Kevin Harvick discusses his final NASCAR race - “The book was written, I get to close it myself and walk off”

Kevin Harvick's storied NASCAR career comes to an end this weekend at Phoenix Raceway as he is set to retire following the conclusion of the 2023 Cup Series season.

The 2014 Cup champion had announced his retirement plans prior to the 2023 season. Harvick will be making his 826th Cup Series start at Phoenix this weekend, the final one before he ventures into the next chapter in his life.

The Bakersfield, California native admits he is fortunate to retire on his own accord and make his final start at a track he grew up racing. Reflecting on his final weekend as a NASCAR driver, the #4 Stewart Haas Racing driver said on SiriusXM radio:

"...For me to end at Phoenix, and to be on a race track that I grew up racing on is something that you couldn't really ask for. It's going to be emotional but I really gone through so many of the emotions, planning everything going into the season that it's just the end of the chapter."

"I'm very fortunate to be in a position where the book that was written I get to close it myself and walk off," he added.

Kevin Harvick is a modern NASCAR great, who was thrust into the spotlight after Dale Earnhardt's tragic death in 2001. Harvick was filling in the shoes of NASCAR's greatest driver and immediately made his opportunity count, winning on his third start in the iconic #29 Chevy.

Following his 13-year stint at Richard Childress Racing, his crowning glory came in his maiden season with Stewart Haas Racing as he won the 2014 Cup Series title. A decade later, he has decided to hang up his racing boots with 60 wins in the bag.

From being a substitute to NASCAR's most iconic driver, Kevin Harvick will be leaving behind a legacy of his own after he concludes his final laps in the Cup Series championship race at Phoenix this Sunday, November 5.

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Kevin Harvick reflects on his emotional farewell tour

As Kevin Harvick reaches the final destination of the farewell tour at Phoenix, the 48-year-old surprisingly admitted that he is not emotional given he had planned out the season long before and was taking it one week at a time.

"I have not. For me, it's all been just one week at a time, much as I would approach it in the past," he said to Fox Sports when asked if he was emotional before his final start.

"It’s always one week at a time. And we had such a great plan coming into the season, with the whole team and everybody who's been involved in the last year of what we wanted to accomplish. And I feel like we accomplished all those things," he added.

The dreaded weekend for most NASCAR fans is finally here as 'The Closer' will make his final racing start in the premier series.