Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is competing for his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
A NASCAR Cup Series title would be the second for Harvick and the third for SHR since its inception in 2009. SHR won the 2011 Cup Series championship with driver-owner Tony Stewart and Harvick won the team’s second title in 2014.
The following are some anecdotes regarding the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title contender.
- Harvick has eight driving titles in his 37 years of racing. They are as follows:
- 2014 NASCAR NASCAR Cup Series championship
- 2006 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship
- 2002 IROC Series championship
- 2001 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship
- 1998 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship
- 1993 Late Model Track championship at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California
- 1987 International Kart Federation National championship
- 1985 International Kart Federation National championship
- No. 4 team crew chief Rodney Childers scored his lone championship as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief in 2014 with Harvick.
- SHR co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas have two NASCAR Cup Series championships since joining forces in 2009.
- 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship with the No. 4 team of Harvick
- 2011 NASCAR Cup Series championship with the No. 14 team of Stewart
- Tony Stewart has 28 overall championships as a car owner.
- 2 NASCAR Cup Series championships as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing:
- 2014 with Harvick
- 2011 as a driver/owner
- 9 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series championships as the owner of Tony Stewart Racing:
- 2018 with Donny Schatz
- 2017 with Schatz
- 2016 with Schatz
- 2015 with Schatz
- 2014 with Schatz
- 2012 with Schatz
- 2009 with Schatz
- 2008 with Schatz
- 2001 with Danny Lasoski
- 14 USAC championships as the owner of Tony Stewart Racing:
- 2013 USAC Sprint Car championship with Bryan Clauson
- 2013 USAC Silver Crown championship with Bobby East
- 2011 USAC Sprint Car championship with Levi Jones
- 2011 USAC Silver Crown championship with Jones
- 2010 USAC Sprint Car championship with Jones
- 2010 USAC Silver Crown championship with Jones
- 2008 USAC Sprint Car championship with Jones
- 2007 USAC Sprint Car championship with Jones
- 2006 USAC Sprint Car championship with Josh Wise
- 2005 USAC Silver Crown championship with J.J. Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
- 2004 USAC Silver Crown championship with Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
- 2003 USAC Sprint Car championship with Yeley
- 2003 USAC Silver Crown championship with Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
- 2002 USAC Silver Crown championship with Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
- 3 UMRA King of the TQ Midget Racing Series championships
- 2017 with Ron Combs
- 2015 with Combs
- 2005 with Combs
- 2 NASCAR Cup Series championships as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing:
ANECDOTES:
- If Harvick wins the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, he would become the 16th NASCAR Cup Series driver to win two or more championships since the sport was founded in 1948.
- Ford Motor Company is looking for its first NASCAR Cup Series championship since 2004 when SHR teammate Kurt Busch won with Roush-Fenway Racing.
- If Harvick wins the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, he would become the first driver since SHR co-owner Tony Stewart to win a NASCAR Cup Series title with two different manufacturers. Nine drivers have accomplished the feat.
- Tim Flock (1952 Hudson; 1955 Chrysler)
- Lee Petty (1954 Chrysler; 1958 Oldsmobile; 1959 Plymouth)
- Buck Baker (1956 Chrysler; 1957 Chevrolet)
- Ned Jarrett (1961 Chevrolet; 1965 Ford)
- Richard Petty (1964, 1967, 1971-1972 Plymouth; 1974-75 Dodge; 1979 Chevrolet)
- David Pearson (1966 Dodge; 1968-69 Ford)
- Cale Yarborough (1976-77 Chevrolet; 1978 Oldsmobile)
- Darrell Waltrip (1981-82 Buick; 1985 Chevrolet)
- Tony Stewart (2002 Pontiac; 2005, 2011 Chevrolet)
- If Harvick wins the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, he would deliver the ninth driver title to Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.
- Ned Jarrett (1965)
- David Pearson (1968, 1969)
- Bill Elliott (1988)
- Alan Kulwicki (1992)
- Dale Jarrett (1999)
- Matt Kenseth (2003)
- Kurt Busch (2004)
- If Harvick wins the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, he would become the first driver in NASCAR history to win multiple NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series titles. Harvick won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship and is a two-time Xfinity Series champion (2001 and 2006).
- Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Bobby Labonte and Brad Keselowski are the only drivers to earn both a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship and a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
- Harvick and Kyle Busch are the only drivers to make the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway four times in the five years since the inception of the winner-take-all format.
- Since joining forces in 2014, Harvick and crew chief Childers have combined to produce 22 victories, 19 poles, 90 top-five finishes and 126 top-10s; led 8,597 laps; and made the Championship 4 four times in the last five years. (They won the 2014 Cup Series title and finished runner-up to 2015 champion Kyle Busch. Their worst points finish is eighth in 2016.)
- Harvick’s eight wins this year is his highest single-season win total in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career dating back to 2001, a span of 18 years. His previous season-high for victories was five, earned twice (2006 and 2014).
- Harvick has led laps in 25 of the 35 NASCAR Cup Series races run thus far in 2018. He has led the most laps in eight races:
- Atlanta Motor Speedway in March (181)
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March (214)
- Dover (Del.) International Speedway in May (201)
- Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in June (89)
- Michigan International Speedway in June (49)
- Michigan International Speedway in August (108)
- Dover International Speedway in October (286)
- Texas Motor Speedway in November (177)
- Harvick led 73 laps in the most recent Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway near Phoenix to become just the 12th driver in Cup Series history – and only the third active driver – to surpass 13,000 laps led in his career.
- Harvick is only 68 laps away from tallying 2,000 laps led in 2018. If he does lead 68 or more laps at Homestead, it will be the third time in his career that Harvick has led 2,000 or more laps in a season – all of which will have come with SHR.
- Harvick scored a series-best 18 stage wins in 2018, eight more than his closest pursuer in this category, fellow Championship 4 competitor Kyle Busch.
- Harvick’s 22 top-five finishes in 2018 currently ranks as the second-best of his career. His single-season record is 23 top-fives, earned in 2015.
- Harvick’s 28 top-10 finishes in 2018 is currently tied for the most of his career. Harvick finished in the top-10 on 28 occasions in 2015.
- Harvick has scored eight playoff wins since coming to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. He is tied with fellow Championship 4 competitor Joey Logano. Next on the list are also Championship 4 drivers – Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., with six playoff wins apiece. Harvick’s playoff wins are as follows:
- Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (2014)
- ISM Raceway near Phoenix (2014)
- Homestead-Miami Speedway (2014)
- Dover International Speedway (2015)
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2016)
- Kansas Speedway (2016)
- Texas Motor Speedway (2017)
- Texas Motor Speedway (2018)
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