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Here’s a real-life truth that no one understands until they find their lives standing squarely in the middle of that very truth. Being the wisest person in the room isn’t about being the smartest person in that space. It’s about being the person who has been in that room the longest. The one with the most experience. The owner of the largest scrapbook of memories and moments, and the lessons learned from both. Smart enough to appreciate it all.

“I think that’s a natural life progression, right?” said Kevin Harvick, who at 47 and now in his 23rd and final season in the NASCAR Cup Series finds that he is now, more often than not, that person in most every room of racers he’s standing in. He is the procurer of quite the collection of experiences and the wisdom that comes with them. “You know, life progression is hopefully maturing as you go through time. To be able to do things in a better way and learn from what you did before. So, every moment matters.”

This weekend will mark not simply one of those moments, but a genuine milestone in a career packed with them. Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be his 800th start at stock car racing’s highest level. In 75 years of NASCAR, only 10 drivers have hit that mark, and only four of them reached it at a younger age than Harvick. If he finishes out the season having started every race, he will retire with 826 Cup starts, eighth all-time. His 1,272 starts across all three NASCAR national series already ranks first. His 60 Cup Series wins rank 10th. His 62 second-place finishes rank sixth. His 258 top-five finishes rank … OK, you get the idea.

The complete list of Harvick’s all-time top-10 rankings would take up more space than this story has been given. Besides, you can read them all on his NASCAR Hall of Fame plaque when he is no doubt voted in on his first year of eligibility, now less than three years away.

Right now, he’s too busy trying to win a second Cup Series title to spend much time looking in the rearview mirror. More than a third of the way into the 26-race “regular season,” he sits third in the championship standings, only 15 points behind leader Christopher Bell. So yes, Harvick’s final career numbers have yet to be determined, but when every weekend presents another milestone or another rung climbed on all of those all-time lists, avoiding the topic of career summation is impossible — especially since the preseason announcement of his intention to retire at season’s end.

“I think honestly when we got to 60 [career wins] that that kind of put it in perspective,” Harvick confesses, speaking of his Richmond victory Aug. 14, 2022. “Really, for me, when you start hearing your competitors talking about it. I’ll never forget Cliff Daniels [crew chief at rival Hendrick Motorsports] walking up to me when I had my 750th consecutive start [this Feb. 26 at Auto Club Speedway], the things that he said that day really helped put it into perspective for me. Because when you gain the respect of your competitors on the racetrack, but also the people in the garage, that to me is really the rewarding part of the body of work.”

The earliest days of Harvick’s career — heck, the first decade of his career — weren’t filled with such praise from peers. Nor was he one to send cheer and good tidings in the direction of others in the paddock, whether they be the competition or even those with whom he worked. Just look at that consecutive starts streak. It currently sits at 757, third all-time, and should he finish out the season uninterrupted, it will end at 784, a scant 13 races short of Jeff Gordon‘s all-time iron man streak. The only reason he won’t own that record outright is because he missed the eighth race of 2002, his second season, parked by NASCAR at Martinsville Speedway for a tantrum thrown in a Truck Series race the day before.

That’s how Harvick rolled back then. Angry. He feuded with veterans such as Bobby Hamilton. He famously leaped off the roof of a Busch Series car onto the head of Greg Biffle during postrace interviews at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Thrust into a Cup ride earlier than planned, an into-the-deep-end experience that will never be replicated, pushed into NASCAR’s most famous ride because of the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500, Harvick impossibly won in only his third Cup start in The Intimidator’s Chevy, edging Gordon by .006 seconds at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Oh, and he also got married in the middle of those three races.

From there, the 20-something Californian raced with guard up and his fists clenched. In 13 seasons driving for Richard Childress Racing, he won 24 times, including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, but also endured three winless years and failed to win a championship. His increasingly heated in-race radio exchanges with Childress became must-hear entertainment for race fans seeking drama on a Sunday afternoon.

That’s how one earns the decidedly and deliberately ironic nickname “Happy.”

“We are both people who have no problem speaking our minds, even when we should keep those thoughts to ourselves, especially on the radio when everyone in the grandstands can hear us,” Childress recently said of those days, chuckling. “But that fire is also what you want in a race car driver. Sometimes that fire is going to burn some stuff down. And we did.”

