Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick has left quite a mark in his wake as a NASCAR racer. His aggressive style of driving sets him apart from all the other competitors, and the many accolades he has earned over his career make him one of the most successful drivers in the recent history of NASCAR. Born on December 8, 1975 in Bakersfield, California, Harvick began his racing days in karting at a very early age like many other fellow pilots. He was quite successful from the start. In 1992, Harvick began competing part-time in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series and continued to do so until 1995.

When he completed high school in 1995, Harvick became full-time driver, earning the “Rookie of the Year” distinction that same year. He would then move to the NASCAR Grand National Division AutoZone West series in 1997, obtaining the championship of that division one year later while driving for Spears Motorsports. By that time, he had already made his debut in NASCAR at the Craftsman Truck Series in 1995, but it wasn’t until 2000 that he joined the Busch Series driving for Richard Childress. In 2001, after the untimely death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt at the Daytona 500, Harvick was tapped to succeed him.

This unexpected turn of events would turn out to be the opportunity for Harvick to fully show his potential. Earnhardt himself had recognized young Harvick’s potential and had hinted that he would try to get him for his own DEI team. Harvick would go on to win on his third Nextel Cup event on March 11, 2001, defeating Jeff Gordon by only six one-thousandths of a second, one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history. By the end of the season, he had 2 wins, 6 top-fives and 16 top-tens, which would prove be enough to secure the Busch Series championship and the “Rookie of the Year” award, driving the #2 Chevrolet. The next season, Harvick won the IROC championship. Currently, he has a score of 9 wins, 81 top-tens and 5 poles, and competes in both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series driving the #29 GM Goodwrench/Reese’s Chevrolet and the #21 Coast Guard Chevrolet respectively.