NEED TO KNOW
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Keelan Harvick has signed a development deal to pursue a career in NASCAR like his dad, legendary driver Kevin Harvick
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The 13-year-old has already distinguished himself as the youngest winner at multiple races and will now partner with Toyota Racing Development
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While he won’t be able to compete in national NASCAR races for a few years, Keelan is already considered a top prospect in the sport
Kevin Harvick’s son, Keelan Harvick, is following in his NASCAR footsteps.
On Monday, Feb. 23, the organization announced in a news release that 13-year-old Keelan had entered a “long-term commitment” with Toyota Racing Development. The purpose of the deal is to “continue his development through pavement opportunities as a part of the TOYOTA RACING family.”
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Keelan will compete during the 2026 motorsports season in “dozens of late model races.” He’ll drive a Toyota Camry and has ExxonMobil as a sponsor.
“I’m really grateful to have this kind of opportunity with Toyota Racing Development,” he said in a statement shared with NASCAR.
He continued, “To have their support and be able to represent ExxonMobil, it doesn’t get much better. I’m still getting experience, but it’s going to be a privilege to be part of the TRD program and learn from the other drivers.”
Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty
Despite his young age, Keelan is already distinguishing himself in the racing world. NASCAR noted that he is the youngest driver to win the Snowflake 125 at Five Flags Speedway after he took home top honors in December 2025.
In February 2026, he became the youngest winner at Florence Motor Speedway’s Icebreaker.
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“Everyone at Toyota and TRD are excited to welcome Keelan into the TOYOTA RACING family,” Tyler Gibbs, the U.S. president of Toyota Racing Development, said in a statement shared with NASCAR.
Gibbs continued, “Keelan has proven himself on-track, and despite his young age, has continued to be wise beyond his years with his professionalism and work ethic off of it. TRD is thrilled to partner with Keelan and his family as Keelan continues to develop his racing craft. We see a bright future ahead for him, and everyone at Toyota is proud to be part of his journey.”
During the 2026 season, Keelan is also partnering with RACKLEY W.A.R. and Kevin Harvick, Inc. to compete his races.
The latter is his father’s racing team.
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Per his bio on Fox Sports, where Kevin is now a contributor, he raced in NASCAR for 23 seasons before retiring in 2023. He won the championship in 2014 and earned a total of 60 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series over the course of his career.
Chris Williams/LVMS/Icon Sportswire via Getty
At only 13, Keelan is the youngest racing prospect to land on Fox Sports‘ ranking of the top 20 young talents in the sport. He landed at number 12 on a list dated Feb. 14, 2026.
Speaking on his latest career move in a statement shared with the outlet, Keelan expressed excitement to partner with Toyota, saying, “They win a lot, and I want to be with an organization that wins.”
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Fox Sports noted that it will be a few years before Keelan begins to truly follow in his father’s NASCAR footsteps.
While the development deal will pair him with “staff that helps drivers with both physical and mental development,” he won’t be able to compete in national NASCAR races until he is 16 years old.
Chris Graythen/Getty
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While Kevin never drove for Toyota, he commented on his son’s partnership in a statement shared with Fox Sports, saying, “We’ve concentrated a lot on development and have a theory on how it should go, and I felt like the Toyota process matched what we would do.”
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He added, “I think that the effort that Toyota puts into, not only the driving piece of it but the human piece of it, is very important to us as a family.”
Read the original article on People
