Harvick was once NASCAR’s punk kid. Now he’s molding its future

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2 years ago

May 1, 2023

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Apr 20, 2023

Here’s a real-life truth that no one understands until they find their lives standing squarely in the middle of that very truth. Being the wisest person in the room isn’t about being the smartest person in that space. It’s about being the person who has been in that room the longest. The one with the most experience. The owner of the largest scrapbook of memories and moments, and the lessons learned from both. Smart enough to appreciate it all.

“I think that’s a natural life progression, right?” said Kevin Harvick, who at 47 and now in his 23rd and final season in the NASCAR Cup Series finds that he is now, more often than not, that person in most every room of racers he’s standing in. He is the procurer of quite the collection of experiences and the wisdom that comes with them. “You know, life progression is hopefully maturing as you go through time. To be able to do things in a better way and learn from what you did before. So, every moment matters.”

This weekend will mark not simply one of those moments, but a genuine milestone in a career packed with them. Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be his 800th start at stock car racing’s highest level. In 75 years of NASCAR, only 10 drivers have hit that mark, and only four of them reached it at a younger age than Harvick. If he finishes out the season having started every race, he will retire with 826 Cup starts, eighth all-time. His 1,272 starts across all three NASCAR national series already ranks first. His 60 Cup Series wins rank 10th. His 62 second-place finishes rank sixth. His 258 top-five finishes rank … OK, you get the idea.

The complete list of Harvick’s all-time top-10 rankings would take up more space than this story has been given. Besides, you can read them all on his NASCAR Hall of Fame plaque when he is no doubt voted in on his first year of eligibility, now less than three years away.

Right now, he’s too busy trying to win a second Cup Series title to spend much time looking in the rearview mirror. More than a third of the way into the 26-race “regular season,” he sits third in the championship standings, only 15 points behind leader Christopher Bell. So yes, Harvick’s final career numbers have yet to be determined, but when every weekend presents another milestone or another rung climbed on all of those all-time lists, avoiding the topic of career summation is impossible — especially since the preseason announcement of his intention to retire at season’s end.

“I think honestly when we got to 60 [career wins] that that kind of put it in perspective,” Harvick confesses, speaking of his Richmond victory Aug. 14, 2022. “Really, for me, when you start hearing your competitors talking about it. I’ll never forget Cliff Daniels [crew chief at rival Hendrick Motorsports] walking up to me when I had my 750th consecutive start [this Feb. 26 at Auto Club Speedway], the things that he said that day really helped put it into perspective for me. Because when you gain the respect of your competitors on the racetrack, but also the people in the garage, that to me is really the rewarding part of the body of work.”

The earliest days of Harvick’s career — heck, the first decade of his career — weren’t filled with such praise from peers. Nor was he one to send cheer and good tidings in the direction of others in the paddock, whether they be the competition or even those with whom he worked. Just look at that consecutive starts streak. It currently sits at 757, third all-time, and should he finish out the season uninterrupted, it will end at 784, a scant 13 races short of Jeff Gordon‘s all-time iron man streak. The only reason he won’t own that record outright is because he missed the eighth race of 2002, his second season, parked by NASCAR at Martinsville Speedway for a tantrum thrown in a Truck Series race the day before.

That’s how Harvick rolled back then. Angry. He feuded with veterans such as Bobby Hamilton. He famously leaped off the roof of a Busch Series car onto the head of Greg Biffle during postrace interviews at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Thrust into a Cup ride earlier than planned, an into-the-deep-end experience that will never be replicated, pushed into NASCAR’s most famous ride because of the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500, Harvick impossibly won in only his third Cup start in The Intimidator’s Chevy, edging Gordon by .006 seconds at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Oh, and he also got married in the middle of those three races.

From there, the 20-something Californian raced with guard up and his fists clenched. In 13 seasons driving for Richard Childress Racing, he won 24 times, including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, but also endured three winless years and failed to win a championship. His increasingly heated in-race radio exchanges with Childress became must-hear entertainment for race fans seeking drama on a Sunday afternoon.

That’s how one earns the decidedly and deliberately ironic nickname “Happy.”

“We are both people who have no problem speaking our minds, even when we should keep those thoughts to ourselves, especially on the radio when everyone in the grandstands can hear us,” Childress recently said of those days, chuckling. “But that fire is also what you want in a race car driver. Sometimes that fire is going to burn some stuff down. And we did.”

“It was always just, you know, ‘He’s mad. He’s angry,'” Harvick recalled this week when looking back on his tumultuous tenure at RCR. “When I was driving the 29 car and you look back, I told Richard this, I said, ‘Man, I wish I could have done it this way. The way I do things now, with maturity, experience. You know, things might have been a little bit different.’ I would handle things a lot differently, how we did all of that. But, you know, everything just leads to the next step.”

The next step was the second half of that career and the next phase in his life as a man. He moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 to join friend and fellow anger-management student Tony Stewart and immediately won that long-elusive Cup Series championship. Harvick has added another 37 wins. He has gotten out of NASCAR team ownership, opting to expand his sports management business, and has shifted his focus toward being a father of two, with 10-year-old son Keelan now behind the wheel.

“It’s really been two different parts of my career,” Harvick replied when asked the impossible question of identifying the single most memorable moment among his first 799 Cup Series starts. “The announcement that you’re going to drive your first Cup race was bigger than any moment that you’ll ever have in your career. Then your first win was bigger than any win that you’re ever going to have. So, all of these things that you had to go through and face, the rest of it, that felt like a cakewalk to be honest, because you never had something that was that big again.”

This is year 10 at SHR, always behind the wheel of the same car and, against all known NASCAR natural laws, always with the same crew chief, Rodney Childers.

Racing towards his 800th Cup Series start. pic.twitter.com/jRLheajTfw

— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) April 18, 2023

“It all shifted in 2014 because everybody said, ‘OK, now is he going to be able to succeed at a new team and can he get along with people?’ And here we are 10 years later, with the same crew chief, same organization and a championship. You look at that Homestead win that won that championship, and that was a huge moment. The biggest moment in the second part of my career. It’s of comparable importance, but not really a comparable experience, to that very first win.”

That ability to compare experiences, moments and even eras, that is the gift of wisdom. The well-earned byproduct of an unparalleled multidecade career. In our youth, we all fall into the same trap that ensnared Harvick so many years ago: believing that we know more than we actually do. Only via the hindsight of experience does anyone truly understand the value of genuine perspective.

Say, the latest Next Gen race car.

The tide of praise for NASCAR’s 2022 one-size-fits-all machines officially began to turn last summer, when Harvick began speaking up with concerns about safety. After his playoffs started with a 33rd-place finish due to a fire in his Ford, he said on live television, “What a disaster for no reason. We didn’t touch the wall. We didn’t touch a car and here we are in the pits with a burned-up car and we can’t finish the race during the playoffs because of crappy-ass parts.”

Just this week, he responded to a tweet reporting that NASCAR teams believed parts for 2024 needed to be ordered now to head off supply chain issues, posting “1000 HP spec. Order it …”

“Honestly, the communication between the teams and NASCAR is as good as it’s ever been. The problem is that the process of making changes is just as slow as it’s ever been,” Harvick said when asked about his call for more horsepower. He also suggested quicker tire wear before adding, again, the kind of nuanced take that can only be informed via experience.

He recalled 2007, when the sanctioning body rolled out the so-called Car of Tomorrow. Like today’s Next Gen machines, the CoT was largely a spec car. Those who were around back then have mentioned the CoT a lot in the past year. It’s just that there are fewer and fewer around now who were also around then. Harvick, then at the height of his Happy days, is one of them.

“It’s the same process. It’s no different. We already went through this. With the CoT and whenever NASCAR has started changing rules,” he said. “In the very beginning nobody knows anything about the car, and once everybody figures out the car, things change. The style of racing changes. It always does. It always will. So, yeah, I think communication is there, but I think the process is as slow as it’s ever been, unfortunately, to be able to make changes because of how much red tape there is to jump through because the teams aren’t in charge of the cars.”

Call him Happy, call him The Closer, call him old man, whatever you want, Harvick’s opinions are no less pointed than they’ve ever been. His intensity is the same now as it was 799 Cup starts ago. These days he simply yells less. He keeps his volume knob somewhere in the middle instead of breaking it off to be stuck at 11. But now the kid whom every veteran of the Cup Series garage used to either bash or avoid altogether has become the veteran whom today’s kids seek out for advice and a point of view that could only come from a racer who started his career in a world sponsored by cigarettes, racing against men who have already been enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

You know, wisdom.

