The next steps in the career progression of second-generation racer Keelan Harvick are coming this Saturday at Jacksonville, North Carolina’s New River All-American Speedway. It was announced Tuesday morning when the CARS Tour entry list was released that Keelan Harvick, the son of 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, will make his CARS Tour Pro Late Model debut in Saturday’s 100-lap race.

In addition to it being Harvick’s CARS Tour debut, it will also be the first time Harvick sits behind the wheel of a Pro Late Model. The 12-year-old driver has spent most of his career so far in go-karts and Legends cars, but he made his Limited Late Model debut at Florence Motor Speedway last November. 

“I’m really excited,” Harvick told FloRacing. “I think that it’ll be a new learning curve for me, especially because I’ve never driven it, but I think it will be fun.”

Harvick scored his first win in a full-bodied stock car earlier in February at Florence. He started on the pole in the 40-lap Limited Late Model feature and held on to score the victory.

He said that February’s win at Florence does give him some confidence that he can get a handle on the straight-rail chassis Pro Late Model quickly.

“I’m not really sure how different it will be until I get in it and drive it,” Harvick said. “I think it will be similar, but different in its own ways. My confidence is definitely up, but you can just never let it get too high or it’ll come crashing right back down.”

Fortunately for Harvick, he’s making his Pro Late Model debut at a track that he’s quite familiar with in New River All-American Speedway. Harvick made his full-fendered debut at New River last year in a Street Stock. He also went to victory lane in the Legends car race that same evening.

That said, New River is known for being an extremely abrasive race track, especially for Late Models. So, Harvick said learning how to save his tires will be a bit of an adjustment, although Florence is also extremely abrasive and he just picked up a win there.

“Yeah, I raced the Street Stock there with Ron Hornaday and that did not go good,” Harvick said with a laugh. “So I’m going to have to do a little bit better of a job of saving my tires.”

Race fans can watch the second-generation Harvick take on the stars of the CARS Tour Pro Late Model division on Saturday, March 1 live on FloRacing. Fans can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.