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Kevin Harvick said Thursday that he will retire after the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. File Photo by Edwin Locke/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 12 (UPI) — NASCAR’s Kevin Harvick will retire after the 2023 season, the 22-year veteran announced Thursday morning on social media. “I’ve seen a lot and I’ve done a lot and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Harvick said in a video posted to his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts. “I’m always ready for a new season. It presents new challenges and forces you to find new ways to outsmart and outrun the competition. Advertisement
“But come November, when the checkered flag drops on the season finale in Phoenix, it will also be my final race as a NASCAR Cup Series driver.”
Harvick, 47, made his NASCAR debut in 1995 in the Camping World Truck Series. He then debuted in 1999 in the Xfinity Series. Harvick made his Cup Series debut in 2001. He went on to become the 2014 Spring Cup Series Champion. He also was the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season champion.
The driver of Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 Ford Mustang earned 60 wins and 428 Top 10 finishes in 779 previous Cup Series starts. Harvick also claimed 47 wins in the Xfinity Series and 15 wins in the Camping World Truck Series.
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“It’s time to call time, to enjoy all we have achieved as a race team and to savor it with the ones who have made this journey possible,” Harvick said. “The unbelievable became the believable, thanks to the help and support of so many.”
Harvick said his new chapter in 2024 will be one where “being a dad takes precedence over being a driver.” Harvick and his wife, DeLana, parent two children: 5-year-old daughter Piper and 1-year-old Keelan.
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“But that chapter is still a year away,” Harvick said. “There is still more to be written, not on paper, but on asphalt, and who knows, maybe even on dirt.”
Former Cup Series star Tony Stewart, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, said Harvick helped “elevate” the team. He also told Harvick to “savor every lap” of his final season.
“I competed against Kevin for a long time and I was so happy to finally have him a part of our race team,” Stewart said in a news release. “He’s incredibly reliable — consistent and calculated on the track with a drive to always be better. That’s what you want in a teammate.
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“He knows what he needs to be successful, and his will to win helped elevate our entire company.”
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season will start with the Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 5 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The 2023 Daytona 500 will be held Feb. 19 in Daytona Beach, Fla.