BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The 12-year-old driver took part in the Cars Tour West 100-lap Pro Late Model race at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway. He suffered a blown engine on lap 32.
- Keelan and his father, Nascar legend Kevin Harvick, are scheduled to race against each other for the first time on May 31st at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway
- Keelan raced in go-karts and the Legends tour before climbing into a Late Model car
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
What would Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway be without a Harvick in the starting lineup? Over the weekend, a Harvick took the track in a late-model race, but it probably wasn't the one you were thinking of. His son Keelan was behind the wheel in his first race at his Dad's track.
"I'm just here to learn," said Keelan Harvick, when I asked about his strategy for the weekend. In this classroom, everything moves very fast. The 12-year-old son of Nascar legend Kevin Harvick has only raced in the Pro Late Model class a handful of times. It's a faster, heavier car.
"It was entertaining, I wasn't that good and it took a while to get used to it," said Keelan, "but it was a thrill and I'm excited."
Parked right next to Harvick was Buddy Shepherd, son of Dick Shepherd, who also got started in racing at a young age. "I got started at 4 (in go-karts), I think I was 14 or 15 in Late Models," said Shepherd, "the rules are a little better for the kids now, I'm sure he's going to be fast." Shepherd has won a handful of championships across four divisions in his young career. He finished second on Saturday, and won't take anyone lightly. When I asked if he would take it easy on Keelan, he said, "I'm the one getting old, I'm wearing glasses!" As for Keelan, when I asked him what his Dad told him, he said, "he told me to get in the car and floor it."
Well, on Saturday, Harvick's engine blew on lap 32 forcing him out of the main event, but he'll be back and ready to go in a couple of months. Keelan and Kevin Harvick are both scheduled to be in the lineup, for the first time as father and son, when the green flag drops on a Late Model race at this same track on May 31st.
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