Harvick: ‘It’s just time,’ racer says of 2023 final season

Kevin Harvick received the same answer nearly every time he asked another athlete how they decided to retire: Harvick would just know it was time. The driver thrust onto the global stage when he was named Dale Earnhardt's replacement just days after Earnhardt's fatal 2001 crash will make this 23rd season his last in NASCAR. The 2014 Cup champion heads into his final year tied for ninth on NASCAR's all-time wins list with 60 career victories, 13 consecutive playoff appearances and he's one of the final active drivers from the sport's halcyon days. “From talking to all the people I’ve talked to, it always came down to the same, ‘Oh, you’ll know, you’ll know it is time, you’ll know the right moment,’” Harvick said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of his Thursday announcement.