Keelan Harvick could break Chase Elliott's record at Snowball Derby

Already a driver beyond his years, Keelan Harvick will attempt to qualify for this year’s Snowball Derby in Pensacola. The 13-year-old son of Kevin Harvick has been racing full-bodied stock cars for a year now. Five Flags Speedway awaits him for his biggest test yet.

The Snowball Derby is a prestigious race. Donnie Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Busch, and Chase Elliott are all among the list of NASCAR names who have won this race. Erik Jones, Ty Majeksi, Noah Gragson, and more have won it. Talented drivers go their entire careers hoping to win this race and failing to do so.

Back in 2011, Elliott became the youngest winner ever in the event. He had just turned 16 at the time, and it showed the kind of driver and champion he would one day be in NASCAR. Harvick has a legitimate shot at breaking that record for the youngest winner.

We know his No. 62 Rackley WAR Chevy will be top-notch. But his talent behind the wheel is what gives him a shot at not just making the race, but winning.

Keelan Harvick has won late model stock car races. He’s won on the East and West coasts in the CARS Tour. Harvick will race in the Snowflake 125 (no longer the 100) Pro Late Model race. He’s very good in the PLM car. He very well could go out and win the pole. Keelan has shown a knack for qualifying speed in those cars this year.

If Keelan can beat Kevin Harvick, he can beat anyone

Multiple times this year, Keelan and Kevin Harvick have gone head-to-head in a variety of late models. Keelan has bested Kevin almost every time, barring a wreck or mechanical failure.

Kevin Harvick will turn 50 this year. I know, he’s older. He doesn’t race as much. But in the last two years, he’s raced these PLM and SLM cars enough to have a good understanding of them. He’s still a former Cup Series champion who was winning back-to-back races just three years ago.

Keelan is young, but he is already impressing drivers like Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. SVG got a taste of Keelan’s talents racing Legends Cars during the summer. Zilisch has developed at times alongside Keelan and even acted as a mentor at times.

If Keelan Harvick can qualify for the Snowball Derby, he’s got a chance to win. He can go toe-to-toe with drivers like Carson Kvapil, who is a three-time CARS Tour champion, in a race like the South Carolina 400. Harvick just finished P5 in that race after coming back from an incident on track. If he manages to do the unthinkable and win, he’d make history and probably set a record that would stand for years to come.