NASCAR
Ranking the Top-10 Cup Victories for Kevin Harvick
Whether at Richard Childress Racing or Stewart-Haas, in a Chevrolet or a Ford, Kevin Harvick has won a lot. On the heels of the Bakersfield, California driver announcing his final full-time NASCAR season, let’s list his top-10 wins. These are limited to Cup Series victories for ‘The Closer,’ whose career started way back in 2001. There will be some honorable mentions as well. Do you have a favorite Kevin Harvick win? Say so in the comments or on Twitter.
10. 2001 Tropicana 400
The first race at a brand new Chicagoland Speedway, then-rookie Kevin Harvick was the dominant car. In what was only his second career win, Harvick led 113 laps in the No. 29 Chevrolet for RCR. Thanks to both of his 2001 victories, Harvick won Rookie of the Year by finishing a surprising ninth in points.
9. 2014 Bojangles Southern 500
Harvick’s first trip to Darlington victory lane, the 2014 Southern 500 was a statement night that defined 2014 for team 4. Starting on pole and leading a whopping 238 laps, Harvick took his second win of the young season in this crown jewel event. This night put the field on notice, as it was far from the last time the 4 was this lights-out quick in 2014.
8. 2011 Coca-Cola 600
Harvick broke the hearts of millions of fans on a May night in 2011, taking his first Coca-Cola 600 triumph. While Dale Earnhardt Jr. was scooting away on an overtime restart, the three-year winless fan favorite was also running out of gas. The 88 finally ran dry in turn four with the checkers in sight, allowing Harvick to sneak by for the win. This was the second time in six races where Harvick stole a win from Earnhardt, as Jr Nation had to wait another year for the winless streak to end.
7. 2003 Brickyard 400
Still very much a young driver and infrequent winner in 2003, Harvick stamped his name among NASCAR legends in August. The RCR Goodwrench team took the 10th Brickyard 400 win, Harvick’s first crown jewel victory. The 29 got by Matt Kenseth on a late restart and never looked back. While Harvick has been great at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the years since, he only won the two most recent Brickyard 400s, in 2019 and 2020. With 2021’s Indy race shifting to the road course, Harvick has also been one of the loudest voices calling for the Brickyard 400 to return.
6. 2015 AAA 400
After two mediocre results to start the 2015 Playoffs, Harvick’s back was against the wall entering the first elimination race at Dover. If the 4 wanted a chance to defend their 2014 championship, they had to win this race. Having never won before at Dover in 29 starts, the odds seemed against Harvick. Starting 15th did not instill much confidence either in the 4’s efforts. Despite all of this, Harvick put together one of the most clutch drives in the Playoff era, leading 355 of the 400 laps. This 2015 race was the first of three Dover wins so far for Harvick, as the Monster Mile became Happy’s playground.
5. 2014 Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500
Similar to what would occur in 2015, Harvick’s 2014 Round of 8 did not go as planned at all. A 33rd-place result at Martinsville and a runner-up at Texas still had Harvick in must-win territory at Phoenix. Winning the last two trips to the desert mile, Harvick would make it a three-peat, beating Jeff Gordon to the checkers and to the Championship 4. This race is more remembered for Ryan Newman punting Kyle Larson out of the way to eliminate Gordon, but is still a great walk-off win for the 4. If not for this Phoenix win, Harvick would not have been 2014 champion.
4. 2020 The Real Heroes 400
Amidst the many unknowns of 2020, Kevin Harvick brought NASCAR back with a big win at Darlington. The Real Heroes 400 would be just the start of the 4 team’s winningest season yet, totaling nine victories. Harvick was as confused as anyone post-race with 0 fans in the stands. He would however heartily salute a South Carolina crowd again four months later with another win at the Southern 500. Only adding onto his legendary career accolades, Harvick will be remembered as the first NASCAR Cup Series winner after the COVID-19 pause.
3. 2007 Daytona 500
One of the most memorable finishes to The Great American Race, Kevin Harvick robbed another popular winner at the 2007 Daytona 500. As seemingly the entire field wrecked behind them, Harvick edged Mark Martin by a bumper to the checkered flag, taking his only win to date in NASCAR’s biggest race. This marked the second Daytona 500 win for RCR, also coming six years to the day after Dale Earnhardt’s death.
2. 2014 Ford EcoBoost 400
2014 saw the biggest change of Kevin Harvick’s career, moving from RCR to Stewart-Haas Racing. This transition payed off big, winning the 2014 championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the first year of the elimination-style Playoffs, Harvick won his way to the finale and won again to take the title. In classic ‘Closer’ fashion, Harvick’s fresher tires motored by Denny Hamlin with just nine laps left. 2014 was only the beginning of an unbelievable streak that has seen Harvick win 37 times and make five Championship 4 appearances. By far the biggest one of these wins in his Stewart-Haas era was the career-defining 2014 championship at Homestead.
Honorable Mentions:
Before revealing the top NASCAR Cup Series win for Kevin Harvick, a few do deserve honorable mentions. Here are four additional victories from ‘Happy’ that narrowly missed the cut for the top-10.
2010 Aaron’s 499
After his Daytona 500 triumph, Harvick endured the longest losing streak of his career. Over three years later at Talladega, the 29 was in position to pounce again on the last lap. After pushing Jamie McMurray clear of the pack, Harvick swung to the inside and just beat the 1 to the flag. This marked the 29’s first trip to victory lane in 115 races.
2011 Auto Club 400
At his home track, Harvick put on a finish for the ages in 2011. Five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson appeared to have another win well in hand, until the 29 filled his mirror at the white flag. Rim-riding in turns three and four, Harvick got the better of the 48. Despite his nickname ‘The Closer,’ this is the only win where Harvick just led the last lap.
2016 Good Sam 500
In the 11-year span from 2006 to 2016, Harvick won an all-time record nine times at Phoenix Raceway. None of these victories came in more thrilling fashion than 2016’s spring race though. In a beating and banging finish, the 4 beat the 19 of Carl Edwards by 0.01 second, just inching ahead at the line. The desert dominator reigned supreme again in this classic finish.
2019 Foxwood Resort Casino 301
Going 0-19 to open the 2019 season, Harvick was not going to be denied at New Hampshire. In a contact-filled last lap with Denny Hamlin, the 4 won the battle. This marked the first of four wins for Harvick in 2019, as both he and Hamlin made the Championship 4 that season.
1. 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500
For the career of Kevin Harvick, no win has been as big or as meaningful as the first one. In only his third Cup start, Harvick’s 29 held off Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 in an Atlanta photo-finish. This marked two-straight wins here for RCR, as Dale Earnhardt had won this race in similar fashion a year ago. Harvick saluted the fans post-race by holding up three fingers in a Polish Victory Lap, a feat he’s repeated twice in Atlanta. With the entire sport still hurting from Earnhardt’s passing, Harvick showed that RCR had its new guy to lead them to future success.
With these above listed moments just being the tip of the iceberg, Kevin Harvick is for sure a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Can Harvick add to his win column and perhaps this list in his final season? The 4’s first chance for another win will be the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 5, followed by the 65th Daytona 500 on Feb. 19.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Patrick Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR
