Kevin Harvick’s retirement after the 2023 season takes a vocal leader out of the garage, but other drivers are stepping up to help move NASCAR forward.
Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch remain strong voices in the Cup garage based on their experience, knowledge and success. They are joined by younger drivers who have realized the need to take a larger role in conversations about safety and the future.
“I want to put in my two cents because we have a great perspective as drivers,” Joey Logano said in response to a question from NBC Sports. “Nobody else’s sport has the same view as a driver does — inside the car or outside of the car. Nobody sees everything like we do.
“And if we have drivers willing to step up and try to help in all those areas, it’s just good for everybody. It’s good for the industry, and it’s good for the wellbeing of everybody. So that’s why I’m involved in it. I don’t get paid to be part of it. I just do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
Ryan Blaney, a teammate of Logano, is a quieter personality. He mostly stays away from the spotlight, though he has picked his moments to speak up and voice concerns. Nashville is a prominent example after he hit a concrete wall head-on.
Blaney voiced his displeasure to the media about the lack of a SAFER Barrier in that section of the track. He later met with NASCAR President Steve Phelps, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell and Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith to help address potential changes at the track.
“Yeah, it takes time,” Logano said about Blaney becoming more vocal. “I think for me, early in my career, I was really quiet and reserved about a lot of things. I didn’t have a stage to stand on and talk. Like, ‘What are you gonna say? You run 25th every week, and you’ve been in the sport for three years.’
“You don’t really know how things are going. I’ve been around for 15 years now, and I’ve seen the ups and the downs ... have relationships with NASCAR and all the people there and in different teams and stuff like that.”
This timeline is not out of the ordinary. It took Harvick time to become a leader in the garage. He admits he preferred that other drivers didn’t like him early in his career. This provided an edge on the track and it helped intimidate the competition.
Harvick’s viewpoint changed as he aged. He joined the first Drivers Council meeting at Dover in 2015, which also included Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin, other Cup competitors and executives from NASCAR.
Harvick bowed out of the Drivers Council in 2018, saying he had no interest with “the politics” of it and how it took away from family time.
The situation changed once again in 2022, the first year of the Next Gen era. Safety concerns became a focal point of conversations. There were fires in the Ford camp and two drivers sitting out because of concussions. Alex Bowman ultimately returned to action. Kurt Busch, who started the year as a board member of the Drivers Advisory Council, has since retired.
Harvick chose the 2022 season as another opportunity to speak up. He raised safety concerns in July after Busch sustained a concussion at Pocono. He made heated comments about the Next Gen car at Kansas Speedway and continued to focus on safety discussions throughout the playoffs.
Now in his final season, Harvick remains a vocal presence in the garage. He continues to embrace opportunities to speak on his fellow drivers’ behalf, but he will step aside after the season final at Phoenix.
“I want to keep my colleagues informed and educated, and I’m good with doing that,” Harvick told NBC Sports ahead of his final season. “It’s just an interesting time, and something that worked out that way.
“I feel like most of (the younger drivers) are my kids. I don’t feel obligated, but I think the timing of it is just what it is. You do the things you think will help everybody. And try to do the right thing and balance that with what’s right for the sport.”
Bubba Wallace is another driver who has grown into this role. Much of his conversations have focused on ways to expand NASCAR’s fanbase and make the sport more inclusive to everyone.
Like Blaney, Wallace has not traditionally been an outspoken individual. He was outgoing to fans but didn’t speak out frequently out issues. This is a role that was thrust upon him in recent seasons. He chose to accept it instead of backing away.
“I think if you continue to do the right things and progress the sport forward, you’re gonna have more obligations and whatnot than maybe some of your competitors,” Bubba Wallace told NBC Sports. “But that’s what you signed up for. So I don’t know. I think you just kind of accept whatever role you’re in and move on with it and learn from it.”
Logano, Blaney and Wallace have begun to speak up more about important issues in NASCAR. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott has taken a quieter path. But his reserved nature shouldn’t serve as an indication that he is checked out. Elliott just focuses on when his comments could make the most impact, such as Talladega last fall.
The reigning Most Popular Driver said that he was disappointed that the sport had years to get the Next Gen car right before putting it on the track and didn’t.
Elliott doesn’t envision his approach to leadership changing. He will speak up about situations in NASCAR when he feels it is necessary. Otherwise, he will go about his business.
“I think less is more,” Elliott said at Darlington in response to a question from NBC Sports. “So if I run my mouth every week and I get on Twitter ... and so forth, to me, it means less. So when I want to speak up, I say something.”
Logano, Blaney, Wallace and Elliott have shown that the next generation of leaders are stepping up. This process will take time as the sport adjusts to a post-Harvick environment.
But the 2014 Cup champion isn’t simply retiring and walking away from NASCAR. He’s going to be a pivotal part of the Fox broadcast during the first half the season.
As the owner of KHI Management and as part of the Fox broadcast team next year, he will continue to have conversations with drivers. The percentage of time spent as a leader will just change as he adapts to his post-retirement life.
“I’m not going to just bail on them,” Harvick said in response to a question from NBC Sports. “I’m still going to be pro-driver more than anything because I want them all to be rock stars, right?
“And in my new job, if they’re all rock stars, that makes my job a lot easier anyway. I think as you look at that, it’s I want them to make more money. I want them to be more known. I want them to be the best athletes that they can be.”
Logano welcomes Harvick’s commitment.
“The fact that he’s staying around in our sport is key, like very important for all of our sakes, all of our jobs,” Logano said. “It’s really important, and I’m glad to see that he cares enough to do that. He knows what the sport’s done for him and his family and it seems like he appreciates it and is trying to hand that down.”