NASCAR’s Kevin Harvick – From Kid to Superstar
Kevin Harvick’s love of the sport is said to have started in 1980 when his parents gave him a go-kart after he graduated from kindergarten. He was born as Kevin Michael Harvick on December 8, 1975 in Bakersfield, California. His father, Mike Harvick, would sometimes apply modifications to his little son’s kart, which taught young Harvick to always be prepared for any situation. Young Harvick won seven national championships and two grand national championships in karting. It was during that time that the racer, Kevin Harvick, trained for his upcoming battles on the racetrack.
Harvick began racing part-time in NASCAR AutoZone’s elite division while still in high school in 1992. As aggressive on the racetracks as he is, Harvick would spend his off-season time on the North High wrestling team. School. in Oildale. He also managed to win in his weight class during his senior year. Once he graduated from high school, Harvick became a full-time driver, earning Rookie of the Year in 1995. Although interested in architecture, Harvick decided racing was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. his life. his life and thing about studying architecture.
He moved on to NASCAR’s Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series in 1997 and was crowned champion the following year. He then debuted in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1995 with a best finish of 11th. He entered full-time in 1996 with three top-five finishes and 17th in points. Harvick then began competing in the Busch Series in 1999. Although he started 24th, he suffered an engine failure and only managed to finish 42nd. In 2000, he joined forces with legend Richard Childress. Harvick won NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year and was able to post three wins, eight top-five finishes and an impressive 16 top-ten finishes. He also won at the Carquest Auto Parts 250, Bristol Motor Speedway and at Memphis Motorsports Park.
The following year he had five wins, twenty top-five finishes and 24 top-ten finishes. He also brought back the NASCAR Busch Series Championship. It was the same year that Harvick won two Winston Cups, 20 top-five finishes and five wins. He was awarded Rookie of the Year with 9th place in points. The same year he married his best friend, DeLana Linville. He also became the first NASCAR driver to race full-time in both the Busch Cup and Winston Cup Series, which had a total of 70 races in one season. He and surprisingly the first to hold the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year title and the Busch Series Championship.
Since then Harvick has had more wins and his most fruitful year was 2006 where he won his second Busch Series Championship with nine wins, 23 top fives and 32 top tens. His win at Busch was the earliest ever in Busch history, as he managed to do it with four more races waiting to get off the ground. He had a record number of 824 points during the final classification. He also won the Winston Cup at Watkins Glen International. In 2007, he won the Orbitz 300, which was the first time in his career in a race with restrictor plates early in the season. He also won the Camping World 200 and the NAPA Auto Parts 200. He re-entered the record books when he became the winningest driver in NBS at Texas Motor Speedway.
His incredible resume doesn’t stop there as he has won several more races. It would be an understatement to say that there will be a lot in store for this ferocious driver.