Birthday: Dec. 8, 1975
Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.
Kevin Harvick parlayed a kindergarten graduation gift into a big-time racing career -- one that now has him overseeing his own team.
During the 10 years that followed after his parents presented him with a go-kart in 1980 Harvick won seven national championships and two grand national championships.
While in high school, Harvick competed on a limited basis in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series, and upon completion in 1995 raced the circuit full time, earning rookie of the year honors.
Havick bypassed a college education in architecture to continue racing, moving to the Winston West Series. Two years later, in 1998, he won five races en route to becoming the Winston West champion.
By this time Harvick was already competing in the Craftsman Truck Series. He made his debut in 1995 and by '97 had recorded his first two top-10s. In '98 he posted three top-fives and five top-10s and followed that with six top-fives and 11 top-10s the next season.
His Craftsman Truck performance caught the attention of team owner Richard Childress, who decided to give Harvick a full-time Busch Series ride in 2000. Harvick recorded his first victory at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., and went on to win two more races. He finished with eight top-fives and 16 top-10s to finish third in the final point standings and win rookie of the year.
In 2001 Harvick won the Busch Series title, posting five victories, 20 top-fives and 24 top-10s in 33 races. But that season he would become known for something else.
Harvick made his Cup Series debut as man who replaced Dale Earnhardt following the Daytona 500 tragedy. Driving the No. 29 Chevrolet, Harvick finished 14th at Rockingham the following week.
Harvick drove the rest of the Cup schedule that year, winning his first race, at Atlanta, in just his third start. He finished the season with two victories, six top-fives and 16 top-10s to rank ninth in points.
Harvick became the first driver in NASCAR history to run full-time slates in both the Cup and Busch series, and the first to win Cup rookie of the year and the Bush title in the same season.
In 2002 Harvick posted his first victory as a driver/owner in the Craftsman Truck Series and now operates a Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Busch and Truck series. He is one of only two drivers to win at least two races in each of NASCAR's top three series.
He again won the Busch Series championship in 2006, this time dominating the series from start to finish. Harvick posted nine victories, 23 top-fives and 32 top-10s in 35 races to win the title by a record 824 points.
Harvick finished fourth in the Cup Series standings the same season, leaving him just shy of claiming both titles in the same year. |