Kevin Harvick

About Kevin Harvick

Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975 in Bakersfield, California) is an American race car driver and car owner, competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup for Richard Childress Racing, driving the #29 Shell Pennzoil car. Harvick also drives part-time in the Nationwide Series in the #33 Camping World Chevrolet; and the Craftsman Truck Series, where he drives trucks that his own team, Kevin Harvick Inc. fields. Kevin Harvick Inc. own the #2 and #33 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado's in the Craftsman Truck Series, as well as the #33 Camping World and #77 Dollar General Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series in partnership with Richard Childress Racing.

Harvick began racing in karting after his parents Mike and JoNell bought him a go-kart as a kindergarten graduation gift in 1980. His father would make a minor change on the race car he was racing and would not tell the young Harvick what it was. It taught Harvick to be ready for anything. Soon after Harvick became a highly successful driver on the go-kart circuit. He started part-time racing in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in 1992 and competed while completing high school. Always the competitor, when not racing in the winter months Harvick competed on his high school wrestling team at North High School in Oildale. He won a section title in his weight class his senior year. He then graduated and became a full-time driver and earned the honor of Rookie of the Year in 1995.

He then moved up to the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series in 1997, and in 1998 became champion of that series while driving for Spears Motorsports. He received his first national exposure during the winter of 1997/1998 on ESPN2's coverage of the NASCAR Winter Heat series at Tucson Raceway Park.