Kevin Harvick reveals he battled illness in Las Vegas, couldn't 'pull a Tyler Reddick' during Late Model race

There are times when a race car driver has to make a choice – hold it or let it go. Kevin Harvick wasn’t ready to choose. When nature calls, what does a NASCAR driver choose to do?

Fans who watched NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix may be familiar with Tyler Reddick’s habit of going to the bathroom midrace. Earlier this season, he alerted his team that he may mess himself in the car.

During his recent trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to compete in the CARS Tour Super Late Model race, Harvick had a similar dilemma. He told the story on his podcast last week.

“We went to Vegas Wednesday morning and I was excited about my Late Model race for the weekend. So, I got to run my first CARS Tour West event. And Friday morning I got deathly sick,” Harvick explained. “It was probably the most miserable I’ve ever been in a race car in my whole career. My career is over but my second career here, I don’t know what we got, but it wiped everybody out.

“Keelan had it in the middle of the week and by the time we got to the race track everybody on the team had it, I had it. And unfortunately, the whole event is built around me and what we’re doing. You can’t just say, ‘Hey, I’m sick today.’ So the last 40 laps I’m like burping up puke, trying to just survive. I got spun out in the middle of the race.”

As far as just, letting it out, Kevin Harvick couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“No, I couldn’t let it go. Man, I just couldn’t do it. I probably would have felt better if I would have just done it. So after the race, I got out of the car. [Tony Stewart] came. He was there and he comes up to the lounge,” the driver continued. “And I laid on the couch in the lounge the whole freaking day once it got to about lunchtime. I just laid there, my stomach hurt terribly bad and I’m curled up in a ball and he comes up after the race, ‘You alright, bud?’ I kinda got myself in the fetal position on the couch and then I got up and I walked to the car and I laid in the backseat and drove home and then we flew home the next day. But we had a good time, it was great.”

That is not an ideal situation. Kevin Harvick did a great thing by helping promote the CARS Tour West. When those fans bought tickets to see Happy Harvick, they weren’t going to get anything less from the future Hall of Famer.

Hey, he still finished P4. Not bad for almost throwing up on yourself.