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NASCAR Icon Kevin Harvick Worries About Next Influx of Young Racers

What does the future hold for NASCAR? Well, NASCAR icon Kevin Harvick is concerned about the next influx of young racers into the sport. This might seem odd at first glance, as the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series has been dominated mostly by youth. However, it was a veteran resurgence on Sunday afternoon after Denny Hamlin took home the checkered flag and Harvick came in right behind him at No. 2. NASCAR is loaded with young talent in Chase Elliott, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Christopher Bell, among NASCAR drivers, but Harvick is thinking down the line.

Kevin Harvick on NASCAR’s Young Racers

Harvick is thinking about F1. Specifically, what he’s noticed about young kids today. His question is if NASCAR can keep attracting the best young talent in racing over F1 in the years to come? It’s a fair question to wonder with the direction F1 has gone in since Liberty Media purchased them in 2016.

Harvick has an inside scoop as to where some kids’ heads are at when it comes to the future of racing. His own son, Keelan, wants to race. He told NBC Sports, “I live at the go-kart track and none of those kids want to race IndyCars; they all want to race F1 cars.” He continued, “They all want to drive the Ferrari or the Red Bull.” It’s just an observation from Harvick.

This is still very long-term thinking on the part of Harvick. The sport is thriving at the moment and is loaded with young talent all across the board for the foreseeable future.

Harvick Comes Up Just Short in Richmond

Harvick came up just short of a victory in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series in Richmond. He was just 0.0552 seconds behind the winner Denny Hamlin on the afternoon. Still, a No. 2 finish is a big deal for the longtime veteran Harvick. It was also a special homecoming for Hamlin who snagged his first 2022 NASCAR Cup Series victory on the afternoon.

What folks are talking about coming out of the race is all about strategy. For Harvick, he followed the winning strategy. He and Hamlin both made the right choices here. They elected to change their tires with fifty laps to go. It pushed them to the top of the standings when they needed it. For, William Byron and Martin Truex Jr., though, followed a different set of racing blueprints. They did not change their tires for ninety laps. It resulted in neither coming away with a victory.

Still, Harvick likes offense. He wants a driver, not have to work to defend them late as Byron had to do with Hamlin with five laps to go.

It was another fun race this season in the NASCAR Cup Series.