, and a fresh-faced unknown driver from Bakersfield, California who was barely a year older than me at the time had been tapped to fill Earnhardt’s seat.
“No athlete in any sport should ever get their shot at the big leagues under these sorts of conditions. It’s just not fair.” That was my thought upon watching the RCR press conference live on ESPN.
Just over two decades have followed that day. Since then, the driver in question has gone on to win more races than Gordon along with the 2007 Daytona 500 crown and the 2014 Cup series title on route to what will undoubtedly go down in NASCAR history as a first-ballot hall of fame career.
That driver’s name was Kevin Harvick, and today he will announce his retirement from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2023 season.
It’s been a helluva ride, Harv. Thanks for the handshake at Dega and the 22 years of incredible sports memories.
PS – Seeing as how NASCAR is circling the drain these days, here’s hoping your descendants really do go on to own an interstellar mercenary company based out of Jacksonville, North Florida in the 23^rd century. 😉 #SwampEagle

There’s a great article from NBC Sports this weekend on Danica Patrick’s exit from NASCAR, and the sport’s need for new “mega star” drivers moving forward.

I was a huge Danica supporter, dating all the way back to her rookie season in IndyCar. She brought a ton to the table in terms of exposure (see her 2005 Sports Illustrated cover, promoting her maiden run at Indy). Still, Kevin Harvick is exactly right when he says in this article that eventually, star power has to be paired with results on the track or it’s all moot.

Danica was in top-flight equipment for most of her career, in IndyCar and stock cars. But what did she bring home for that? A handful of top-ten runs at Indy (no small deal, granted), one fuel mileage win in Japan (the only major victory of her career), and a pole at Daytona (rookie season in Cup). That’s it. In more than a decade of bigtime racing, that’s all the success she managed to find.

I wish Danica well in her future endeavors. I really do. I’ll also never argue with anyone who says she’s the Anna Kornikova of motorsport.

On a related note, with guys like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart having retired from active competition, the NASCAR garage needed someone to step up and “call it like he sees it” on issues of the sport’s health. I’m glad that someone is Harvick, and not just because he’s my driver. Harv is widely regarded in sports business as a sharp dude, especially when it comes to branding. So when he says “the sport needs to grow/market itself in this direction,” most agree that he knows what he’s talking about. Couple that with his on-track credentials — Cup Series title in 14, Daytona 500 title in 07, 90 career wins in NASCAR’s top three series — and the man possesses both the on-track resume and business savvy to be a voice of reason in this discussion.

Good on ya, Harv.

As always, this is merely my opinion. Take it for what it’s worth. Now, onward to Texas!

Cheers,

Ian

PS – Harvick cites Chase Elliott as having the potential for mega-stardom. I wholeheartedly agree with that because of his name. I’d be remiss, however, if I didn’t add Bubba Wallace to that list. The kid’s personality, on and off camera, is downright infections, plus he’s got skill. Now, if he just had Chase/Danica’s funding and equipment, he’d be good to go.

Thanks for the memories, Harv

IJM weighs in with Harvick on Danica, NASCAR stardom