Defining DeLana: Harvick is marketing exec, wife, mother and more – Nascar

Socially speaking

Twitter has been an important outlet for Harvick, and she has gained about 280,000 followers since creating her account in 2009.

“My whole thing with social media is just to keep it real,” Harvick said. “I don’t have time to make up a persona or be fake. What you see is what you get. Sometimes it’s not pretty. But I’m not afraid to say what I think, and I never have been — whether it’s been in the boardroom or at the race track or even to Kevin. I don’t hold back and I don’t hold back on social media, and I think that people probably appreciate that.”

In 140-character messages, Harvick has opened up her life to thousands of followers and given them raw content from the start. From pre-race question-and-answer sessions and in-race updates, to videos of Keelan wheeling his dune buggy in circles around their driveway, Harvick’s Twitter content gives her audience a true, inside look at her family.

“People who have been long-time followers of mine say, ‘We didn’t like Kevin at all, and now we’ve grown to love your husband and your family.’ And it’s funny because I’m not here to make you like Kevin,” Harvick said. “You can like who you want. If I can convert someone to be a Kevin fan, great. If not, no worries, it’s no big deal.”

Through the social media gateway, Harvick’s genuine character and personality has been exposed to the world. She’s OK if not everyone agrees with it.

“I’m very independent, I’m a free thinker and I have my own opinions and I’m not afraid to share those,” Harvick said. “Sometimes women with strong opinions aren’t received very well, and that’s OK. Everybody doesn’t have to be my friend. But as I ran a race team, I was going to do what was 100 percent best for my sponsors, for my team, for my employees, and sometimes that’s not always the most popular thing.”

Harvick is happy where she is today, wearing many hats as a mother, wife, businesswoman and even a social media maven, but she didn’t get there without first experiencing and overcoming views of how she should live her life based on her gender.

“I think I was so terrified; everyone tells you when you’re a woman that you need to grow up and have a family and that was by far the last thing I wanted to do,” Harvick said. “I was not going to get married, I was not going to have a family because I was really happy with my career and I wanted to make a name for myself in the industry.”

And make a name for herself she has. Just Google, “DeLana Harvick.” You’ll find a lot more interesting results than simply, “Kevin Harvick‘s wife.”

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