Kevin Harvick announced he will retire after 2023 NASCAR season marking the end of his 22 year run in Cup with 60 career wins to this date and a NASCAR cup championship. Since his Cup debut in 2001 he had many memorable moments. My favorite moment of him when he won his first career NASCAR cup race.
Before the first race of 2001 season his driving schedule was driving a full season in Busch (now Xfinity) series as well 5 races in Winston Cup for Richard Childress. All that changed after the first race of the season when Dale Earnhardt tragically killed in the final lap of Daytona 500. His Cup season when from 5 races to full time as well doing double duty in the Busch series. He had a difficult task being the driver to replace the Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing. Can RCR car win a Cup race without Dale? They have won exhibition races without Dale, but no official Cup victory.
When Kevin Harvick took the track for very first time in a Cup car it was at Rockingham driving a white renumbered no. 29 GM Goodwrench sponsor car. He ran a respectable 14th place finish in his first race. The next race at Las Vegas he finished 8th after starting the race in 20th. At Atlanta, he qualified 5th and would muscle his way to the lead at lap 7 leading for 12 laps. He remained in the top 10 throughout the race while Jeff Gordon, Dave Blaney, Dale Jarrett, and Jerry Nadeau swapped leads. Then came final 22 laps as one of best battles for the lead down to the checkers. Nadeau lead the field to the green flag after 4 lap caution flag stint. Behind him is Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jeff Gordon. Nadeau and Jarrett ran 1-2 while Harvick, Earnhardt Jr, and Gordon held back til 10 to go. Harvick made his charge toward Jarrett along with the two behind him. Jarrett would take the lead from Nadeau for a lap then Harvick from 3rd slipped past both Jarrett and Nadeau going three wide and getting them at the line with 5 to go. Nadeau and Jarrett tires went away as Jeff Gordon charged past them. Dale Earnhardt Jr would suffer a blown right front ending his top 5 run and into the pits to change the tire. Harvick lead for the remaining laps holding off a charging Jeff Gordon. He barely beat him to the start/finish line on the lap side-by-side to take his first career victory also the first for RCR since Dale Earnhardt died. Even when I watch the finish to this day I still lose it in happy tears. It was a sign things will be okay for RCR. Dale Earnhardt can never be replaced. There are hungry drivers that will take to the track. Even I don't watch or follow NASCAR that much I still respect Kevin Harvick through the years driving the 29 car for RCR to the 4 car at Stewart-Haas Racing. He's always in contention for a victory during the season. Thank you Kevin Harvick for those moments.