“I think at that particular time, starting out, you really don’t even know what that means, right?” Harvick said. “But I’ve been here for so long, through so many generations of cars with so many people, I think putting that body of work together, that is for me very rewarding. Through the years, the ups and downs, we’ve always figured out how to get things going again and be able to be competitive and run upfront.

“I was just a kid going to the racetrack having a good time, driving whatever I could race just to get on the racetrack. Now, 800 Cup starts later, all these years later … that’s something you can be proud of.”

Sports

Angels’ Washington to miss remainder of season

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2 hours ago

June 28, 2025

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Angels' Washington to miss remainder of season

Alden GonzalezJun 27, 2025, 05:44 PM ET
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Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington will remain on medical leave for the rest of the season, the team announced Friday.

Bench coach Ray Montgomery will manage the team for what remains of 2025. Ryan Goins will serve as his bench coach going forward.

Washington, the oldest manager in the major leagues at 73, was placed on leave last Friday because of an undisclosed medical issue. He experienced shortness of breath and appeared fatigued toward the end of a four-game series at the New York Yankees that ended on June 19. Washington flew back to Southern California, underwent a series of tests and was placed on medical leave.

A longtime third-base coach and well-regarded infield instructor, Washington served as the Texas Rangers‘ manager from 2007 to 2014.

He was in his second year managing the Angels.

The Angels were 40-40 entering Friday night’s game against the visiting Washington Nationals, winning three straight under Montgomery and seven of 10 overall. Los Angeles has played better than most expected from a team with major league-worst streaks of nine straight losing seasons and 10 straight non-playoff seasons.

The 55-year-old Montgomery is getting his first job as a major league manager. The native of New York’s Westchester County is a former Houston Astros outfielder who served as the scouting director for Arizona and Milwaukee before joining the Angels as their director of player personnel for the 2020 season.

Montgomery became Los Angeles’ bench coach in 2021 after general manager Perry Minasian took over the front office, and he stayed with the Angels while Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Washington managed the club.

Goins played eight seasons in the major leagues before Washington hired him as the Angels’ infield coach before the 2024 season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Sports

Martinez’s near no-hitter, Steer’s 3 HRs lift Reds

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2 hours ago

June 28, 2025

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Martinez's near no-hitter, Steer's 3 HRs lift Reds

Associated Press

Jun 27, 2025, 10:11 PM ET

CINCINNATI — Nick Martinez took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before allowing pinch hitter Elias Diaz‘s double and Spencer Steer hit three home runs, leading the Cincinnati Reds over the San Diego Padres 8-1 on Friday night.

Martinez (5-8) walked his third batter, Jackson Merrill, on a low full-count sinker, then retired 22 consecutive hitters before walking rookie Trenton Brooks starting the ninth. Diaz then drove an 0-1 changeup off the base of the wall in left-center on Martinez’s 112th and final pitch, which tied his career high.

A 34-year-old right-hander, Martinez struck out six as the Reds won for the fourth time in five games. He also threw 112 pitches for Texas against Boston on May 28, 2015.

Taylor Rogers walked a pair of batters, forcing in a run, before striking out Gavin Sheets.

Coming off a pair of relief appearances, Martinez made his first start since June 19. He entered with one complete game over 118 big league starts, an eight-inning effort in a loss at the Chicago Cubs last Sept. 27.

After Martinez allowed seven runs over 2⅔ innings against Minnesota, Reds manager Terry Francona suggested he make a relief appearance. Martinez threw two perfect innings at St. Louis two days later, and Martinez offered to making another bullpen outing to keep starter Brady Singer on turn. Martinez pitched a 1-2-3 innings against the Yankees on Monday.

Steer hit solo homers in the second and fourth innings off Dylan Cease (3-7), then a two-run drive against Yuki Matsui in a four-run fifth. Steer has nine home runs this season.

