“Closer to real power”: Kevin Harvick reacts to his Michigan race when a kid nearly fell from the grandstand

Kevin Harvick has reacted to a clip from a 2018 race where a kid nearly fell watching NASCAR cars fly by. Harvick said the cars' horsepower figures may be restricted but they weren't far off the maximum capability.

Harvick is a 48-year-old former NASCAR Cup Series driver who won the 2014 championship title. In the clip posted on X (formerly Twitter), the driver piloted the No. 4 Ford for the now-discontinued Stewart-Haas Racing team.

Reacting to the power of the NASCAR cars, Harvick said:

"Still restricted but closer to real power."

The race was held at the Michigan International Speedway in 2018. The racecars were in their Gen 6 form developed to produce 750 horsepower. Although, the cars were able to churn out 900 hp in 2014 before NASCAR gradually reduced the output.

The horsepower reduction was implemented to bolster safety and improve the racing product by keeping the pack together.

During the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in 2018, Kevin Harvick started the race 4th but he had a good chance to win. However, the race was cut short on lap 133 after rain soaked the track, giving Harvick a P2 finish.

Clint Bowyer was victorious and secured his 10th and final win in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Notably, Harvick later won the Consumers Energy 400, the second Michigan race on the 2018 calendar.

Kevin Harvick won the 2018 Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway - Source: Imagn

The following year, NASCAR further reduced the power to 550 horses. It was only increased to 670 hp when the stock car racing league introduced the Next Gen (Gen 7) cars in 2022.

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Kevin Harvick reacts to 'best viral moment' in 2024 NASCAR season

During the last episode of this year's Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts on the show's 'best viral moment' in the 2024 NASCAR season.

After the award was given to the Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fight in the all-star race at North Wilkesboro, Harvick said:

"That moment, it's just one of those moments that was not like any other moment because of the fact that Ricky was locked into the race track and was all waiting behind the hauler in swim trunks." [13:29]

The fight also birthed Bob Pockrass' famous meme in the NASCAR community. The veteran NASCAR reporter explained his side on an earlier episode of the podcast, saying:

"Fox got me this little camera and it's on a swivel because like you can hit a button so that it comes to selfie mode. And Kyle Busch gets thrown back into me and it spins into me and catches my face. I guess at the perfect moment... I didn't have a time to even look at it. So I just sent them what I had. So I had no clue what was on there until my face was screenshot and a meme had been made." [0:57]

For 2025, Harvick's Happy Hour podcast is expected to return for a second season. He is also expected to run about 15 races in the late model racing series.