Future NASCAR seasons will likely feature another Harvick winning races. Keelan, son of 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, has landed a long-term development deal.
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This deal is not with Chevrolet or Ford, the two manufacturers that the elder Harvick represented during his Hall of Fame career. No, Keelan, 13, will actually join forces with Toyota Racing Development as he continues to rise through the racing ranks.
A key part of this deal will be a partnership with Rackley W.A.R. Keelan will drive the team's No. 62 Toyota entry in "dozens" of Late Model races as he competes for wins. ExxonMobil will serve as his primary partner for many of these events.
Photo credit: Toyota Racing
Keelan has already achieved success at this level of racing. He won four zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model races and two CARS Tour West Pro Late Model Series races last year. He also became the youngest winner of the Snowflake 125 at Five Flags Speedway.
"I'm really grateful to have this kind of opportunity with Toyota Racing Development," Keelan said in a press release.
"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."
These other drivers will include such development prospects as Christopher Bell, Corey Heim, John Hunter Nemechek, and Gio Ruggiero. All of these drivers have risen through the racing ranks while working with Toyota Racing, and they have achieved levels of success on the track.
A key part of this is the access to the Toyota Performance Center in Mooresville, North Carolina. This facility features everything the drivers need as they mature.
They have access to a fully-stocked gym, complete with multiple trainers. They can work with dietician Stephanie Fernandes in the custom kitchen while learning about eating for performance and the various supplements that might help them make progress.
The members of the TRD family also have the ability to speak with licensed therapists, as well as the ability to rehab injuries with Motorsport Outreach Physical Therapist Tammy May Dersham.
"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," Harvick said, per TRD.
"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. That was really was one of the biggest reasons on why we went this direction."
