Recently, a charming moment at a Carolina Panthers game caught attention online when retired NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick and his son Keelan attended the game.
While the interaction focused on Keelan’s friendly handshake with Panthers player Sam Franklin Jr., it overlooked mentioning his father’s distinguished stature in the racing world.
The endearing moment unfolded during the Carolina Panthers showdown against the Dallas Cowboys. As Keelan, accompanied by his father, mingled with the players, his handshake with Franklin Jr. was shared on the NFL’s social media platforms.
Rather than identifying him as the son of a NASCAR legend, Keelan was simply labeled as a “young fan.” The omission seemed to amuse Kevin Harvick, who responded with a light-hearted jab on social media. Posting an image from a Minnesota Vikings game, Harvick captioned it humorously:
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“Great experience last night NFL game with this young fan!”
Kevin Harvick’s retirement from NASCAR in 2023 marked the end of an illustrious racing career, punctuated by a NASCAR Cup Series Championship and an impressive string of victories.
Not one to remain idle, he has since moved into a broadcasting career with FOX Sports, where he began contributing by calling NASCAR Cup Series races. His insights come not just from his career on the track but also from previous experience commenting on Xfinity Series races. Harvick is set to continue with broadcast coverage in the 2025 season, kicking off with the prestigious Daytona 500.
Meanwhile, Keelan Harvick is carving his path in the racing world. He is actively involved in late model racing, a venture that mirrors his father’s early career trajectory. Keelan competes within the Rackley W.A.R. team as part of both the Super and Pro Late Model programs.
Harvick has spoken about his son’s racing career, stating, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:
“I think we kind of threw [Keelan] to the wolves.
“I didn’t really put all this together for him to be in the biggest Limited race of the year, but it worked out really well because he got to race against a really competitive field. His race craft tonight was something I was proud of.
“He did an amazing job in the car.”
He continued:
“[Friday] confirmed what we had planned next year. We’ll probably keep pushing down the road of 25-30 Late Model races for next year. Now it starts with all the little things. The last tenth-and-a half, two-tenths are the hard part, [along with] learning when to go, how hard to go, how to qualify and restarts.
“Now he knows he can do it, so everything will start to slow down. It’s a matter of repetition at this point.”