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NHL draft tracker: Scouting notes and team fits for every first-rounder

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5 hours ago

June 28, 2025

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NHL draft tracker: Scouting notes and team fits for every first-rounder

Rachel DoerrieJun 27, 2025, 07:56 PM ET
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The 2025 NHL draft is taking place on Friday (Round 1) and Saturday (Rounds 2-7) at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

This page will be your home for the entire event, as each pick is added below, including scouting notes and team fit analysis for the first-rounders.

More: Prospect rankings
Draft week buzz
Late-round gems
Needs for all 32 teams

Round 1

Team: Erie (OHL)
DOB: 09/05/2007 | Ht: 6-1.75 | Wt: 183 | Shot: L
2024-25 stats: GP: 17 | G: 7 | A: 15 | P: 22

Scouting notes: Schaefer is projected to become a true No. 1 cornerstone for years to come. A dynamic presence at both ends of the ice, he skates with ease and elite mobility to shut down opponents in all situations, while creating offense with quality transition play.

Executives and scouts view him as a future elite NHL defenseman and a foundational piece for a championship-caliber roster. Schaefer’s ability to control play from the blue line, play tough matchups, and run a power play — combined with the belief in his character and leadership — result in many believing that Schaefer has the tools to become a top-10 defender in the league, while wearing a letter as part of a team’s leadership group.

How he fits: After trading Noah Dobson earlier in the day, the Islanders drafted their franchise cornerstone defender. Schaefer does everything well, and is a dynamic skater with elite mobility. He will take on the toughest matchups, help the Islanders exit the zone with smooth passes and carry outs, and drive offense from the back end. He’s a future No. 1 defenseman who will log 25-28 minutes per night and run the power play.

Schaefer’s ability to dictate play from the back end is franchise-changing for the Isles. Schaefer will attend development camp next week, and it is highly likely he starts the season in the NHL lineup. Don’t be surprised if Schaefer is running the power play and logging major minutes by November.

A very emotional Schaefer hugged his family and pulled on the Isles jersey for the first time, with a cancer patch. Through tears, he shared his excitement and emotion, and gained the hearts of a lot more than just Isles fans.

Team: Saginaw (OHL)
DOB: 02/16/2007 | Ht: 6-0.75 | Wt: 184 | Shot: L
2024-25 stats: GP: 65 | G: 62 | A: 72 | P: 134

Scouting notes: Granted exceptional status in the OHL in 2022, Misa delivered one of the most remarkable goal-scoring seasons in recent memory in 2024-25, netting 62 goals in just 65 games. He projects to be a top-line forward capable of consistently exceeding 90 points per season in the NHL.

Misa’s offensive instincts are elite. He processes the game at a high level and executes at top speed. Scouts believe he is NHL-ready and has the potential to become an elite top-line center. Away from the puck, Misa excels at finding soft areas in coverage and has a flair for delivering in clutch moments. His combination of high-end playmaking and goal-scoring ability makes him a constant dual threat in the offensive zone.

How he fits: The Sharks kept everyone guessing until the very last moment, but ultimately selected Misa. He is a special talent and adds a second elite two-way center to the organization. He projects as a first-line star, with dual-threat playmaking and scoring ability — notching 62 goals in 65 OHL games.

If Misa’s two-way game continues to improve, there’s a real chance the Sharks will have two centers capable of dominating play in all three zones with 2024 No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini already in place. On the power play, Misa can facilitate, be a shooting threat and carry the puck on entries. Because of his dual-threat capabilities, he can play the bumper, the flank or down low. With this selection, the Sharks have the potential to feature the best one-two punch down the middle for years to come.

Team: Djurgarden (SWEDEN-2)
DOB: 05/07/2007 | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 198 | Shot: L
2024-25 stats: GP: 29 | G: 11 | A: 14 | P: 25

Scouting notes: Frondell is a versatile two-way forward that plays both center and right wing. His flexibility is attractive to teams, although many believe he is most likely to reach his potential as a winger in the NHL.

Frondell is coming off one of the most productive seasons by an under-18 player in Allsvenskan history, giving him a confident projection as a first-line NHL forward. He’s a cerebral player, who picks apart defenders in one-on-one situations and defensive coverage in offensive zone play. The details of Frondell’s game are translatable, including excellent forechecking ability, willingness to attack the middle of the ice and high-end anticipation on both sides of the puck.

