Jake Owen explains how he is connected to NASCAR and Kevin Harvick and why he feels country music and the sport go hand-in-hand.
Jake talked with NASCAR.com to share his connection with the sport and his friendship with defending Sprint Cup Champion Kevin Harvick. Kevin is featured in Jake’s latest music video for his current single “Real Life.” You can see some behind the scenes footage of the country singer and NASCAR driver in the video at the bottom of the page.
Jake revealed that he has always been a fan of NASCAR, but his became more involved when he and Kevin began working together, “He and his wife DeLana enjoyed my music, and four years ago they asked me to perform at a charity event for him, and I did. It was right about time they found out they were going to have a baby. I was going to be a dad as well, so we were going through the same things at the same time. We became friends, and it made sense for us to team up.”
Jake sees a correlation between how NASCAR drivers careers progress and the progression of his own career as country music singer, “When you talk about a NASCAR driver moving up and a country music singer making it big, I think they correlate a lot. Kevin and I really do get along and understand and have a similar background.”
The country music star has enjoyed watching his friend become one of the premier drivers on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, “The last several years, watching how well he’s done, has been incredible. To have the changes he did, not just in racing, but in life, to go out and win the championship and join a new team and really start his own company when he had a new baby — he’s done so much stuff and has been so successful.”
Jake feels like country music and NASCAR sharing fans is a natural fit, “I think country music and NASCAR go together like peanut butter and jelly. The same folks who watch NASCAR every race weekend are the same folks who come out to our shows and sing with us. Country music is fueled by people who live real lives, who are just every day, good people. Both are very loyal. Our fans support us our whole careers. Same with NASCAR — if there’s a Dale Earnhardt fan or a Junior fan, they are lifelong fans. I just love that.”
How did Jake get Kevin to appear in his latest music video? “I ended up asking Kevin to be in my new music video and told him, ‘I just want you to celebrate in the back of truck like you won a race, spraying everyone with champagne’. Kevin was like, ‘I’m totally down with that,'” Jake explained.
You can read more about Jake Owen’s connection with NASCAR and Kevin Harvick in the original article at NASCAR.com here.
By: Buck Stevens
