Kevin Harvick recently found himself watching a father-son relationship that had grown closer over the years. On a flight home from Pensacola, Tony Eury Sr. and his son, Tony Eury Jr., were laughing and teasing each other. At 72, the elder Eury was still enjoying the same easygoing banter with his son. The two have spent decades around NASCAR, including working together during Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s rise through the sport. Tony Sr. helped bring Earnhardt Jr. to Dale Earnhardt Inc., while Tony Jr. later became his cousin’s crew chief.

Watching them together made Harvick think about his own future with Keelan. His son is growing up in the same racing world, and much of their time together revolves around travelling to tracks, attending races and working through the demands of a young driver’s career. Harvick wondered whether they would still share that same playful bond when he and Keelan were decades older. It also brought back something NHRA veteran Doug Herbert had told him in an earlier conversation, advice that Harvick has carried with him while raising his son.

“Doug Herbert called me one day and said, ‘Hey, I know you’re going to take a lot of grief for your kid, racing and all the things he does. But don’t ever apologize for what you spend or the amount of time you spend with them, because they might not be there tomorrow,’” Harvick recalled on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media podcast.

Herbert’s words carried a weight Harvick understood. The former Top Fuel driver lost his sons, Jon and James, in a car crash in January 2008. He later founded B.R.A.K.E.S., a nonprofit that teaches teenagers and their parents safer driving skills. The organisation’s name stands for Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe. Herbert initially started the programme to train his sons’ friends, with 50 teenagers taking part in its first year in 2008. It has since grown into a national driver-safety initiative offering hands-on training to teenagers and their parents.

For Harvick, the advice was not about spending money on a young driver’s career. It was about recognizing what those years together actually mean. Keelan’s racing schedule takes the family across the country. Those journeys give father and son time together that a future professional career may not allow.

“If my son makes it to the Cup Series, I can go with him, but it won’t be like this,” Harvick explained. “The time we spend sitting in the car, travelling around the country on airplanes and in our own vehicles, and just being together is something you can’t replace later.”

That perspective comes from someone who spent 23 seasons competing in NASCAR’s top series. Harvick retired from full-time Cup racing after 2023, ending a career that included 60 wins and the 2014 championship. He has also remained involved in the sport’s grassroots level since stepping away from full-time competition.

In January 2023, he joined Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Justin Marks in purchasing the CARS Tour, a late-model series that gives young drivers a platform to develop before moving up the racing ladder. Harvick has spoken about wanting to help short-track racing grow, having started his own career in late models in California

Keelan is already building a racing résumé of his own. At 13, he signed a long-term development agreement with Toyota Racing Development in February 2026. He has competed in late models with Rackley W.A.R. and Kevin Harvick Inc. The agreement also put him in Toyota’s driver development programme, where he has access to the manufacturer’s support and resources as he continues gaining experience. For the 2026 season, he was scheduled to compete in dozens of late-model races in the No. 62 Toyota Camry, with Rackley W.A.R. and Kevin Harvick Inc.

This season, he became the youngest winner in ASA STARS National Tour history at Owosso Speedway. He also collected victories across several late model divisions.

The Owosso victory came in only his second start in the series. At 14 years, one month and 18 days, Keelan broke the previous record held by Gio Ruggiero, who was 16 years, eight months and 26 days old when he won at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2023. Keelan started from pole position and took the lead from Kyle Steckly with 90 laps remaining in the Michigan 300, holding on for the win.

There is also a family connection behind the No. 62 he drives. Keelan uses the number in tribute to his maternal grandfather, John Paul Linville, who raced with it for much of his career. It is another link to a family racing history that extends beyond Kevin’s own Cup career.

Harvick could easily view those results through the eyes of a former Cup driver. Instead, he often finds himself watching the parents and children at local tracks. Their excitement reminds him what first drew him to racing.

“I loved going to the racetrack,” he said. “Even though I probably didn’t enjoy Cup racing as much toward the end because it had become work, going to the go-kart track when my son started racing made me realize, ‘You know what? Your job’s pretty cool.’”

That change in perspective is also reflected in how Harvick now approaches racing. He spent years competing for wins at NASCAR’s highest level, but his involvement with Keelan has taken him back to the smaller tracks where he first developed as a driver. He now gets to experience those races from a different position, while also helping create opportunities for the next generation through his work with the CARS Tour.

The image of the two Eurys laughing on that flight stayed with him. Harvick hopes he and Keelan will have the same bond when the boy is 72. Herbert’s advice is a reminder that the racing milestones will come and go. The time spent getting there is what Harvick does not want to miss.