HICKORY, N.C. – There was plenty of motivation for Keelan Harvick to find his way to Cook Out Victory Lane at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday.
Not only was Keelan’s father in zMAX CARS Tour co-owner and 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick in the field, but a victory carried long-term significance for the young prospect. Crossing the start-finish line first would guarantee Keelan a starting spot in the $30,000-to-win Throwback Classic at Hickory next month.
From the moment the green flag waved, nothing stood in the way of Keelan obtaining his first win in a full-bodied stock car. The best drive of Keelan’s brief CARS PLM Tour career to date saw him lead every lap from the pole, allowing him to celebrate the milestone moment alongside Kevin and the rest of his family.
Years of hard work lead to Keelan Harvick’s first PLM Tour win
Long synonymous with success in motorsports, the Harvick family’s winning reputation remains intact through Kevin’s son Keelan.
The performance by Keelan in the Road to The Throwback at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday evening was reminiscent of those Kevin put together during his Cup Series career. With the final margin of victory being over four seconds, Keelan could not have asked for a better scenario to celebrate his maiden CARS PLM Tour win.
Especially with HendrickCars.com on the hood of both his and Kevin’s Pro Late Models.
“I can’t thank Rick Hendrick [enough], happy birthday to him,” Keelan said. “I can’t thank HendrickCars.com [enough] for coming on board. This wouldn’t be possible without all my sponsors, Panini, RealTree, iRacing, Hunt Brothers Pizza and everybody who helps me. [A win] feels good.”
Keelan’s breakthrough triumph in the PLM Tour was a moment years in the making. Since he first expressed an interest in becoming a racer just like his dad, Keelan has diligently listened to the advice passed down to him during his journey from Bandoleros and Legends all the way to Pro Late Models.
Prior to Hickory, Keelan’s first PLM Tour campaign featured plenty of positives and negatives. An illness at Coastal Plains Raceway prevented Keelan from starting the 2025 season-opener, but he successfully rebounded from that setback to earn two top fives, including a previous career-best of third at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Being so efficient at Hickory through all 100 laps was something Keelan credited to the support system built around him at Kevin Harvick Inc. Everyone within the organization played a specific role in ensuring Keelan was ready to hold his own against Kevin and the best drivers in the Pro Late Model discipline.
“It’s definitely difficult [to drive a Pro Late Model], but I can’t thank [my spotter] Robert Arch [enough] for keeping me under control the whole race,” Keelan said. “[This one definitely] feels good.”
Keelan’s triumph gives him a 3-0 advantage over Kevin in the eight-race Harvick Cup fueled by Hunt Brothers Pizza, with two of those events resulting in trips to Victory Lane for Keelan.
Kevin Harvick celebrates Keelan’s win, looks to the future
For all his accomplishments as a driver over a three-decade career, Keelan Harvick winning at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday proved to be one of the proudest moments of Kevin Harvick’s life.
Kevin wanted to put Keelan in the best possible position to succeed but knew his son would need to learn and develop every step of the way. Witnessing Keelan dominate Saturday’s CARS PLM Tour race while behind the wheel put into perspective for Kevin just how much his son has grown in a short amount of time.
“It’s so special to be able to do what we’re doing right now,” Kevin said. “It’s not anything I had really thought about or planned. Even though he kicks my butt, it’s fun to be on the same racetrack. It creates new conversations that we didn’t really have in Legends or go-karts. We’re having fun, but I’m definitely out of shape. I know that for sure.”
The last time Kevin had raced at Hickory before the Road to the Throwback was in 2000 with the ASA National Tour, where a broken suspension sidelined him after 104 laps. A lot had changed in short track racing during the ensuing 25 years, but Kevin was eager to embrace the challenges as he prepared to battle with Keelan.
As Kevin found his comfort zone in practice, he took stock of the drivers that had made the trip to Hickory for Saturday’s 100-lap feature. Along with the usual PLM Tour regulars, the entry list featured a series alum in Kaden Honeycutt along with Jace Hale, a native of Manteca, California.
Bolstering the already sturdy foundation of the CARS Tour has been one of Kevin’s goals since assuming co-ownership of the series and saw Saturday as another step forward. By getting everyone on the same page, Kevin is confident the PLM Tour in particular will continue to grow and expand over the coming years.
“We’re on a mission to get these cars on the same rules package across the country to make it like it used to be with the All Pro Tour, Northwest and Southwest Tour so we can get these guys racing for a national championship,” Kevin said. “We’re putting in a lot of effort towards getting these cars the same.”
Saturday was a resounding success for Kevin on all fronts. He saw the CARS Tour enjoy another positive evening all while simultaneously cherishing his son’s first career victory on the platform.
Return to PLM Tour for Caden Kvapil ends in second place
During the closing laps, Caden Kvapil could only watch as Keelan Harvick pulled away with a commanding lead in the Road to The Throwback.
Kvapil would have loved to lock himself in for next month’s Throwback Classic, but he was still pleased with his performance on Saturday night. Battling an ill-handing car for most of the 100-lap feature, Kvapil took advantage of every opportunity available to gradually advance from his fifth starting position.
“If anything, I feel like I needed a shorter race,” Kvapil said. “We probably had a fifth-place car but brought it home second. We were super loose from the start, couldn’t get drive off, I gained all my spots on restarts. At the end, it started coming to me a little bit.”
Saturday’s race served as Kvapil’s first CARS PLM Tour appearance since the 2024 season finale at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The 2023 PLM Tour champion has primarily occupied himself with Late Model Stock and Super Late Model events throughout the year.
Hickory was an ideal track from Kvapil to re-acclimate himself to the PLM Tour. Although Kvapil never earned a PLM Tour victory at Hickory, he did prevail there five times in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, which helped bolster his confidence as he prepared to take on two members of the Harvick family.
Kvapil managed to overtake the elder Harvick but could not match the pace Keelan was setting. Despite coming up short of another PLM Tour victory, Kvapil was thrilled to return to the series after a brief absence and intends to build upon Saturday’s defeat ahead of his next planned appearance.
“We just struggled the whole race,” Kvapil said. “Too loose on entry and exit. [Keelan] was obviously a lot better than anyone here, so we really had nothing for him. Coming home second is still pretty good. We started fifth and came home with a clean car, so I can’t complain too much.”
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Now that the preliminary to the Throwback Classic is in the record books, Late Model Stock and Pro Late Model competitors will now turn their attention towards the big race at Hickory Motor Speedway on Aug. 2. A $50,000 paycheck awaits the winner of the CARS LMSC Tour feature, while the CARS PLM Tour winner receives $30,000.
FloRacing will carry live coverage of all the on-track action for the zMAX CARS Tour’s crown jewel event.
For more information on the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour, visit www.carsracingtour.com. Be sure to stay active and social with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on X (formerly known as Twitter) and scrolling through photos on Instagram cars_tour.
Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC, at 704-662-9212.
PLM Results:
- 62 Keelan Harvick
- 35 Caden Kvapil
- 29 Kevin Harvick
- 24 Jade Avedisian
- 6 Ben Maier
- 61 Evan McKnight
- 43 Nick Loden
- 15 Rodney Dowless
- 51 Carson Ware
- 47 Kaden Honeycutt
- 15H Jace Hale
- 11 Dylan Cappello
- 6L Brandon Lopez -1
- 97 Dylan Garner -5
- 21 Mason Diaz — OUT
- 82 Taylor Hull — OUT
- 15C Sheflon Clay — OUT
