HARRISBURG, N.C. — Kevin Harvick will enter the CARS Tour Late Model Stock race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 17, driving the No. 62 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford.
Harvick will honor his racing roots with a scheme reminiscent of one his early late model cars in California and run a number with a legacy built by his late father-in-law, John Paul Linville.
For Harvick, those beginnings started in California running late models and winning a NASCAR West Series championship before he began his climb up the NASCAR ladder to becoming a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Earlier this year, Harvick, along with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Burton and Justin Marks, announced they had bought the CARS Tour.
“I’m excited to get to North Wilkesboro and compete in the CARS Tour,” said Harvick. “I’ve watched Dale (Earnhardt, Jr.) go out and have fun racing with these guys and I’ve been kind of jealous watching from the sidelines. I want to go out, have fun, get to know the racers who compete in these series regularly and see how I can help the drivers with my racing knowledge. Short-track racing really is the root that feeds into the higher series and everything we do in racing.
“The best way to make sure that continues and is strong is to be a part of it and racing at North Wilkesboro is just one of those steps. It’s going to be a great week with all we have planned between the late model and the Cup car.”
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) March 22, 2023
Continuing a legacy built by his late father-in-law, Harvick will pilot the No. 62 for the CARS Tour race, but it’s a number that is also being used by Kevin and DeLana’s son Keelan as he competes in the No. 62 throughout the United States, previously in go karts and now in Legend Cars.
“I grew up watching my dad compete for our family-owned team and traveling to the racetrack every week with him,” said DeLana Harvick. “When it was time for Keelan to pick a number, he wanted the No. 62 to remember his Paw Paw John and to set himself apart from Kevin. He really wants to be known as his own racer.
“To see my dad’s number running again with Keelan and now with Kevin, is really special to our family.”
With his entrance into the CARS Tour race, Harvick will once again be behind the wheel of a Kevin Harvick Inc. machine, bringing the championship winning organization back to the track after a 12-year hiatus. KHI competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Truck Series and ARCA Series from 2001 – 2011.
“With where we are on the management side, the ownership in the CARS Tour and with Keelan’s racing, it felt like the right time to bring KHI back,” said Harvick. “For now it’ll be a place for us to run races to gain experience for our KHI Management, LLC (KHIM) drivers, compete in the CARS Tour to better understand how we can help make changes for the better and ultimately, have some fun racing.”