How do you respond when the student doesn’t just surpass the teacher, but shares his last name? Not only did 12-year-old Keelan Harvick win his first CARS Tour Pro Late Model race at Hickory Motor Speedway, but he also defeated his father, NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick, taking ownership of the bragging rights. In the battle between the Harvicks, Keelan is leading the charge and with a 3-0 lead. This battle started back at Kern Raceway in May and then continued at Evergreen Speedway a few weeks later.
Harvick had the opportunity to cut the deficit at Hickory, but Keelan once again was on top of his game. While the father and son duo have been involved in online banters over their duels, on this occasion, Harvick Jr. broke his character and shed light on how his father’s guidance is helping him churn up one win after another.
Keelan made history at the 100-lap CARS Tour race at Hickory on July 12, not just because he won, but also because of the way he did it. He led 99 laps, dominated from the drop of the green, and clinched pole position with a time of 14.412 seconds. On a mid-race restart, Ben Maier passed him for a brief moment, but Keelan quickly caught up and took the lead again on the following lap with a clean move on the inside.
And while the victory margin was impressive over four seconds at the line, the biggest takeaway was the post-race moment when Keelan credited his dad. “It’s kind of cool to just have him in the car and just coach me,” Keelan said in a FloRacing interview. “He’s never actually been in a go-kart to the Legend car with me and seen what he’s doing on the data and all that. It’s beneficial, and I just can’t thank him enough for letting me do this.”
𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑾𝒊𝒏 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒏 – @KeelanHarvick dominated Saturday’s @CARSTour PLM feature at Hickory and scored his first series victory on the east coast, giving him a commanding #HarvickCup lead as well.#CARSTour | @HBPizza pic.twitter.com/sTxOgyZxwK
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) July 13, 2025
Keelan was put to the test on two restarts, particularly the last one with twenty-three laps remaining, but he remained composed. Clean driving, mature tire management, and a dominating advantage over second-place Caden Kvapil and third-place Kevin Harvick were his hallmarks. Following the race, Kevin was proud of the effort and his third-place finish.
“It’s just so special to be able to do what we’re doing right now,” said Kevin Harvick. “It’s not something that I had thought about or planned. Even though he kicks my butt, it’s fun to be on the same racetrack. It creates new conversations that we didn’t have with Legends Cars or go-karts,” Kevin Harvick said post-race.
Keelan is anticipated to continue competing in Summer Shootout events and other Late Model races throughout the season after earning his first Pro Late-Model CARS Tour win. His development is not being rushed; rather, it is accelerating with each lap, instruction, and now glory.
Kevin Harvick backs up SVG to continue his dominant run at Sonoma Raceway
Kevin Harvick stated on his Happy Hour podcast that he believes Shane van Gisbergen will win the 2025 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Van Gisbergen has made a name for himself on road courses after winning handily on the Chicago Street Course, and Harvick doesn’t see why that should change at Sonoma. “I’ll take SVG,” he said, referring to the Trackhouse Racing driver after his dominant victory on the Chicago Street Course last weekend. “Somebody has to take him.”
SVG has already made an impression at the storied Northern California track in 2025, and Sonoma will be his maiden Cup start there. He started from the pole position and led every lap on his way to victory in the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma earlier this year. That accomplishment came after he defeated some of the greatest in the sport on a layout that penalizes precision errors on a street course in Chicago. According to Harvick, SVG has an advantage that raw statistics may not yet adequately reflect because of that kind of flexibility and assurance.
In his rookie Cup season with Trackhouse Racing, SVG has already bagged his spot in the playoffs thanks to two wins. He has an average finish of 22.9 and has led 111 laps altogether. His ability to capitalize on certain circuits, especially road courses, makes him an obvious threat every time the calendar turns right, even if he now holds 27th place in the points standings with 308 points. Harvick is aware that Sonoma’s 1.99-mile track, with its elevation changes and technical braking zones, appeals to his Supercar experience.
However, the Kiwi speedster will have to deal with the likes of Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell, and even Kyle Larson this weekend. By no means will the race in Wine Country be a cakewalk for him, as a lot of drivers in the garage are looking to end SVG’s road course dominance.
The post Kevin Harvick’s Son Keelan Credits Father’s Guidance After Humbling Him in Dominant CARS Tour Victory appeared first on EssentiallySports.