It looked like he had a car capable of winning at one point, but Kevin Harvick comes home P7 in his final NASCAR race. After the race, Harvick admitted that he was emotional and he’s not the tough guy that he often tries to portray himself as.
The last of the Winston Cup Series drivers is now retired. Kevin Harvick will move to the Fox broadcast booth in 2024 and help tell the story of NASCAR now. With his top-10 finish today, he now has 21 straight at Phoenix, a track he’s dominated for so long.
Ross Chastain winning the race and Ryan Blaney winning the championship overshadowed The Closer’s finale a bit. However, Harvick got an exit interview before the broadcast was over.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster for sure,” Harvick said. “This really means a lot to me because I love driving a racecar, I love being around the people more. This sport’s done so much for me. I opened this chapter unexpectedly in 2001 and closed it how we wanted in 2023, being competitive. … There’s been so many great so tires and things that have happened this year, but especially this week.”
As far as how he wants to be remembered?
“We gave it all we had. Every lap, every week. We touched every facet of this car. There’s just not any piece of it that I feel we’re not a part of in some way, shape or form.”