2014 Cup Series Champion · NASCAR

Kevin Harvick

He inherited the hardest seat in the sport three weeks after Dale Earnhardt died, then won with it in his third start by six thousandths of a second. The official Harvick collection: the No. 29, the No. 4, and sixty wins.

Nationality
American
Born
8 December 1975 · Bakersfield, California
Teams
Richard Childress Racing (2001–13) · Stewart-Haas Racing (2014–23)
Cup championship
1 (2014)
Also won
Busch Series 2001 and 2006 · Daytona 500 2007
Hall of Fame
Class of 2027, on the first ballot
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick wearing his light blue and white Busch racing suit, featuring his number 62 Ford race car.
2014 Cup Series Champion
2001 — 2023
1
Cup Series Championship
60
Cup Series Wins
826
Cup Series Starts
31
Pole Positions

Who is Kevin Harvick?

Kevin Harvick (born 8 December 1975) is an American former NASCAR driver who won the 2014 Cup Series championship and 60 Cup races, the eleventh-highest total in the sport's history. He took over Dale Earnhardt's Richard Childress Racing seat in 2001 and won the 2007 Daytona 500. He retired after 2023 and enters the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2027.

Full name
Kevin Michael Harvick
Nationality
American
Cup Series career
2001–2023
Best known for
Taking over Earnhardt's seat, and the 2014 title

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 9 sources

Rider Profile

Kevin Harvick: Full Biography

Kevin Harvick is an American former racing driver who won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship and sixty Cup races, the eleventh-highest total in the sport’s history. He was voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the first ballot, in the class of 2027.

The No. 29 Richard Childress had planned to give him a handful of Cup starts in 2001 and a full season in 2002. Dale Earnhardt’s death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 ended that plan. Harvick took over the renumbered No. 29 the following week at Rockingham, and three weeks after the funeral he won at Atlanta in his third Cup start, beating Jeff Gordon by 0.006 seconds.

The Closer He stayed at Richard Childress Racing for thirteen seasons, winning the 2007 Daytona 500 by 0.020 seconds over Mark Martin — the closest finish in the race since electronic scoring began — and building a reputation for late passes that produced the nickname. The other one, Happy Harvick, was meant ironically.

The No. 4 He moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and won the title that year, the first decided by NASCAR’s elimination playoff. Eight wins followed in 2018 and nine in 2020, when he took the regular season championship but went out in the playoffs. He retired after the 2023 season with 826 starts, and joined FOX Sports as a broadcaster.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Kevin Harvick

Chapter 01

The Seat Nobody Wanted

Richard Childress had a plan for him: the Busch Series full time in 2001, up to seven Cup races on the side, a full Cup season in 2002. Dale Earnhardt died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 and the plan went with him. Harvick was in the car the following week at Rockingham, the number changed from 3 to 29 and the Goodwrench paint left as it was. Three weeks later, at Atlanta, he beat Jeff Gordon to the line by six thousandths of a second for his first Cup win, in his third start, then drove the wrong way round the circuit with three fingers held out of the window.

Kevin Harvick's number 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo in white and black, on display at the Richard Childress Racing Museum. No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet · RCR Museum Photo: Kevin Harvick's No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet (RCR Museum) by Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized) · licence
Chapter 02

The Closer

He stayed thirteen seasons at Richard Childress Racing. The 2007 Daytona 500 came down to a green-white-chequered restart and a pass on the last lap, taken by 0.020 seconds from Mark Martin — the closest finish in the race since electronic scoring began in 1993. Enough of his wins arrived that way, from a long way back and late, that the nickname stuck. The other one, Happy Harvick, was applied ironically to a driver with a temper, and his pit board carried a smiley face in reply.

Kevin Harvick's yellow and red number 29 Pennzoil Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the car in which he won the 2007 Daytona 500, on museum display. 2007 Daytona 500 winner · No. 29 Pennzoil Chevrolet Photo: Kevin Harvick's 2007 Daytona 500-winning No. 29 Pennzoil Chevrolet by Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized) · licence
Chapter 03

The No. 4

He left for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, took the number 4, and won the championship in the first season NASCAR decided it by elimination. The best years came after: eight wins and 23 top fives in 2018, then nine wins in 2020, including a sweep of the Michigan doubleheader that no driver had managed on back-to-back days since Richard Petty in 1971. That year he also won the regular season championship and was still eliminated before the final round. He retired after 2023 with 826 starts, moved to the FOX Sports booth, and was voted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Kevin Harvick's number 4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet covered in confetti in victory lane, with the race team posed behind the car. Victory lane in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet · 2014 Photo: Kevin Harvick in victory lane, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet (2014) by Winston1085 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Kevin Harvick Career Timeline: 1975–Present

Born in Bakersfield

Kevin Michael Harvick is born on 8 December in Bakersfield, California, and starts racing karts at five.

Winston West Champion

Takes the NASCAR Winston West Series title, three years after being its Southwest Series rookie of the year.

Busch Series

Runs a full Busch Series season for Richard Childress Racing and is named rookie of the year.

The No. 29

Dale Earnhardt dies at Daytona. Harvick takes the seat at Rockingham the following week and wins at Atlanta in his third start.

Two Trophies

Cup Series Rookie of the Year and the Busch Series championship in the same season, the first driver to manage it.

Second Busch Title

A second Busch championship, five Cup wins and fourth in the standings.

Daytona 500

Wins the 500 by 0.020 seconds over Mark Martin on a green-white-chequered finish.

