NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick wins fans’ 2023 ‘Person of the Year’ award

Kevin Harvick has won the NASCAR Fan Choice 'Person of the Year' award following the conclusion of his farewell tour this year in his final Cup Series season.

The results were announced on November 21-22, a week after voting closed for the Fan Choice awards for various categories. Fans made their opinion clear by choosing Harvick as the 'Person of the Year', commemorating his legacy in the sport.

Kevin Harvick was thrust into the spotlight following NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001. From filling in the shoes of one of the sport's greatest drivers, Harvick is leaving behind a legacy of his own as he retires from the Cup Series.

The 2014 Cup Series champion has made 826 starts in the premier series and has racked up 60 wins over 23 years. Despite going winless in his final season, the #4 SHR driver came close on multiple occasions and had a significantly better campaign than his teammates.

In his farewell tour which spanned over 36 weeks, Kevin Harvick recounted the tales of his rivalries and some of his best moments. Harvick's #29 Throwback livery for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro won the Fan Choice award for the Best Paint Scheme.

In the other categories, the Chicago Street race was voted as the best race. The 2023 Cup champion Ryan Blaney's crew chief Jonathan Hassler won the Crew Chief of the Year honor.

Following a breakout year with three wins, Chris Buescher was chosen as the Most Improved Driver. Kyle Larson's stellar drive in the All-Star Race was chosen as the Most Dominant Performance and his burnouts post-race were chosen as the Best Celebration.

Brad Keselowski doing rounds at Daytona won the Best Scanner Moment. The rivalry between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin was chosen as the Best Rivalry. Corey LaJoie kept stacking likes and impressions on the internet and won the Best Driver on Social Media.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. forecasts 'dark moments' for Kevin Harvick's replacement

Josh Berry will be filling in the shoes of Kevin Harvick at Stewart Haas Racing next season. His longtime ally Dale Earnhardt Jr. predicts that the #4 Ford driver will have his moments of struggle in his first full-time Cup Series season.

“I’m a Josh Berry fan. Y’all know that I want that to go well. There will be some moments of struggle,” Earnhardt Jr. said. "There will be times when Josh Berry’s going, ‘Man, do I have what it takes? Do I belong here? Do I have the fortitude to go forward?’ There will be some dark, dark moments in that first year. There are for every driver.”

Earnhardt Jr. expects Berry to show a few glimpses of his talent to consolidate a successful rookie season.

“You at least need to do that. You at least need to have those few bright pops where you go, ‘Oh shoot man. They had a great run today. Man, if they could do that regularly..'”

Berry will be teaming up with Kevin Harvick's longtime crew chief Rodney Childers.