“It was always just, you know, ‘He’s mad. He’s angry,'” Harvick recalled this week when looking back on his tumultuous tenure at RCR. “When I was driving the 29 car and you look back, I told Richard this, I said, ‘Man, I wish I could have done it this way. The way I do things now, with maturity, experience. You know, things might have been a little bit different.’ I would handle things a lot differently, how we did all of that. But, you know, everything just leads to the next step.”

The next step was the second half of that career and the next phase in his life as a man. He moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 to join friend and fellow anger-management student Tony Stewart and immediately won that long-elusive Cup Series championship. Harvick has added another 37 wins. He has gotten out of NASCAR team ownership, opting to expand his sports management business, and has shifted his focus toward being a father of two, with 10-year-old son Keelan now behind the wheel.

“It’s really been two different parts of my career,” Harvick replied when asked the impossible question of identifying the single most memorable moment among his first 799 Cup Series starts. “The announcement that you’re going to drive your first Cup race was bigger than any moment that you’ll ever have in your career. Then your first win was bigger than any win that you’re ever going to have. So, all of these things that you had to go through and face, the rest of it, that felt like a cakewalk to be honest, because you never had something that was that big again.”

This is year 10 at SHR, always behind the wheel of the same car and, against all known NASCAR natural laws, always with the same crew chief, Rodney Childers.

“It all shifted in 2014 because everybody said, ‘OK, now is he going to be able to succeed at a new team and can he get along with people?’ And here we are 10 years later, with the same crew chief, same organization and a championship. You look at that Homestead win that won that championship, and that was a huge moment. The biggest moment in the second part of my career. It’s of comparable importance, but not really a comparable experience, to that very first win.”

That ability to compare experiences, moments and even eras, that is the gift of wisdom. The well-earned byproduct of an unparalleled multidecade career. In our youth, we all fall into the same trap that ensnared Harvick so many years ago: believing that we know more than we actually do. Only via the hindsight of experience does anyone truly understand the value of genuine perspective.

Say, the latest Next Gen race car.

The tide of praise for NASCAR’s 2022 one-size-fits-all machines officially began to turn last summer, when Harvick began speaking up with concerns about safety. After his playoffs started with a 33rd-place finish due to a fire in his Ford, he said on live television, “What a disaster for no reason. We didn’t touch the wall. We didn’t touch a car and here we are in the pits with a burned-up car and we can’t finish the race during the playoffs because of crappy-ass parts.”

Just this week, he responded to a tweet reporting that NASCAR teams believed parts for 2024 needed to be ordered now to head off supply chain issues, posting “1000 HP spec. Order it …”

“Honestly, the communication between the teams and NASCAR is as good as it’s ever been. The problem is that the process of making changes is just as slow as it’s ever been,” Harvick said when asked about his call for more horsepower. He also suggested quicker tire wear before adding, again, the kind of nuanced take that can only be informed via experience.

He recalled 2007, when the sanctioning body rolled out the so-called Car of Tomorrow. Like today’s Next Gen machines, the CoT was largely a spec car. Those who were around back then have mentioned the CoT a lot in the past year. It’s just that there are fewer and fewer around now who were also around then. Harvick, then at the height of his Happy days, is one of them.

“It’s the same process. It’s no different. We already went through this. With the CoT and whenever NASCAR has started changing rules,” he said. “In the very beginning nobody knows anything about the car, and once everybody figures out the car, things change. The style of racing changes. It always does. It always will. So, yeah, I think communication is there, but I think the process is as slow as it’s ever been, unfortunately, to be able to make changes because of how much red tape there is to jump through because the teams aren’t in charge of the cars.”

Call him Happy, call him The Closer, call him old man, whatever you want, Harvick’s opinions are no less pointed than they’ve ever been. His intensity is the same now as it was 799 Cup starts ago. These days he simply yells less. He keeps his volume knob somewhere in the middle instead of breaking it off to be stuck at 11. But now the kid whom every veteran of the Cup Series garage used to either bash or avoid altogether has become the veteran whom today’s kids seek out for advice and a point of view that could only come from a racer who started his career in a world sponsored by cigarettes, racing against men who have already been enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

You know, wisdom.

“I think at that particular time, starting out, you really don’t even know what that means, right?” Harvick said. “But I’ve been here for so long, through so many generations of cars with so many people, I think putting that body of work together, that is for me very rewarding. Through the years, the ups and downs, we’ve always figured out how to get things going again and be able to be competitive and run upfront.

