Kevin Harvick doesn’t feel good about all the changes that are going to take place in the 2022 NASCAR season.
As NASCAR is set to introduce Next Gen cars from the 2022 season, drivers will have to get used to the different dynamics of the new generation cars.
While there are a lot of positives about the car, but there have been some criticisms too. As for NASCAR veteran Harvick, he thinks he will be in for a frustrating 2022 season due to the new environment he needs to adapt to. Speaking on the Dale Jr Download about the Next Gen car, the Stewart-Haas Racing drivers said:
“It’s going to be frustrating for sure. The gas pedal doesn’t even work right, there’s so many things. Everything on the car works different. The pedals are different, the feel of it is different, my seat’s the same. My steering wheel’s the same, the dash is the same, and the stuff I wear is the same. Everything else is different.”
Kevin Harvick wants to have a conversation with Chase Elliott before next season
There were also concerns that the introduction of the new cars, coupled with other factors could push Harvick to retirement. While he admitted that the thought of retirement crossed his mind, Harvick still has a couple of years left in the top tier of NASCAR. And speaking to NASCAR veterans have helped Harvick to take the right decisions.
“I’ve talked to Rusty, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett. Joe Girardi’s been a good friend of mine, used to be the manager of the New York Yankees (MLB), and play ball through his years. So, getting a different perspective from outside of our sport, I’d say that’s probably been one of the biggest helps. Mark Martin, I sat down with him a couple of years ago in Wyoming and just asked him ‘why did you drive so long.‘”
Harvick has a contract with SHR until 2023. 2021 wasn’t the best of the 2014 champion. Hopefully, we can see the best of him in the 2022 season.