On February 18th, 2001, life changed completely for Dale Earnhardt Sr., Kevin Harvick, and Richard Childress Racing. The former passed away tragically during the Daytona 500 at the final lap of the final turn. While his fans and the team were shattered by this loss, it was time for someone to step up and replace him for the next 35 races. After all, the show must go on!

This is when Kevin Harvick came to the forefront and embarked on his Cup Series career journey. He went on to pace the tracks at Atlanta and achieved something monumental that remained etched in the hearts of fans forever. 

Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s team was emotional at Atlanta 

Richard Childress instated Kevin Harvick as the new driver of what had been Earnhardt’s No. 3 car. The car was consequently renumbered to 29. It was an enormous responsibility, not just to step into the seat of a legend but also to balance running full-time in both the Cup and Xfinity Series. Harvick edged out Jeff Gordon by just 0.006 seconds. He had put up a thrilling side-by-side battle to the checkered flag. As he crossed the line, Harvick held three fingers out the window. It was a tribute to the man whose legacy he was now carrying forward, and it remained his Atlanta win celebration for a long time.

Speaking of the environment surrounding him, Harvick said, “But that was a tight-knit group, and I was 25. Dale was, I think, 54 or 50 at the time, so his team was built around a 50-year-old man, not a 25-year-old kid. There was definitely a difference in the way that you looked at things. I didn’t want to disrespect that, though, because it wasn’t my team, and I had a lot of respect for the guys on the team and the situation.” When Harvick took over Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s car, the crew chief was Kevin Hamlin, and Bobby Hutchens, was the team manager. 

Kevin Harvick was a rising talent in NASCAR when the 2001 season began. Given his skills as a driver, he was regarded as a long-term prospect for Richard Childress Racing. At 25 years old, he had built a solid foundation in the sport, competing in 69 Truck Series races over five seasons. He had also rightfully earned the ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors in the 2000 Xfinity Series while driving for Childress. His steady progression made him a promising future Cup Series driver, though few expected how quickly his opportunity would arrive.

Harvick further added, “I didn’t want to disrespect the situation. I had been around the team, I did all the testing for the most part, except for Brickyard and Daytona. Those would probably be the only places that I didn’t test the three car. I had already done all the development work and the testing with that group of guys on that three cup car in 2000. So it wasn’t something that I had to learn—the people of the organization, the crew chief Kevin Hamlin, or the team members.”

Harvick continued to drive for Richard Childress Racing in 69 races across 40 weekends. This came to a total of 35 races in the Cup Series, 33 in Xfinity, and one in the Gander Outdoor Truck Series. Despite the challenges, Harvick performed whenever the team needed it. He secured Cup wins at Atlanta and Chicago, along with 4 additional top-five finishes and 10 more top-tens. Even after missing the Daytona 500, he finished ninth in the final Cup standings that year. His dominance in the Winston Cup series earned him the ‘Rookie of the Year’ honor in 2001. Outpacing generational talents like Kurt Busch and Casey Atwood, the boy from Bakersfield had cemented his name in the mind of fans.

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Harvick opens up on how feelings about Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports 

Ever since Kevin Harvick replaced the Intimidator, he had been quite fond of the Earnhardt family, especially Dale Earnhardt Jr.  But, it was not always a flowerbed. There was an exchange of words in 2017 between Junior and Harvick regarding driver salaries. Kevin Harvick went on his ‘Happy Hour’ podcast that Earnhardt Jr. had stunted the growth of NASCAR.

Dale Jr. came out at that time saying, “I found some of those comments hurtful. I still respect him as a champion and ambassador for the sport.” The air was cleared in 2021 when Harvick appeared on Dale Jr. Download and had a mature heart-to-heart conversation. He spoke about the aftermath of the comments, along with the realizations he had later. But, his recent comments have nothing to do with negativity for JR Motorsports, or the Co-owner of the team.

JR Motorsports recently made its long-awaited Cup Series debut this year. The move was long awaited especially after a year of success in the Xfinity Series. The team capped off the 2024 Xfinity season with a championship win, as Justin Allgaier claimed the title. Stepping up to the Cup Series, Allgaier piloted the #40 Chevrolet in the prestigious Daytona 500, securing an impressive ninth-place finish.

Speaking of how the team deserves to run more races in the Cup Series, Kevin Harvick said, “I want to see Junior Motorsports in the Cup Series. I think it’s good for our sport scene, Dale Jr. And I know Dale pretty well now. And seeing his enthusiasm showing up in the garage, walking with that car everywhere. He holds an immense amount of pride for stuff like that.”

Whether JR Motorsports will be running more races for the Cup Series schedule is not known as of now. However, they will certainly be on the lookout to win the Xfinity Series title yet again and establish themselves as the defending champion.