Driver: Kevin Harvick
| Date of Birth: | Dec 8, 1975 |
|---|---|
| Hometown: | Bakersfield, CA |
| Residence: | North Carolina |
| Spouse: | DeLana |
| Pets: | Three dogs, two cats |
| Hobbies: | Remote Control Cars, Vintage Video Games, Skeet Shooting, Riding ATVs and Go-Karts |
| Favorite Candy: | REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups KING SIZE |
Kevin Harvick, a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series just eight years ago, now claims an assortment of roles including driver, teammate, mentor, owner and most of all, racer.
Although only 32 years old, Harvick has been racing for the past 28 years. After completing kindergarten, Harvick received his first ride, a go-kart, from his parents. After 10 years of competitively racing go-karts, Harvick accumulated seven National Championships and two Grand National Championships.
In 1992, Harvick left the go-kart circuit and began competing in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series. He competed on a limited basis for the first two seasons while completing high school. In 1995, he competed full time in the series and received Rookie-of-the-Year honors en route to an 11th-place finish in the standings.
Harvick was crowned the 1998 NASCAR Winston West Series Champion. During his title run, Harvick grabbed five wins, 11 top-5 finishes and 12 top-10 finishes in 14 starts and was named the Motorsports Press Association's "Closed Wheeled Driver of the Year."
In 2000, Richard Childress Racing (RCR) hired Harvick to drive the No. 2 AC Delco Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series. He was named Rookie of the Year that season after picking up three wins, eight top-5 finishes, 16 top-10 finishes, two poles and a third-place rank in the points.
Harvick captured the 2001 Nationwide Series Championship in dominating fashion. He notched five wins, 20 top-5 finishes, 24 top-10 finishes and four pole positions. Harvick also competed full time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, where he won the Rookie-of-the-Year title.
In 2002, Harvick chose to focus on his budding Sprint Cup Series career. He only competed in four Nationwide Series races and posted one top-10 finish. Harvick and RCR took on a new challenge in 2003: win the Nationwide Series Owner Championship with two drivers.
With just one race left in the season, the mission was complete. In 18 starts in the No. 21 PAYDAY Chevrolet, Harvick had five poles, three wins, 11 top-5 finishes and 17 top-10 finishes. He finished out of the top-10 just once and led more laps than any other driver in the Nationwide Series. His teammate, Johnny Sauter, contributed five top-5 finishes and seven top-10 finishes to help the No. 21 PAYDAY Chevrolet finish the season 261 points ahead of the second-place team, Hendrick Motorsports. Childress became the first owner in the history of the Nationwide Series to win an owner's title without winning the drivers' title in the same year, and the first owner to accomplish the feat with two drivers.
Harvick shared driving duties with another up-and-coming driver in 2004. He grabbed two wins, 10 top-5 finishes and 15 top-10 finishes aboard the REESE'S Chevrolet, which he shared with rookie Clint Bowyer. It was also the first full season that Harvick played the role of team owner, as he hired Matt Crafton to drive the No. 6 GM Goodwrench in the Craftsman Truck series, fielded by Kevin Harvick Inc.
The 2006 season was another busy year for Harvick. Harvick competed in 20 Nationwide Series races in the REESE'S Chevy. He won the Nationwide Series Championship to go along with five NEXTEL Cup victories.
In 2007, Harvick was off to a great start by winning the prestigious Daytona 500 in only his sixth start. Harvick drove the No. 29 REESE'S Peanut Butter Cup Chevrolet on May 5 at the Richmond International Speedway. In July, Harvick drove the No. 29 Reese’s Elvis Chevrolet to a third place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kevin Harvick's Career Highlights:
2007
- Won the Daytona 500 in closest finish since electronic scoring started in 1993
- Won the Sprint All-Star Challenge
- Qualified for Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship, finished 10th in final standings
- Won six NASCAR® Nationwide Series races (Daytona, New Hampshire, Chicago, Montreal, Watkins Glen, Texas)
2006
- Finished 4th in final Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship points standings
- Won five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events (Phoenix-two wins, Watkins Glen, Richmond, New Hampshire)
- Won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship
- Won nine NASCAR Nationwide Series races and finished in top five during 23 of 35 races
2005
- Won four NASCAR Nationwide Series events (Bristol, Chicagoland, Richmond, Texas)
- Won one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (Food City 500, Bristol)
- Completed the Bristol sweep (4/3/05, 4/4/05) by winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races
- Competed in three Craftsman Truck Series events and recorded two top-five finishes (Martinsville and Michigan)
- Finished in the top 10 in 15 of his 21 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts
- Competed in 21 Nationwide Series events and 36 Sprint Cup events
2004
- Won two NASCAR Nationwide Series events (Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami)
- Set the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series modern-era record (58) for consecutive races without a DNF
- Competed in two Craftsman Truck Series events and finished second in both (Charlotte and Bristol)
- Finished in the top 10 in 15 of his 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts
- Competed in 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series events and 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events
2003
- Helped win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owners' Championship for Richard Childress while sharing driving duties with Johnny Sauter
- Won three NASCAR Nationwide Series events (Bristol, Richmond and Michigan)
- Earned five NASCAR Nationwide Series poles (one each at California, Darlington and Phoenix; two at Charlotte)
- Won one of NASCAR's most prestigious races, the Brickyard 400 from the pole. Harvick is the only driver in NASCAR history at IMS to win from the pole
- Earned his second career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole (Indianapolis)
- Finished fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings
2002
- Captured his first International Race of Champions (IROC) championship in his first season
- Won his first IROC race at California
- Won his first career Craftsman Truck event (Phoenix)
- Earned first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole (Daytona in July)
- Won his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and second consecutive race at Chicago
- One of two drivers not to use a provisional start in 2002 Sprint Cup competition
- Competed in four NASCAR Nationwide Series events and five Craftsman Truck Series events
2001
- Won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship after finishing fifth at Rockingham in November
- Captured the first NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship for Richard Childress. Childress became the first owner to win a championship in each of NASCAR's three major series (NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series)
- Won first Sprint Cup race in only his third start at Atlanta Motor Speedway, March 11, 2001
- Won his second Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway
- Won five NASCAR Nationwide Series races (Texas, Kentucky, St. Louis, IRP and Bristol)
- Competed in more races (70) than any other driver in the modern history of NASCAR
- Finished ninth in NASCAR Sprint Cup points and had one less start than every other driver in the top 25 in points
- Won NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year title
2000
- Named NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year
- Finished third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship standings
- Won three NASCAR Nationwide Series races in his rookie season (St. Louis, Bristol and Memphis)