“I was just a kid going to the racetrack having a good time, driving whatever I could race just to get on the racetrack. Now, 800 Cup starts later, all these years later … that’s something you can be proud of.”

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Arch Manning the only top-four 2023 QB to bypass portal; where did the other three go?

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Arch Manning the only top-four 2023 QB to bypass portal; where did the other three go?

Two years after the five-star quartet of quarterbacks in the ESPN 300 were wowing fans and garnering “next big thing” buzz for their abilities, reality has hit harder than the most ferocious blitzing linebackers.

As college football’s spring transfer portal closed Friday, Malachi Nelson, Jackson Arnold and Dante Moore are looking to ignite their careers at schools different from their initial ones. Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is the only one from that 2023 group who has stayed with his first choice.

All four quarterbacks were ranked in the top five of the ESPN 300 that year.

“It’s really just a sign of the times,” ESPN’s director of football recruiting Billy Tucker said. “That class wasn’t any less special because they transferred. It’s just that the culture now is about instant gratification. I don’t know that what happened with the 2023 quarterbacks isn’t the norm.”

Nelson was the top ranked prospect in 2023 and began his collegiate career with the USC Trojans.

As a freshman, he served as a backup to Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner. Nelson threw only three passes that season.

Nelson transferred to Boise State, where he lost out on the starting spot to Maddux Madsen, who led the team to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Again, Nelson barely saw playing time, going 12-of-17 for just 66 yards last season before reentering the portal.

In January, he reportedly turned down more lucrative offers to join Scotty Walden at UTEP, where the path to being a starter seems like a forgone conclusion.

Moore checked in at No. 2 in 2023 and began his career at UCLA, where he struggled to find a rhythm in limited playing time. In nine games with the Bruins, Moore threw 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions and got sacked 16 times. He transferred to Oregon in December 2023 — after a year sitting behind star quarterback Dillon Gabriel in 2024. Moore appears to be the heir apparent in Eugene though it isn’t guaranteed.

“For most high-profile prospects these days, and certainly quarterbacks, the path to the starting spot needs to be clear by spring of their freshman year,” Tucker said. “And if it’s not then there’s a really good chance they’ll leave.”

The opposite happened for Arnold at Oklahoma, but it still wasn’t enough.

The 6-foot-1, 211-pounder was ranked No. 3 in 2023 and won Gatorade National Player of the Year as a high school senior. By his sophomore season in Norman, he earned the starting position.

Arnold amassed 1,421 passing yards, 444 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns in a dismal 6-6 season that saw him get demoted and promoted. The tumultuous experience prompted Arnold to transfer to Auburn in December. His path to outright starter seems imminent.

Then there’s Manning, who checked in at No. 5 overall in 2023.

Being the grandson of New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning and nephew of Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch summed up his thought process about remaining at Texas in five words in a recent news conference, simply saying, “Sometimes it’s worth the wait.”

In two years in Austin, Manning has appeared in nine games, two of which he started.

Last season, he went 61-of-90 passing for 939 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards and four more scores.

Now, the stage is set for him to lead the Longhorns during the 2025 season.

“This used to be the norm,” Tucker said of Manning waiting his turn. “You wait the two years and you’re starting as a junior. Now, even if you’re getting paid, it’s not enough if you’re not starting. Any adversity and the guys are leaving. It’s just the current landscape in college football.”

Tucker, who also serves as director of the Under Armour All-America Game, said he would caution current and future stars about using the transfer portal entry as a knee-jerk reaction.

“Look at Georgia, a lot of their defensive guys are one-year starters and then they’re in the NFL first round,” Tucker said. “It’s not like you need three years of proven production to make it. That NIL money could get multiplied by at least five in my opinion. If you can stay the course and have one to two good years at a proven program, you’ll more than make up any money you could’ve lost in NIL. It’s more about the people guiding these players not being as informed as they need to be. It stinks, but until there are rules to govern the current landscape, we’ll continue to see this.”

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Michigan lands No. 4 pocket passer Smigiel

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Michigan lands No. 4 pocket passer Smigiel

Four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel, ESPN’s No. 4 pocket passer in the 2026 class, has committed to Michigan, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

A 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect from Newbury Park, California, Smigiel is the No. 45 overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300 and began the weekend as the cycle’s No. 2 available quarterback. The former Florida State commit becomes the highest-ranked member of coach Sherrone Moore’s 2026 recruiting class.

