Despite having retired from NASCAR, Kevin Harvick is far from bidding farewell to racing as he prepares his son, Keelan, who is set to carry his racing legacy forward. And he seems to be training for the same in the right way, as he recently went head-to-head with his father at the Evergreen Speedway in the Late Models, absolutely shattering the entire competition, including Kevin Harvick.

“I felt like we were really even,” Harvick said, comparing his performance with his son, who went on to win the race, holding back the immense pressure from his father.

The Mark Galloway Shootout at Evergreen Speedway was a massive success for Keelan. The 13-year-old has been involved in racing for a few years now and has been stepping into the Late Models with his father more recently.

Understandably, Keelan Harvick gets guidance from his father, making him one of the most competitive drivers in his age group. However, he has now started to outrun Kevin, as he remarked that he attempted to put his son under massive pressure in those closing laps, but Keelan had a defining lead that helped him clinch the race win.

“I put as much pressure on him as I thought I can put on him,” Kevin Harvick said. “I never could quite get to his bumper. As you’ve seen. If I could have just gotten him up out of the groove a little bit, but he did a good job. I mean, I was trying to go in and out of the mirrors, bottom, top, all over the place to apply the pressure, and he never missed.”

Although the NASCAR Champion only finished the race in second place, the smile on his face reflected the pride he felt for his son, who is expected to carry his father’s legacy forward in the future. So far, he is doing a good job.

Earlier in February this year, Keelan signed a long-term contract with Toyota Racing Development. This could very well pave the way for him into the professional stock racing world, including NASCAR. Keelan Harvick has been an absolute dominator behind the wheel more recently. He became the youngest Snowflake 125 winner, was the first driver to win PLM events in both the zMAX CARS Tour and the CARS Tour West in the same season, and has defeated his championship-winning father multiple times on the track.

Undoubtedly, he seems to have a strong future in racing. There are still a few years until he makes his NASCAR debut, but that seems inevitable, especially with the massive presence Kevin Harvick still has on the field. Moreover, the strong backing also helps.

NASCAR’s Next Generation Is Already Winning

While Keelan Harvick has gone on to absolutely dominate his racing categories, he is not the only young face that many are looking out for. Kyle Busch’s son, Brexton, is about the same age as Keelan. While his racing trajectory looks a bit different as he focuses more on racing in the dirt and the Bandolero class, he has been making quite the impression. Last year, competing at the Tulsa Shootout, he even managed to win his career’s first Golden Driller.

Joining him in the same category is Kyle Larson’s son, Owen. His victory at one of the heat races in the Winged A-Class at the Tulsa Shootout this season was defining of his performance. But there’s more than one names that seem to be emerging from the Larson household. His younger sister, Audrey (just seven years old at the time), is also making quite the impression. In fact, Larson even claimed that she is the faster learner of the two siblings.

These young and upcoming drivers could soon be defining what it means to run a race in the Cup Series, and with the impression that Keelan Harvick and Brexton Busch are making so early in their careers, they could go on to dominate the field in the future. For now, however, they are stuck in the junior series and Late Models.