New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara didn’t realize he was talking to the president of NASCAR when he first met him. On the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Kamara opened up about the first NASCAR race he attended, which led to him meeting Steve Phelps.

“It’s COVID, so I’m like ‘Yeah I want to come,’” Kamara said about attending the race at Homestead during the pandemic. “They’re like ‘Alright, let’s see what we can do.’ They ended up allowing me to come, so they put me in a suite. …The stands were empty, so that was my first NASCAR experience, nothing, just the cars.”

Karama then revealed that while sitting in the suite by himself, a guy wearing a suit walked in to talk to him. “He starts talking to me, and I’m asking him questions about NASCAR. I’m like ‘Man what is he doing right here? What’s going on right here? Why is all the cars stopping? What’s the yellow flag?’… So that goes on for about an hour, and I’m just engaging with this guy. I’m like ‘Man, who is this? I know they said it was COVID. Why is this guy up here?’”

Kamara continued: “I’m still sitting up there, so he’s like ‘Oh I got to get going. Gotta go do some things. By the way, I’m Steve Phelps, president of NASCAR.’ I’m like ‘What?’ In my head, I’m not thinking just not being involved or I guess interested before this in this sport. I’m not thinking Steve Phelps, who now I have a great relationship with, would be that cool. In our community, nobody’s looking at NASCAR like that’s somewhere where it’s a comfortable space. …From then until now, it’s like this is a great space to be in.”

Alvin Kamara looks to get a new contract with the Saints

Kamara has been involved in NASCAR for the last few years as he’s the organization’s Growth and Engagement Advisor. In a 2021 release, Kamara said: “It’s an honor to be able to team up with NASCAR and be their first-ever Growth and Engagement Advisor. “I’m excited to use my passion as a fan to help shape their long-term efforts to grow the sport.”

As Kamara stays involved in NASCAR, he’s also looking to get a new contract with the Saints. When the team held their minicamp last month, the five-time Pro Bowl running back missed the final practice, but it was not contract-related, per multiple reports. Karama has two years remaining on the five-year deal that he signed in September 2020.