Smigiel visited the Wolverines’ for the program’s spring game on April 19.

“We just thought it was time to make the decision and when I went out to Michigan I knew it was the spot for me,” Smigiel told ESPN. “Being able to see the strength staff and how they handle the players — the discipline within the program — it was all really impressive.”

Smigiel noted his connection with first-year Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who previously recruited Smigiel at North Carolina, as a key factor in his decision. Program tradition and the opportunity to step into the Wolverines’ thin quarterback depth behind five-star freshman Bryce Underwood also played a role in Smigiel’s move to commit prior to previously scheduled official visits to Washington and South Carolina later this spring.

With Smigiel’s pledge, Michigan now holds two ESPN 300 commitments in the 2026 cycle following the February addition of four-star offensive guard Bear McWhorter (No. 186 overall).

The Wolverines also hold pledges from three-star cornerback Brody Jennings and wide receiver Jaylen Pile in 2026. The Wolverines remain in the mix for a handful of top 2026 targets, including linebacker Anthony Jones (No. 25 overall), tight end Ian Premer (No. 60) and running back Javian Osborne (No. 81).

Michigan was a leading finalist for Smigiel’s pledge last June when he committed to Florida State over the Wolverines, Ohio State, Oregon and Washington.

Smigiel shut down his recruitment following his summer pledge and remained a cornerstone of the Seminoles’ 2026 class through the program’s 2-10 finish last fall before pulling his commitment from Florida State in late-January. At the time, Smigiel pointed to the offseason reshuffle of the program’s coaching staff and a scheme change under first-year offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn as the primary driver in his decision.

“I just didn’t feel like Florida State was that spot for me anymore,” Smigiel told ESPN in early February. I committed to coach (Mike) Norvell calling the plays and now that he’s not, it’s a completely different situation.”

Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State, South Carolina, UCLA and Washington emerged as early leaders in Smigiel’s renewed process in February, and he later took unofficial trips to Washington, South Carolina and UCLA.

Sources told ESPN that Washington was a serious contender for Smigiel’s pledge before four-star quarterback Derek Zammit committed to the program on April 19. North Carolina and South Carolina also made significant pushes over the last week prior to Smigiel’s commitment to the Wolverines.

Equipped with standout arm strength and elite downfield accuracy, Smigiel is one of the most polished quarterback prospects in the 2026 class.

Smigiel is a three-year starter and will enter his senior season with 11,228 passing yards and 147 touchdowns for his prep career. He threw for 3,521 yards and 49 touchdowns and led Newbury Park to a division title as a junior last fall.

Upon Smigiel’s pledge, only five of the 18 quarterbacks ranked inside the ESPN 300 remain uncommitted, led by No. 1 overall quarterback Jared Curtis and fellow top 100 passer Ryder Lyons (No. 50 overall).

Curtis, No. 5 in the ESPN 300, is set to choose between Georgia and Oregon on May 5.

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Tulane QB Finley in portal again amid legal case

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Tulane QB Finley in portal again amid legal case

Tulane quarterback TJ Finley is once again in the transfer portal after being suspended earlier this month pending the outcome of a legal case.

Finley, who has spent time at five FBS programs in his career, entered the portal Friday morning. He was arrested April 2 on a charge of illegal possession of stolen things worth more than $25,000, after police linked the license plate of a truck he was driving to a stolen vehicle in Atlanta.

His attorneys claim Finley is the victim of a scam after buying a used truck via a social media marketplace. Finley is due in court June 1 in New Orleans.

Tulane on Thursday received a commitment from quarterback transfer Brendan Sullivan, who started three games last season for Iowa and made some starts for Northwestern in 2022 and 2023.

Finley began his college career at LSU in 2020, starting five games and passing for 941 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He then transferred to Auburn, where he opened the 2022 season as the team’s starter before injuring his throwing shoulder just before SEC play began.

Finley had his most productive season in 2023 at Texas State, where he passed for 3,439 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He then transferred to Western Kentucky, where he was the backup last season, before joining Tulane in December.

The Ponchatoula, Louisiana, native had been competing with fellow transfers Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary for the starting role before the suspension.

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