After 100 victories across NASCAR’s series, Stewart-Haas Racing departed from NASCAR this year. The team lost several assets before scripting its eventual demise when Tony Stewart announced the bad news in May. One of those was definitely Kevin Harvick, who hung up his firesuit in 2023. The presence of the 60-time Cup race-winning champion in SHR was a blessing and one whose impact did not fade over time.

From the time Kevin Harvick ran his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in 1995 to his last Phoenix Cup Series run last year, his passion for racing was alive throughout like an undying flame. On the occasion of his retirement anniversary, let us take a deep dive into some statistics that prove Harvick is 4Ever a Champion.

Kevin Harvick’s jaw-dropping consistency

Well, that spark was visible right from the beginning of his career. Barely three years into his NASCAR debut, Kevin Harvick oozed gold – he won five races en route to the Winston West Series championship. Then in 2001, a dark cloud loomed over NASCAR as Dale Earnhardt Sr passed away during the Daytona 500. And the onus was on Harvick to wield the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet – and he did so remarkably, winning in Atlanta just three weeks after the Intimidator passed away. At the same time, Harvick ran the full NASCAR Busch Grand National Series (now Xfinity Series) schedule, winning the championship in just his second full season with five victories. Although his prime was otherworldly.

Kevin Harvick‘s prime came way later though. He collected 23 wins during his 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing, marked by a winless streak in 2004, 2008, and 2009. However, soon after he joined Tony Stewart’s fold, Harvick strapped up for a champion’s ride. The first year itself was overwhelmingly good – he clinched five victories and led 2,137 laps en route to the 2014 championship. After that, he was on a relentless streak, according to statistics posted by a NASCAR insider. “I always thought it was crazy that in the 13 full-time seasons (466 starts) before 2014 Kevin won 23 races, a 4.94% win percentage. In the following 252 races, 7 seasons, he won 35 times, a 13.89% win percentage.”

Indeed, 2014-2023, or the time that Kevin Harvick spent flying the Stewart-Haas Racing banner, was his best. Ironically, he even grew better as he grew older. Soon after winning the championship, Harvick and the No. 4 SHR Ford team did not hold back at all in 2015. He lived up to the hype and expectations, winning 3 races and leading 2,294 total laps overall. With 13 runner-up results, Harvick broke Bobby Allison’s modern-era record for the most second-place finishes in a season. This vibrant attitude stayed alive until his last season – Harvick clinched six top fives and 14 top 10s for SHR before bidding adieu.

However, Kevin Harvick’s best season was probably in 2020, when he bettered his godly championship year statistics.

Old is gold for Harvick

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Usually, age and maturity do not work marvels for athletes. Although motorsport athletes have a slight advantage due to minimal physical strain, even then their efficiency decreases. Kevin Harvick single-handedly reversed this narrative during his NASCAR Cup Series career. The No. 4 SHR team was on a hot streak in 2020. They started off with a Darlington victory, for which Harvick led a race-high 159 of the 293 laps. Then he won at six different tracks – Atlanta, Pocono, Indianapolis, Michigan, Dover, and Bristol. These included two crown jewel events and an elimination race – but that did not bother Harvick despite being 25 years into his NASCAR career. Despite such a stellar season, Harvick did not manage to compete in the championship 4 due to the elimination playoff format which saw him crash in the round of 8 after a collision with Kyle Busch wrecked both of their cars in Martinsville.

He wanted to accomplish a 10-win season – which if he had achieved, would have made him the first since Jimmie Johnson met the milestone in 2007. “Well, I love that it’s in the conversation of being the greatest season ever,” Harvick said then. “Because you look at the sport’s gurus that don’t know a lot about racing, they put these graphs up and talk about where your peak seasons are, where you’re good, where you’re bad. Where you’re good is where you have the best results, and fortunately for me, they’re coming right now.” Rodney Childers, the No. 4 crew chief, heaped praises on his team for weathering the virus-riddled year. “We’ve all learned a lot about ourselves this year, including me, and we’ve all learned to do things differently. We’ve learned to trust each other.” 

So Kevin Harvick is easily one of the greatest legends in NASCAR. We have crossed the threshold of his retirement anniversary, but his legacy will stay strong for years to come.