“He’s out of shape and old. So, it’s kinda hard not to [beat him].” Anybody else would have been regarded as utterly mad for saying these words about 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. However, none other than the legend’s son, Keelan Harvick, said these words in a bout of passionate trash talk. Keelan said so soon after taking down his dad in a Pro Late Model competition at Hickory Motor Speedway. That competition is still continuing, but soon, he will honor his father with some special colors.

Both father and son are embroiled in a healthy fight on the racetracks, with Keelan in the lead. The talented son has scored Harvick Cup head-to-head victories at Kern, Evergreen, Hickory, and Colorado. He will return to one of these racetracks in two months. This time, he will compete against and celebrate his father’s talents.

Kevin Harvick’s timeless legacy will be on display

A legendary speedster’s finest races are remembered through the colors. Kevin Harvick has worn many liveries in his NASCAR career, ranging from Budweiser’s red and white colors to Mobil 1’s white shades. Early in his Winston West Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career, Harvick wore a special blue and white livery. Harvick went on to capture the 1998 Winston West championship and multiple victories with the Spears entry, including a dominant five-win season during his title campaign. Remembering that iconic time, his son Keelan will don some similar colors for his Super Late Model debut.

The 13-year-old speedster will return to Kern Raceway on October 25th, this time in a Spears-sponsored throwback tribute to Kevin Harvick. This comes after Keelan’s tribute to his grandfather, John Linville, at Hickory. KHI Racing posted the news about Keelan’s Cars Tour West venture on their X account. NEWS: “@KeelanHarvick to make Super Late Model debut in Spears Throwback; Additional stop @KernRaceway for Harvick Cup on Oct. 25.”  

This marks an upgrade in Keelan Harvick‘s racing journey. A Super Late Model and a Pro Late Model are similar straight-rail chassis race cars. However, Super Late Models output close to 600 horsepower. Hence, the little Harvick is pumped for his debut at the high-banked half-mile oval at Bakersfield, California. Keelan said, “Racing a Super Late Model at Kern is going to be awesome. Doing it in a throwback to my dad’s Spears car is cool, too. Everyone in Bakersfield has been super supportive of racing, and the Spears partnership means a lot to my family. It’s awesome to carry on that tradition.”

FloRacing rolled out the remaining schedule featuring a clash between Kevin Harvick and his son Keelan. They wrote, “The remainder of the Harvick Cup fueled by Hunt Brothers Pizza will take place at the Las Vegas Bullring on October 10 with CARS Tour West, North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 18 with the CARS Tour, October 25 in a Super Late Model with CARS Tour West at Kern Raceway, and it will wrap up on November 15 with CARS Tour West at Kern Raceway in Pro Late Model competition.”

While Kevin Harvick prepares to go up against his high-achieving son again, he is also busy with NASCAR. The champion is not happy about a recent update in the sport.

Stressing a loss of identity

Since its inception in 1949, NASCAR has symbolized the epitome of stock car racing. So, if somebody changed the name of the sport from NASCAR to something else, fans and drivers would hardly appreciate it. A similar dilemma has surfaced in the sport recently. NASCAR has renamed the Xfinity Series to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for the 2026 season. Xfinity had signed a 10-year contract with the sport, and now the bond with O’Reilly Auto Parts may be multi-year. However, Kevin Harvick is not too happy about this change. He highlighted that NASCAR may be putting too much emphasis on the sponsors’ names.

The 49-year-old legend asserted that the Cup Series and the Bill France Cup were true just to the primary series. Similarly, even if Craftsman were to leave as the sponsor, the series would still be titled Truck Series. Kevin Harvick voiced his concerns: “I think we need to work on is we need some identity for this series. We have the NASCAR Cup Series, and we have the Bill France Cup, and we have all these things that are true to the Cup Series. The trucks are the easy ones, right? They’re just trucks. Even if Craftsman is not there, it’s still the Truck Series, and then you have the Cup Series. So, what is the Xfinity Series?”

Kevin Harvick’s Xfinity Series concerns seem legitimate, as there was a ring to the name. Meanwhile, the Cup Series champion will work hard to beat his son in his Super Late Model debut. Let us see who succeeds!