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Kevin Harvick, son Keelan share awesome moment with Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr.

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•12/15/24•

NickGeddesNews

Kevin Harvick
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick and his son Keelan are on hand for the Carolina Panthers’ (3-10) Week 15 home game against the Dallas Cowboys (5-8).

And ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, they got a visit from Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr. Franklin went up to Keelan, and the two orchestrated a unique handshake on the spot. The handshake earned a smile from Harvick, watching on from the sideline seats.

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Keelan, like his father, is a race car driver — a good one at that at just 12 years of age. Late last month, Harvick watched his son take the next step in his racing career with his first-ever Limited Late Model start in the No. 62 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet. Keelan finished eighth in the 96-lap feature.

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“I feel really good,” Keelan said after the race. “I can’t thank these KHI guys enough. They put in a lot of work. It’s definitely cool to get my first one under my belt, but I can’t wait for the next one.”

Kevin Harvick reacts to son Keelan’s first Limited Late Model start

After Keelan’s P8 finish in his Limited Late Model debut, Harvick spoke to Scotte Sprinkle of Short Track Scene about the race.

“He surprises me all the time just with, he’s 12. So, watching him race in the car it’s weird because some days he has a hard time wiping his butt let alone driving a full-size stock car,” Harvick said. “From a parents’ standpoint seeing your 12-year-old kid in that full-size car is different.”

As for 2025, both father and son will run in late-model races within the KHI organization. He has a recent deal with Rackley WAR. Harvick and Keelan will also go head-to-head multiple times next season in Pro and Limited Late Model competition.

“Yeah, I think next year we’ll probably run eight to twelve of these Limited Late Model races,” Harvick continued. “We’ll run a lot here at Florence just because I like the rules, you can buy tires. We can give him a good, quality experience here.”

On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.