Keelan responds to his father Kevin Harvick’s ‘expensive’ warning ahead of their first duel

Keelan Harvick, son of NASCAR legend and former Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick recently responded to a warning from his dad about their upcoming race together. The father-son duo will compete against each other for the first time this year in the CARS Tour West Series. A few weeks ago, Kevin spoke about his upcoming duel with his son and let Keelan know the potential consequences of crashing with him on the track.

The highly anticipated match-up will take place in the Pro Late Models category, with their first clash scheduled for May 31 at Kern Raceway. The battle will continue on July 16 at Owosso Speedway during the Masters of the Pros 200, where the winner will take home a $25,000 prize.

On his Happy Hour podcast, the 49-year-old said the following about his match-up with Keelan later in the year:

"There's already a lot of sh*t-talking going on in the house[...] I've had to explain to him, 'Keelan, this is not a go-kart, this is not a legend car if you wreck my a** in this car, it's expensive and I'm paying for it,” Kevin Harvick noted (5:42 onwards).

In a recent conversation with Flo Racing, Keelan was asked if his dad's comment made him think like he has to be extra careful of not wrecking Kevin or whether his father is just another driver to beat once they are out on the track. Keelan's response highlighted why his father is not like other drivers on the track because he pays for his ride and everything.

"He's not as much of a driver because he does pay for it but I probably won't let him," Keelan shared (0:40 onwards).

When asked what would count as success for him on May 31, Keelan said:

"If I finish, that'd be good."

Keelan is coming fresh off of a dominant performance at Florence Motor Speedway in the Limited Late Model event where he started from the pole position, led every single lap of the race, and finished the race four seconds clear of the second-place driver.

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Kevin Harvick Inc. on Keelan securing a place in FloRacing's 20 Under 20

Keelan Harvick’s rising talent in motorsports was recently acknowledged when he became the youngest driver to be featured in FloRacing’s 20 Under 20 list. This honor highlights the most promising young drivers across different racing series. Keelan's father’s racing team, Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), co-owned by Kevin and his wife, DeLana, congratulated him on social media.

"Congratulations Keelan Harvick on being the youngest driver to make @FloRacing 20 under 20!" KHI shared on X.

Keelan’s racing journey began with go-karts in both the United States and Europe, and he has since progressed through the Young Lions division. His transition into full-sized cars started in November 2024, when he made his Limited Late Model debut at Florence Motor Speedway, finishing in eighth place.

In just his second attempt at the track earlier this month, he dominated the field and secured his first victory. Florence Motor Speedway’s official Twitter account recognized his achievement, writing:

"Keelan Harvick leads the field of Limited Late Models to start the 2025 Season at Florence Motor Speedway!"

Keelan is following in the footsteps of his father and with every passing year, it seems more and more likely that he will one day become a big name in NASCAR's premier class, just like Kevin Harvick.