NASCAR fans rip NFL for posting 'ignorant', 'disrespectful' video

The NFL put out a seemingly innocuous and heartfelt video in a tweet on Sunday ahead of the NFC matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The video featured Panthers safety Sam Franklin Jr. doing a special handshake with a "young fan". As many NASCAR fans pointed out, that "young fan" is quite famous in his own right.

It was Keelan Harvick, the 12-year-old rising star race car driver and son of former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. And Kevin Harvick was right beside him, looking on.

Several fans took exception to the fact that there was no mention of the Harvick family, implying that the NFL really had no idea with whom Franklin was actually interacting.

Ironically, Keelan actually has more social media followers than Franklin.

Of course, anyone will tell you that many NASCAR drivers probably like having the ability to at least somewhat fly under the radar in public.

Not all professional athletes walk into a facility with a "look at me" attitude, so it's not like the NFL's tweet not mentioning the Harvick name is some kind of criminal act.

And there were plenty of positive comments as well, many of which from non-NASCAR fans who probably wouldn't have known the Harvick name even had they been told.

Having said that, the criticism is somewhat justified.

Not only is Kevin Harvick a renowned NASCAR driver, but he literally works for Fox. The Cowboys-Panthers game was aired on Fox, and the NFL even made mention of that fact in the tweet.

Apparently that didn't make a difference, indicating that this was indeed just a harmless oversight.

Harvick joined the NASCAR on Fox broadcast team, alongside lead announcer Mike Joy and former Richard Childress Racing/Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Clint Bowyer, ahead of the 2024 season. He retired from full-time Cup Series competition after the 2023 season concluded.

The 2025 season is set to mark the start of a new seven-year media rights agreement for NASCAR, which includes not only current partners Fox and NBC but also Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports, and Harvick is set to return to his role as a driver analyst during Fox's portion of the calendar.

Fox's portion of the 2025 Cup Series calendar is scheduled to begin with the preseason Busch Light Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 2 and run through the All-Star Race, another exhibition race, at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 18.

There are 12 points races on the schedule between those two events, starting with the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 16 and concluding with the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, May 11.