He has shown play-driving capabilities against men in the Allsvenskan, which has translated to the NHL for other prospects in the past. He’s projected to produce between 75-85 points per season. His style of play translates well and has executives excited about his ability to step in the league in the next 18 months.

How he fits: It was no secret that Chicago wanted to add some size up front, and Frondell is exactly that. He can play center or the wing, and brings an excellent two-way game. He confidently projects as a first-line forward that beats defenders one-on-one, drives play on both sides of the puck, and should score nearly a point per game.

He plays on the inside of the ice and has the ability to score 30-plus goals in the NHL because of his excellent shot. Frondell is a year away from playing in the NHL, and probably two or three from hitting his potential as a top-line forward who drives play. Chicago can play him behind Connor Bedard up the middle, or on Bedard’s line to capitalize on the versatility he brings.

Team: Moncton (QMJHL)
DOB: 04/11/2007 | Ht: 6-1.5 | Wt: 178 | Shot: L
2024-25 stats: GP: 56 | G: 35 | A: 49 | P: 84

Scouting notes: Described as a “coach’s dream” because of his ability to take an offensive or checking assignment and execute consistently. He makes smart, simple plays, provides a physical presence on the forecheck and generally agitates and makes life difficult on defenders.

He projects to be a quality second-line center with a decent chance of becoming a first-line player. He’s cerebral, with quick hands and playmaking ability. He’s not flashy, but he’s consistently effective and makes intelligent plays with the puck. As one scouting director described “he’s the type of player you win with.” Some have quietly compared him to Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews, who are lofty comparisons, to say the very least.

How he fits: The Mammoth kept everyone guessing, would they trade or keep the pick. Ultimately, they kept the pick and selected Desnoyers. He can play in any situation as one of the best two-way players available. He’s a serial winner who plays whatever style of game required to win. If he needs to produce offense, he does. If he needs to shut down the opponent’s best, he does that too.

Utah needed some size and two-way capability to mesh with Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther, and Caleb Desnoyers is exactly that. He’ll be NHL-ready a lot sooner than people think because his professional details are top-notch. He projects as a play-driving, two-way, second line center that the Mammoth will turn to in key situations. As noted above, there’s a lot of Jonathan Toews in Desnoyers’ game, which will excite Mammoth fans, management and coaches.

Team: Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
DOB: 03/16/2007 | Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 178 | Shot: R
2024-25 stats: GP: 57 | G: 33 | A: 39 | P: 72

Scouting notes: A Swiss Army knife type of player who will be most effective on the wing because of his strong wall play, Martin projects as a middle-six forward capable of scoring 20 goals routinely, with upside as a second-line forward.

He’s a wrecking ball that will bring value in all three zones, on and off the puck. Martin has scouts raving about him after an excellent performance at the IIHF under-18 championship, with many opining that he could go very early in the first round. He’s a workhorse without an off switch, who brings a blend of physicality and hard skill. He’s a nightmare to contain with his brute strength, and forces defenders into precarious positions with good speed and willingness to make “winning” plays.

Several teams mentioned how impressive Martin was during interviews at the combine. Combine an attractive personality with the hard-nosed style, and it forms a rare combination that is valuable to many scouts who believe he’s the type of player teams need to win in the playoffs. Surely, his mention of Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett as a role model grabbed attention.

6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. Boston Bruins
8. Seattle Kraken
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Anaheim Ducks
11. Pittsburgh Penguins
12. Pittsburgh Penguins (from NYR)
13. Detroit Red Wings
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
15. Vancouver Canucks
16. New York Islanders (from CGY via MTL)
17. New York Islanders (from MTL)
18. Calgary Flames (from NJ)
19. St. Louis Blues
20. Columbus Blue Jackets (from MIN)
21. Ottawa Senators
22. Philadelphia Flyers (from COL)
23. Nashville Predators (from TB)
24. Los Angeles Kings
25. Chicago Blackhawks (from TOR)
26. Nashville Predators (from VGK via SJ)
27. Washington Capitals
28. Winnipeg Jets
29. Carolina Hurricanes
30. San Jose Sharks (from DAL)
31. Philadelphia Flyers (from EDM)
32. Calgary Flames (from FLA)