Stewart-Haas

Moves to the No. 4 and wins the Cup Series title in the first year of the elimination playoff.

Eight Wins

His best season for victories at the time, and third in the championship.

Nine Wins

The regular season championship, a fiftieth career win, and elimination before the final round.

Last Win

Wins at Richmond in September, his sixtieth and final Cup victory.

Retirement

Finishes seventh at Phoenix in his last race and joins FOX Sports as a broadcaster.

Hall of Fame

Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on 22 January, alongside Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips.

By the Numbers

Kevin Harvick Cup Series Record, Season by Season

Kevin Harvick season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, top 5, top 10 and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Top 5 Top 10 Pos.
2001 Richard Childress Racing 2 0 6 16 9
2002 Richard Childress Racing 1 1 5 8 21
2003 Richard Childress Racing 1 1 11 18 5
2004 Richard Childress Racing 0 0 5 14 14
2005 Richard Childress Racing 1 2 3 10 14
2006 Richard Childress Racing 5 1 15 20 4
2007 Richard Childress Racing 1 0 4 15 10
2008 Richard Childress Racing 0 0 7 19 4
2009 Richard Childress Racing 0 0 5 9 19
2010 Richard Childress Racing 3 0 16 26 3
2011 Richard Childress Racing 4 0 9 19 3
2012 Richard Childress Racing 1 0 5 14 8
2013 Richard Childress Racing 4 1 9 21 3
2014 Stewart-Haas Racing 5 8 14 20 1
2015 Stewart-Haas Racing 3 1 23 28 2
2016 Stewart-Haas Racing 4 2 17 27 8
2017 Stewart-Haas Racing 2 4 14 23 3
2018 Stewart-Haas Racing 8 4 23 29 3
2019 Stewart-Haas Racing 4 6 15 26 3
2020 Stewart-Haas Racing 9 0 20 27 5
2021 Stewart-Haas Racing 0 0 10 24 5
2022 Stewart-Haas Racing 2 0 9 17 15
2023 Stewart-Haas Racing 0 0 6 14 13

The championship season is highlighted. Career totals: 60 wins · 31 poles · 251 top fives · 444 top tens from 826 starts across 23 full seasons, which is what this table sums to. Sixty wins is the eleventh-highest total in Cup Series history. The poles column counts only those earned on qualifying time, which is the figure NASCAR records; he started from the front a further fourteen times on positions awarded by points or practice, most of them in 2016 and 2020. Points are not comparable across the table, as NASCAR changed its scoring system twice in this period and introduced the elimination playoff in 2014. Not shown here: 47 wins and two championships in the Busch and Xfinity Series, and 14 in the Truck Series. Figures verified 15 August 2026.

Kevin Harvick in his own words

In His Own Words
All I can say is this one is for Dale… I think somebody was watching over us.
Kevin Harvick · in victory lane at Atlanta, March 2001
Frequently Asked

Kevin Harvick: Frequently Asked Questions

How many races did Kevin Harvick win?

Sixty in the Cup Series, from 826 starts across 23 seasons — the eleventh-highest total in the sport's history. He also won 47 races and two championships in the Busch and Xfinity Series and 14 in the Truck Series.

Why did Kevin Harvick take over Dale Earnhardt's car?

Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Harvick was already a Richard Childress Racing driver, running the Busch Series full time with a handful of Cup starts planned. Childress put him in the seat the following week at Rockingham, renumbered from 3 to 29 so that Earnhardt's number would not be raced.

What happened at Atlanta in 2001?

Three weeks after Earnhardt's death, in only his third Cup start, Harvick beat Jeff Gordon to the line by 0.006 seconds to win the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500. He then drove the wrong way round the circuit with three fingers held out of the window, in tribute to the number 3.

When did Kevin Harvick win the championship?

In 2014, his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing, and the first year NASCAR decided the title by elimination playoff. He won five races that season and took the championship at the finale at Homestead.

Why is Kevin Harvick called Happy?

Ironically. The nickname came from his temper, and his crew answered it by putting a smiley face on his pit board. His other nickname, The Closer, was meant literally, for a habit of taking wins late and from a long way back.

What was Kevin Harvick's best season?

By wins, 2020 — nine victories, the regular season championship, and his fiftieth career win at Darlington. He was still eliminated before the final round and finished fifth. By consistency, 2015: three wins, 23 top fives and 28 top tens from 36 starts, and runner-up in the championship.

When did Kevin Harvick retire?

At the end of the 2023 season. He announced it that January, made the playoffs without winning a race, and finished seventh at Phoenix in his final start. He joined FOX Sports as a NASCAR analyst.

Is Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR Hall of Fame?

Yes. He was voted in on the first ballot in May 2026, taking 46 of the 50 votes cast, and is inducted on 22 January 2027 alongside Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips.

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Kevin Harvick Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Kevin Harvick — Class of 2027 inductee · NASCAR Hall of Fame (official)
  2. Harvick officially named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027 · kevinharvick.com (official)
  3. kevinharvick.com — official site · Official
  4. Remembering Kevin Harvick's emotional 2001 win at Atlanta · Fox News, source of the pull quote
  5. Kevin Harvick selected to NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027 · NBC Sports
  6. First Ballot: Kevin Harvick voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame · FOX Sports
  7. Kevin Harvick dominates in Atlanta for 51st career Cup victory · ESPN
  8. Kevin Harvick · Wikipedia, season-by-season results
  9. Kevin Harvick (Q739092) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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