Kevin Harvick reflects on Layne Riggs winning CARS Tour race for KHI

Before hitting the streets of Chicago this weekend, some NASCAR Cup Series guys like Kevin Harvick were out at Carawy Speedway for the CARS Tour. Harvick and his crew chief Rodney Childers have been working on their Late Model car for about a year now. Already they have a win in their hands.

With Layne Riggs behind the wheel, the No. 62 was great all night. Solid qualifying session, solid race plan. With Childers as his eyes on the spotter stand, Riggs had a great team. Kevin Harvick watched from the sidelines this time but was happy as the CARS Tour co-owner to see his car in Victory Lane.

KHI is back and they’ve got themselves a driver that not only knows the Late Model game but is already seeing Truck Series action at 21 years old.

That all amounted in a race and a night that Harvick said was “fun.” Here he is talking to Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut.

Kevin Harvick started this Late Model program with Rodney Childers for fun.

This is fun.

Giving Layne Riggs an opportunity is fun. Having a packed house at Caraway, Harvick says, is fun. pic.twitter.com/e5MLAYIxZZ

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) June 29, 2023

This was a race that included some seriously good talent. It wasn’t just CARS Tour regulars. Kyle Larson was in the field and came away with a good P8 finish. Larson admittedly is not great on the asphalt with these Late Models. However, he’s down to race whenever and wherever.

As for Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers, their 62 car is going to keep running races. Riggs will be in it at times, perhaps we will see other drivers hop in for KHI and compete with these short-track racers. Maybe even Josh Berry?

Kevin Harvick has a successor

Of course, Berry is in the news for being the driver that will take the wheel of the No. 4 next season in the Cup Series. It is a major deal not just for Berry but for drivers out at that CARS Tour race as well. There is real talent all over the country at these local races and tracks. Kyle Larson had to fight for a top-10 finish.

Berry’s journey to NASCAR is an old-school journey. He wasn’t brought in to race for his dad’s team or with his family’s business footing the bill for sponsorship. He came into racing to do it as a passion and it turned into a real talent. Now he’s going to suit up for a full season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

With Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks at the helm of the CARS Tour you can expect to see more talent rise from those ranks. It seems that there is real investment into these local events for the first time in a long time.

The one thing I want out of all of this is to see Butterbean McQueen get a NASCAR start sooner rather than later.