Kevin Harvick revealed that a conversation with Chase Elliott changed his mental approach to racing after his NASCAR career. The 2014 Cup Series champion retired from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2023 season but has since competed in a handful of Late Model races.
Throughout his 20-plus career, Harvick won 60 career Cup Series races and a championship in 2014. Harvick is set to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January.
Harvick Reveals Mindset-Changing Conversation With Elliott
During an appearance on “The Dale Jr. Download,” Harvick revealed that following his final NASCAR Cup Series race in 2023 at Phoenix, he never wanted to get behind the wheel again. Harvick no longer wanted to carry the weight it took to be a top-notch driver.
“When I got with Cup Racing, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t ever want to race again. I’m tired of being critiqued; I’m tired of the pressure; I’m tired of the responsibility,’” Harvick said.
Harvick felt this way until he had a talk with Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion and 23-time race winner, at the Chili Bowl Nationals. The conversation is something that stuck with Harvick in his views on racing after retirement.
“One thing that really struck me a few years ago was Chase Elliott at the Chili Bowl. … He’s like, ‘I felt like I needed to step outside of my comfort zone and not worry about my result,’” Harvick recalled.
The effect of the conversation with Elliott took a while for Harvick to come around to.
“It just took me a little while to get myself to the point where I was like, ‘All right, well, I might go to the racetrack this week and get lapped,’ and I did,” Harvick said.
However, Harvick recalls having a moment of clarity after a subpar performance.
“I was kind of pissed and then I got out and I drank a beer and I thought about that conversation and I was like, ‘You know what? I had a hell of a time.’ Yeah, it’d be really cool to win some. We won some of those races and ran up front in some and got our ass kicked in some, but they are all pretty fun,” Harvick said.
Harvick’s Changed Outlook on Racing: ‘Here to Have Fun’
Harvick continues to run select Late Model races today but does not put the same pressure on himself as he did during his NASCAR career.
When there is not as much stock put into the effort, Harvick said that is when he and his team are enjoying themselves the most at the racetrack.
“I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m here to have fun.’ We’ll put an effort towards it but probably not going to go overboard with the effort to really get extreme with it. We have the greatest time ever,” Harvick said.
After his NASCAR retirement, Harvick became a TV analyst for NASCAR on FOX alongside Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer. The 2026 season was Harvick’s third year as a color commentator.
In addition to his role as a commentator, Harvick hosts “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” a weekly podcast discussing the latest NASCAR news.
Kevin Harvick Says Chase Elliott Influenced His Racing Mindset