Kevin Harvick received a go-kart for kindergarten graduation, and with aspirations of one day being a Cup Series champion, he achieved that goal in 2014 at the age of 38. 

Starting his career on the local tracks in California, Harvick moved through the ranks of karting before making the move to full-bodied stock cars in 1992 and adding track champion to his resume at his home track, Mesa Marin Speedway, in 1993. 

Following his high school graduation, Harvick pursued racing full time and competed in the Southwest Tour in 1995, earning Rookie of the Year. That same year, Harvick made his first Truck Series start on October 15, 1995, at Mesa Marin Speedway. Over the next few years, Harvick competed in a limited number of Truck Series races while continuing to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (today known as the ARCA West Series). 

The 1998 season proved to be a stepping stone for Harvick who competed full time in the Truck Series for Spears Motorsports and full time in the West Series where he won five races and the series championship. 

Following his second full season in the Truck Series in 1999, Harvick landed on team owner Richard Childress’ radar and was signed to Richard Childress Racing (RCR) to pilot the No. 2 car in the Xfinity Series beginning with the 2000 season. That season Harvick won three races and finished third in the championship standings while being named Rookie of the Year. 

With the 2001 season set to be his second full season of Xfinity Series competition and scheduled to make seven Cup Series starts, Harvick’s entire trajectory was changed on February 18, 2001, when Dale Earnhardt lost his life on the final lap of the Daytona 500. In the following days, Childress called on Harvick to step up to the Cup Series full time and renumbered the famed No. 3 to the No. 29 and Harvick’s Cup Series career was set in motion and in the spotlight of the entire NASCAR world. 

Proving he was capable of his new role, Harvick won his first Cup Series race in just his third start, beating Jeff Gordon in a close battle on the final lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 11, 2001. With a full slate of double duty racing, Harvick scored a second win that season and earned the Cup Series Rookie of the Year title while winning five Xfinity Series races and his first Xfinity Series championship. 

Following a standout year in 2001, Harvick was selected to compete in the four-race International Race of Champions (IROC) series, where he earned a win at Auto Club Speedway and on the reigns of four top-10 finishes, earned the series championship. 

Over the next 11 seasons with RCR, Harvick continued to be a contender for not only race wins, but championships. 

Adding to his standout career, Harvick became the first driver to win the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the pole starting position in 2003, a feat he accomplished again in 2019, and followed up with his third Brickyard 400 in 2020. In 2006, Harvick earned his second Xfinity Series championship while having a career year in the Cup Series with five wins and a fourth-place finish in the championship standings. 

Harvick kicked off 2007 winning the season-opening, Daytona 500 and later that year, earned his first All-Star victory to take home the $1 million prize. 

The 2010 season showcased Harvick leading the Cup Series standings for 20 weeks and battling for the championship in the series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Coming up shy of his first Cup Series title, Harvick finished the season third in the point standings. The following season, Harvick repeated his strong performance with another battle in the championship and again finished third at the end of the season. 

In 2013, Harvick announced he would leave RCR at the end of the year, but that did not deter Harvick from his on-track goals. Throughout the season, Harvick earned four wins and contended for the series title before finishing third in the Cup Series point standings. 

The 2014 season ushered in a new era for Harvick as he moved from RCR to Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) where he would remain for the final 10 seasons of his career. 

Wasting no time, Harvick won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship in just his first season with SHR and looked to repeat his title run in 2015 before coming up one position short and finishing second in the point standings. 

Continuing to break records on the track and have standout seasons, Harvick had one of the best seasons of his career in 2020 when he won nine races and earned the regular season championship. During the season, he made his 700th career Cup Series start and, in that same race, surpassed 200,000 laps completed in his Cup Series career. 

Choosing to make the 2023 season his last season of full-time competition, Harvick ended his Cup Series career with 60 wins, 251 top-five finishes, 444 top-10 finishes, 31 pole positions and 16,058 laps led.

The 2024 season saw Harvick trade one suit for another as he transitioned to the FOX TV booth full time covering the NASCAR Cup Series and joined the podcast world with “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.” 

In addition to his Cup career, Harvick and his wife DeLana co-owned their own Truck and Xfinity Series team, Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), from 2001 to 2011. During the 10-year run, KHI earned two Truck Series Driver championships with NASCAR Hall of Famer, Ron Hornaday Jr., one Truck Series Owner championship, 43 Truck Series wins and 10 Xfinity Series victories. Following a 12-year hiatus, KHI returned to competition in 2023 and in 2024, transitioned back to full-time racing with Late Model competition. 

Off the track, Harvick and his wife DeLana established the Kevin Harvick Foundation in 2010 to support programs that positively enrich the lives of children throughout the United States. 

Harvick resides in Charlotte, N.C. with his wife DeLana and his two children, Keelan Paul and Piper Grace.