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.

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:

• 2009 marks his ninth season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with 11 wins, five poles, 56 top-five and 120 top-10 finishes in 286 starts
  
• Raced his way to his third consecutive Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2008, finishing fourth in the championship point standings
  
  
• Ranks second behind Mark Martin for all-time NASCAR Nationwide Series wins with 32
  
  
• Finished the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with the modern-era record (1972-present) with 80 races without a DNF (did not finish)
  
  
• Won the 2007 Daytona 500 by two one-hundredths of a second over Martin, the ninth-closest finish since electronic scoring started in May 1993
  
  
• Won the 2007 NASCAR All-Star Challenge... first non-points victory in his career
  
  
• Finished 10th in the championship point standings in 2007, marking his second appearance in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
  
  
• Won the 2007 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship as a co-owner with wife DeLana Harvick and driver Ron Hornaday Jr.
  
  
• In his seventh season, Harvick earned his first berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and finished fourth in points. Logged five wins, one pole, 15 top-five and 20 top 10 finishes
  
  
• Won his second NASCAR Nationwide Series championship by a record margin of 824 points on the strength of nine wins, one pole, 23 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes in 2006
  
  
• Captured his first NASCAR Sweep at, Bristol Motor Speedway, in April 2005, winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on the same weekend
  
  
• The first driver to win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the pole position in August 2003
  
  
• Helped Richard Childress Racing win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owners’ Championship in 2003
  
  
• Won the 2002 International Race of Champions (IROC) Championship during his rookie season on the strength of one win (Auto Club Speedway), three top-five and four top-10 finishes
  
  
• First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory came at Phoenix International Raceway in November 2002, his 75th career start
  
  
• Won the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship in 2001 with five wins, four poles, 20 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes
  
  
• First NASCAR Sprint Cup victory came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2001, his third career start
  
  
• Earned the 2001 Rookie of the Year honors in the Sprint Cup Series
  
  
• Earned 2000 Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with three wins, two poles, eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes
  
  
• Captured the NASCAR Winston West championship in 1998
  
  
• Earned 1995 Rookie of the Year honors in the Featherlite Southwest Series, finishing 11th in the points standings
  
  
• Began racing go-karts at the age of seven, went on to claim seven national championships and two grand national championships
  
  

Career Firsts

• First NASCAR Sprint Cup race: February 26, 2001, North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. (started 36, finished 14th)
  
  
• First NASCAR Sprint Cup win and top-five finish: March 11, 2001, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. (started fifth)
  
  
• First NASCAR Sprint Cup pole position: July 6, 2002, at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (finished 11th)
  
  
• First NASCAR Sprint Cup top-10 finish: March 4, 2001, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nev. (started 20th, finished eighth)
  
  
• First NASCAR Nationwide Series, Grand National Division race: October 23, 1999, at North Carolina Speedway (started 24th, finished 42nd)
  
  
• First NASCAR Nationwide Series pole position: June 3, 2000, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (finished sixth)
  
  
• First NASCAR Nationwide Series win: July 29, 2000, at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. (started fourth)
  
  
• First NASCAR Nationwide Series top-five and top-10 finishes: February 19, 2000 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (finished fifth, started fourth)
  
  
• First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race: October 15, 1995, Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. (started 27th, finished 27th)
  
  
• First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win: November 8, 2002, Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (started third)
  
  
• First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series top-five finish: June 5, 1998, at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas (started 21st , finished fourth)
  
  
• First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series top-10 finish: October 12, 1997, Mesa Marin Raceway (started fifth, finished eighth)