In 2001 something happened that changed Nascar forever. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was wrecked and killed in the last lap of the Daytona 500. Kevin Harvick replaced him for the rest of the year. It was nothing special at the time. Just that he was the replacement driver for the lost legend.

But three weeks later Harvick was leading in the last laps at Atlanta. He beat Jeff Gordon, who was already a three-time champion, by about an inch. Suddenly, it seemed that he might be more than a backup driver. He wasn’t the replacement of Dale Sr. anymore. He was Kevin Harvick, driver of the no. 29 Goodwrench Chevrolet.

Kevin would win dozens of races for Richard Childress Racing, including the 2009 Daytona 500. Again by about an inch. And from 2010 through 2013 he finished 3rd in the points three times. But, something was missing. A championship. Harvick had been close on several occasions, but he had never won. He wondered if RCR could win a championship.

So in 2013, an announcement was made. Harvick was leaving his no. 29 for the no. 4 of Stewart-Hass Racing. He would join his long time friend Tony Stewart there. However, he left RCR with a good result. a 3rd place in the points in 2013.

As soon as the 2014 season started, it became evident that Kevin and new crew chief Rodney Childers had good chemistry. Harvick won in just his second race with SHR. However, he had several problems. While he was the fastest driver on track, his team made several mistakes. Loose wheels, pit road mistakes, and they even left the weight bags in his car. What are weight bags? Good question, which I will answer when I know more. So to solve the problem, he switched crews with Tony Stewart. However, he kept his crew chief.

It did the trick. Entering the Chase that year Harvick had two wins. He went on to win three races in the Chase. His first was at Charlotte. Then, in a must win situation at Phoenix, he did just that. Then, in the winner take all last race of the year at Homestead, he claimed his fifth win of the season. And he won his first championship. In his first year with a new team. Wow.

Entering the 2015 season, he was on a streak of three straight top-two finishes. He would stretch that total to eight. That has not been accomplished since Richard “The King” Petty. Wow. And ever since he has been driving with amazing speed. Like he said himself, it is almost scary how well he is doing. With out a doubt we have a future Hall of Fame driver among us. And he is only improving. Kevin Harvick may be numbered among the greats of Nascar one day. Along side Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Davin Pearson, and Dale Earnhardt Sr. himself.