USA TODAY International Edition
Harvick’s race cars get recycled into beer cans
Ever wonder what happens to old or wrecked race cars?
If destroyed stock cars don’t end up in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s race car graveyard, the sheet metal can be recycled. Other times if parts are relatively in tact, they’re auctioned off for charity or on display at a particular NASCAR team’s shop if there is some sort of sentimental value attached.
A handful of Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Fords from the 2018 season took a different route and were turned into collectible Busch beer cans, an idea the 43-year-old driver initially laughed at.
“When you see the finished product and you hear the process that everybody had to go through to make it into a can, (it was) quite the process,” Harvick told For The Win by phone Tuesday.
“And you can see the beat-up decals and things that are on the can that actually came off the car.”
Busch, one of Harvick’s primary sponsors, took the sheet metal and carbon fiber from four No. 4 cars used last season and repurposed them into 40 beer cans.
You can’t buy these cans at a store. Fans can win them by participating in a trivia contest on Twitter (hashtags: #Car2Can #BuschContest) while watching the Daytona 500. They can also bid on them during an online charity auction Monday.
2018 also isn’t a bad season to get a Harvick souvenir from either. Busch had the paint scheme for three of his career-high eight wins last season at Kansas Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway.
His other checkered flags were with with Jimmy John’s or Mobil 1 cars.
“There’s a little map on each can that shows you where the can and the piece of sheet metal was taken off the car,” Harvick explained. “So it’s about as authentic as you can get.”
Busch will be on Harvick’s car for 14 races this season, plus The Clash and the All-Star Race, two exhibition events, starting with the Daytona 500.
The Daytona 500 kicks off the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway.