January 12, 2023 | By Lee Spencer

Happy: Kevin Harvick knows the time is right to step away from Cup competition

Kevin Harvick’s departure from full-time racing after the 2023 NASCAR Cup season came as a surprise to no one.

At 47, and with two young children demanding more of his time, achieving an ideal work/life balance is difficult—especially for a dad whose family takes precedence over all.

But don’t think for a moment that his devotion to wife Delana, son Keelan, 10, and daughter Piper, 5, ever diluted his desire to win or his dedication behind the wheel. Harvick has produced his best results over the past decade including 41 of his 60 wins and the 2014 championship.

And Harvick will continue that charge from the moment he kicks off his 4EVER tour at the Busch Light Clash on February 5 to the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

“There is absolutely nothing else in the world that I enjoy doing more than going to the race track, and I’m genuinely looking forward to this season,” Harvick said in a release from Stewart Haas Racing. “But as I’ve gone through the years, I knew there would come a day where I had to make a decision. When would it be time to step away from the car?

“I’ve sought out people and picked their brains. When I asked them when they knew it was the right time, they said it’ll just happen, and you’ll realize that’s the right moment. You’ll make a plan and decide when it’s your last year.

“It’s definitely been hard to understand when that right moment is, because we’ve been so fortunate to run well. But sometimes there are just other things going on that become more important and, for me, that time has come.”

Harvick has built a Hall-of-Fame-worthy resume since breaking into the NASCAR scene 25 years ago. In addition to 60 Cup wins, 245 top fives and 430 top 10s in 790 Cup starts, Harvick holds 47 wins and two titles in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, 14 Craftsman Truck Series wins and seven K&N Pro Series West win along with the 1998 championship. He’s won the sport’s four majors—the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400.

While Harvick has evolved into one of the most respected voices in the garage, the maturation process didn’t occur overnight. The brash kid from Bakersfield, California, was thrust into the unenviable position of succeeding Dale Earnhardt following the seven-time champion’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500.

“Dale’s passing changed our sport forever, and it changed my life forever and the direction it took,” Harvick said. “It took me a long time to really get comfortable to really even think about things that happened that day.”

Clearly, Earnhardt was irreplaceable. Asking a 25-year-old driver to assume that responsibility at Richard Childress Racing was a daunting task. But just three races into his Cup career, Harvick won at Atlanta. He backed up that victory with a Chicagoland win 15 races later. And despite missing the first race of the season, Harvick finished ninth in the standings and secured the rookie title.

There were growing pains along the way. In his sophomore season, NASCAR black-flagged Harvick for spinning Coy Gibbs in the truck race at Martinsville. Harvick, who was already on probation at the time, parked his truck just inches from the NASCAR hauler. In turn, NASCAR parked Harvick and the driver missed the Cup race at Martinsville.

In 2002, the foundation was laid for Kevin Harvick, Inc. Team ownership offered the driver a fresh perspective on the business side of motorsports. By 2004, he fielded a full season of trucks for Matt Crafton and a part-time effort on the NXS tour. He won multiple titles in both series—including two truck championships with Ron Hornaday Jr.—and a combined 53 wins before shutting down in 2011.

Team owner Tony Stewart summarized it best.

“Kevin, I remember my first impression of you just another punk racer with a fiery reputation and damn I've never been happier to be wrong,” Stewart said via Twitter. “Like myself, I think you're often misunderstood. You've done things your way and never apologized for it. When others misunderstood us, we understood each other.”

Harvick proved to be loyal to a fault, remaining with RCR longer than he should have. When the opportunity came to build his next program from scratch with Rodney Childers at SHR, Harvick finally made the move for the 2014 season. After 14 years, he won his first Cup title.

“In 2013 I was kinda lost at what I wanted to do with my life,” Childers tweeted. “Then KH called and wanted me to start the 4 team with him. He looked me in the eyes and told me he believed in me and wanted to win races and championships with me. He gave me the chance of a lifetime.

“In that chance, our relationship has never wavered. It’s been easy, every day. We’ve talked every day for 9 years. Our passion and push to be the best has never changed. And isn’t going to change. We still want to win every single week that we show up…

“We became brothers. Best friends. He taught me to be a better person, smarter, more intelligent. And most of all we learned what good people with the same goals can do if they really want it. Our team is our backbone, and they have believed from day one.”

After last fall’s Bristol Night Race, Childers offered the first glimpse that this incredibly successful partnership might be coming to an end. Harvick, who had qualified for every Playoff since NASCAR changed the format in 2014, was ousted after the first round. According to Childers, Harvick “burnt to the ground at Darlington.” Ross Chastain wiped out the No. 4 Ford at Kansas. Then at Bristol, a wheel rolled off of the car on the final pit stop. Harvick soldiered on to a 10th-place result, but failed to advance.

Although Childers remained optimistic, his words spoke volumes, “Hopefully, he still wants to do this.”

Despite his measured tone, it was clear that Harvick was becoming increasingly frustrated with the state of the sport, between the impact injuries to the drivers as well as the fires with the new car. Harvick continued to advocate for change in public as well as behind the scenes. He remained vocal as to the severity of the hits he was taking behind the wheel—which were many in 2022.

Harvick never shied away from his media obligations even as the topics became sticky. With the mention of his children, his demeanor warmed immediately. It became clear Harvick was regretting the missed moments with Keelan and Piper, particularly when his son began karting overseas.

“In the last year, I think I’ve seen Keelan race three times while he’s been in Europe,” Harvick said. “I go to the go-kart track with Piper and she makes twice as many strides in a day while I’m there than she would in a day when I’m not there.

“It takes a lot of time to organize the level of racing they’re doing, and to be around that is important to me.”

Certainly, transitioning from racing to broadcasting will afford Harvick the quality time he’s seeking with his family. Moving to FOXSports will offer Harvick a soapbox and provide fans with incredible insight from the driver’s seat and a fresh perspective on the new car.

Last week’s announcement that Harvick has partnered with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Justin Marks to purchase and promote the CARS Tour provides him the opportunity not only to compete if he chooses to but engage a new audience of fans.

Throughout his career, Harvick has acquired many monikers. Although being tagged “Happy” was initially sarcastic at best, Harvick finally appears to be living up to the name.