Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick may be plotting a joint NASCAR Truck Series return, with both openly discussing the idea on the latest episode of the Kevin Harvick Happy Hour podcast. It is not confirmed, not scheduled, and by their own admission, it might not happen in 2026, but neither man is ruling it out.
The two share a bond that runs deeper than a professional friendship. Harvick drove for Stewart-Haas Racing from 2014 through 2023, the most successful stretch of his Cup career. His first season under Stewart’s co-ownership delivered a championship. Over the decade that followed, Harvick was one of the most consistent drivers in the sport, regularly finishing inside the top three in points.
Thanks for the submission!
Both men are now retired from NASCAR – Stewart since 2016, Harvick since 2023 – but neither has been far from a race car. Stewart’s 2026 return at Daytona came in the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram truck, as part of the team’s free agent driver program. It ended early, but Stewart enjoyed the experience while it lasted.
Reflecting on watching him race in NASCAR for the first time, Tony Stewart’s wife, Leah Pruett, said on the podcast (18:13 onwards):
“I was really happy to see happy Tony in his really in his natural atmosphere. It was fun for me. I’m a proponent of him doing it again, but that’s, you know…”
When Harvick asked directly whether Stewart wanted to go back, he said:
“I’m pretty sure I’m going to do it again.”
That opened the door for Harvick to float an idea of doing something together:
“Okay. Well, let’s do the same one.”
“Go to the same place where we got a 70% chance of getting knocked down,” Stewart responded.
“No, I’m saying let’s do the same race,” Harvick clarified.
Stewart leaned into it quickly:
“Us both run the same race. Hell, I’m in.”
Harvick, however, drew a line:
“Yeah, I’m not going to Daytona, though.”
“All right, let’s sit and figure a race out,” Stewart added.
Kevin Harvick agreed, making it clear this isn’t immediate:
“All right. Well, we’ll have to plan it for next year at some point. Not this year.”
The Kaulig Racing No. 25 free-agent program has shown success in plugging veteran drivers in without disrupting the full-time lineup. Tony Stewart drove it at Daytona. Colin Braun followed. Ty Dillon has made two appearances, and Carson Ferguson drove it at Bristol. Parker Kligerman takes the seat this Friday at Texas.
Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray were announced last weekend for Dover on May 15 and Naval Base Coronado on June 19, respectively, and the fan reaction was encouraging. A Kevin Harvick-Tony Stewart double-header in the same race could blow the roof off the NASCAR Truck Series.
With one in the free agent No. 25 and the other potentially in the No. 10, it is not a logistical stretch. The No. 10 seat has been open since Daniel Dye was indefinitely suspended earlier this season. Corey LaJoie has stepped into that seat full-time, but a one-off return for Harvick in a Kaulig Ram truck alongside Stewart is the kind of program the free agent concept was built to accommodate.
Kevin Harvick wants to return to racing, cites Tony Stewart’s Daytona comeback
Kevin Harvick has not been absent from racing since his retirement. He and his son Keelan have regularly raced each other in the CARS Tour West Pro Late Model Series in 2025 and 2026. Keelan won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2026, while Kevin won the 2026 season opener at Tucson.
Tony Stewart’s situation is similar but louder. He is a full-time NHRA Top Fuel racer with Elite Motorsports, racing alongside his wife, Leah Pruett, who drives for Tony Stewart Racing. Stewart won the 2025 NHRA regular season and is already a race winner in 2026, sitting three points behind Pruett in fourth place in the standings.
When Stewart’s Daytona Truck start was announced earlier this year, Harvick addressed it on Kevin Harvick Happy Hour (31:11 onwards):
“I might just make a comeback. Why not? I mean, Tony Stewart’s gonna drive the truck race at Daytona… What should we race? I’m starting to get the bug again, I think… Phoenix. In what… Cup’s too much work. What could I just get in and drive?“
Even while talking himself out of it, Kevin Harvick could not fully dismiss the idea. He has the physical condition and the racing experience to step into a Truck. His last Truck start came at Bristol in 2021, and he has 14 wins in the series.
Tony Stewart’s Daytona crash, after Jake Garcia squeezed him into the wall on Lap 36, was largely out of his control. It reinforced Harvick’s idea of avoiding superspeedways for a potential return. Even if that race ends up being in 2027, fans will be watching regardless of where it lands on the calendar.
Edited by Hitesh Nigam