When it comes to Daytona 500 finishes, Kevin Harvick’s 2007 duel to the stripe with Mark Martin is undoubtedly one of the best ever. Harvick won by 0.02s, the second-closest finish in the Great American Race’s history. Behind them, a huge wreck kicked off, leading to Clint Bowyer somersaulting across the finish line in flames. Thankfully, he clambered out unhurt.
This weekend, Harvick will start his last Daytona 500, as the analytical yet often-outspoken Californian retires from full-time racing to join Bowyer (a zany Kansan) in the TV booth at FOX Sports next year. And while Harvick went on to win a Cup title, and became a senior figure among the drivers, it’s that victory that he’ll be most remembered for.
“Racing against Mark Martin and beating one of the sport’s greats back to the finish line, that’s a moment in time that will always be special, not only in my career, but the sport, in general,” reflects Harvick. “I’d always heard that when you win the Daytona 500, it’ll be like no other race, and it really is.
“You win more money, and you’re always introduced as the Daytona 500 champion from that particular year. When you start the year off by winning the Daytona 500, your season’s pretty much made.”
And like all great victories, it had a major backstory…
Harvick entered the Cup level in its hottest seat – replacing Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing after the NASCAR legend was killed at the final corner of the 2001 Daytona 500. The #3 might have changed to #29, but Harvick – a Cup rookie at the time – was thrust into filling a void left by greatness.
“For me and my career, a lot of things happened backward, probably the opposite of the way they should have,” he says. “My first season in Cup, I ran every race but the Daytona 500 because of Dale Earnhardt’s death and replacing him in the car. Coming back to the Daytona 500 in 2002 was probably one of the bigger moments in my career just because of all the hype and anticipation from 2001.”
Harvick replaced Earnhardt at RCR in 2001 and almost immediately scored his first win at Atlanta in the re-numbered #29 Chevrolet
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
The hype was real, though: Harvick won his maiden Cup race in Atlanta just three weeks after Earnhardt’s death, repeating the feat later in the season at Chicagoland Speedway. He also won the Busch Series (now Nationwide) that year, in a mammoth 69-race season.
He started from the front row for…
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