NASCAR Cup Series champion. Daytona 500 champion. Multi-time Brickyard 400 winner. CARS Tour co-owner. Sports management company owner. These are all things that Kevin Harvick is sometimes called that all make sense to hear. But on Monday, Harvick added a new title to his portfolio that might take some time to get used to. 

On Monday morning, Harvick was announced as part of the new ownership group of the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). So get used to hearing “Kevin Harvick, professional hockey team owner” as well as all those other titles.

Harvick, along with other prominent partners like Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, NFL linebacker Myles Jack, Carolina Panthers longsnapper J.J. Jansen, and former NASCAR driver Regan Smith, are all part of the Zawyer Sports & Entertainment group that announced on Monday that it has acquired controlling interest in the Checkers.

Excited to join this ownership group! 🏒 https://t.co/gaZMeOEecw

— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) July 15, 2024

Harvick, who was at the press conference in Charlotte on Monday morning, posted on social media site “X” (formerly Twitter), “Excited to join this ownership group!”

The Charlotte Checkers is the American Hockey League affiliate to the Florida Panthers, who just won the Stanley Cup in June. The American Hockey League is the largest and most prominent minor hockey league, considered to be one step below the National Hockey League.

Aside from the obvious being the team name and home city, the Checkers have had racing tie-ins throughout much of the organization’s history. The Checkers were founded as an ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) organization in 1992, playing their first home game in 1993. The owners at the time were Carl Scheer and NASCAR team owner, Felix Sabates, with seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty and son Kyle Petty as minority owners.

The Checkers moved from the ECHL into the AHL in 2011 as the affiliate to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Checkers won the league championship (Calder Cup) in 2019. The Checkers became the AHL affiliate for the Florida Panthers ahead of the 2020-2021 season.