Very few drivers make it as big as Kevin Harvick in the world of stock car racing. The 2014 champion has amassed 60 wins throughout his long and glorious career in NASCAR’s elite-level racing series. However, that’s not solely why he is great. Here’s what other NASCAR stalwarts have to say why no other athlete will ever be like Kevin Harvick.
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Veteran racer Mark Martin said, “His legacy is winning. Winning when it didn’t look like it was going to be possible.” One such moment would probably be when Harvick snapped his 65-race winless streak last year by bagging his 59th career win at the Michigan International Speedway.
For Tony Stewart, however, Kevin Harvick is not just a racecar driver. He is a friend; a friend who cares a lot for his near and dear ones. Smoke said, “If you’re in his inner circle and you’re one of his friends, he truly cares about you and your well-being and what’s gonna make you happy and successful.”
Kevin Harvick’s legacy, which lasted for decades, started with him driving Dale Earnhardt’s RCR Chevy to victory lane, 22 days after the gruesome death of the Intimidator. Although the number on the car was not 3 and the color was not the iconic black, that race at Atlanta Motor Speedway marked the birth of another legend.
On that note, Richard Childress said, “Kevin Harvick, when he stepped into 29…doing the things that he did with that car that year, only Kevin Harvick could have pulled off what he did. I could not imagine where RCR would be today without what Kevin Harvick did for us.”
Reflecting on his 2014 Cup Series championship win, his then-crew chief Rodney Childers admitted, “Winning the championship was everything in our first season together. To win races together, to win a championship, the excitement of crossing that finish line was something that can never be replaced.”
Kevin Harvick shed light on the one thing that he wants in return
Kevin Harvick has always wanted just one thing for himself in return. And that is for his fans to remember him for the things that he has done.
“If I’m remembered, that’s good enough for me,” said Harvick. “As you go through your career you want to be able to do enough things where people will remember your name and pull your videos up and look at the records and just have some impact scattered over the record books and the sport.”
For the Closer, having the respect of his peers is what matters the most. He wants them to remember him as a competitive yet fair person, who also has a firm understanding of the sport.
