Given Kevin Harvick’s long-term relationship with Ford, it seemed only natural that his son, Keelan Harvick, would follow in his father’s footsteps. But instead of going ahead with the Blue Oval legacy, the father-son duo had another idea as Keelan paired up with its archrival.

Keelan Harvick switches to rival camp

Toyota has partnered with Keelan Harvick, who is the new face of the Toyota Racing Development, as the Japanese manufacturer sets its sights on a long-term interest.

Sharing the update on Keelan, NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass wrote on X, “Toyota Racing Development has signed Keelan Harvick to a long-term development deal.”

With this, Toyota also has a detailed plan for Keelan in 2026. They will partner with RACKLEY W.A.R. and Kevin Harvick, Inc., in the nationwide late model races, where the 13-year-old drives the #62 Toyota Camry with ExxonMobil as his primary sponsor.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

This comes as a shocker for many, as Kevin Harvick has mostly been a Ford loyalist. Even though he raced with Chevrolet in his early days as a Richard Childress Racing driver in the Cup and Xfinity Series, he remained with Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series, and a few others in the Truck Series, such as Tricon Garage and his own team, Kevin Harvick Inc.

However, Keelan’s move away from Ford to Toyota carries significant weight and highlights how Ford has barely any stronghold in junior driver programs compared to Chevrolet and Toyota.

The Toyota Racing Development program, or TRD, helps young drivers develop under its umbrella with proper technological support. Compared to it, Ford does not have any significant driver program. With that said, it will be interesting to see when the young racing sensation sets foot in the NASCAR national series races in the near future, with Toyota.

While there were many talks about Keelan’s contract with Toyota, it seems that his father, Kevin Harvick, has a reason behind it.

Kevin Harvick justifies Toyota’s move over Ford

As soon as Keelan Harvick’s Toyota move was announced, fans and critics called it out, arguing how someone like Kevin Harvick allowed his son to go to rival Toyota when he raced with Ford for a long time.

On top of that, they also brought forth the example of Corey Heim, the 2025 Truck Series champion, who failed to earn a full-time ride at Toyota-backed teams despite his performance, thus portraying a lack of opportunities from the Japanese manufacturer.

“We’ve concentrated a lot on development and have a theory on how it should go, and I felt like the Toyota process matched what we would do,” Harvick said on his son’s move. “I think that the effort that Toyota puts into, not only the driving piece of it, but the human piece of it is very important to us as a family. That was really one of the biggest reasons on why we went this direction.”

Drivers changing hands is nothing new in NASCAR, as Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez, who were earlier Toyota drivers, now race for rivals. Jones, a primarily Toyota driver, moved to Chevrolet for a brief stint (2021 and 2022) and then returned to Toyota with Legacy Motor Club.

Suarez, on the other hand, started his Cup career with Toyota, but raced with Ford in 2019 before moving to Chevrolet in 2021. Nevertheless, Keelan Harvick can still join Christopher Bell, Corey Heim, and John Hunter Nemechek.