Kevin Harvick to retire from NASCAR as one of the sport’s 75 greatest drivers

2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a driver who is set to retire at the end of this season, Kevin Harvick is one of the best to have graced stock car racing.

The 47-year-old Bakersfield, California native not only has three championships in the nationwide series of the sport but also sits in second place on the list of current drivers with the most wins.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has 60 wins to his name, only two shy of Kyle Busch who leads the list. Commemorating his incredible achievements and the personality Harvick bought to the track every time he raced, the governing body has appropriately honored the #4 Ford Mustang driver.

Harvick has been added to NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers list, which has had significant meaning for drivers and fans alike.

'Happy Harvick' became the seventh currently active driver to have featured on the list, which includes names such as Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson.

The future Hall of Fame inductee's introduction to the sport came as a fill-in for arguably NASCAR's best and most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt.

Following Earnhardt's untimely death in 2001, Kevin Harvick was asked to fill in for 'The Intimidator' at Richard Childress Racing. Harvick did so by leaving his Xfinity Series title contention halfway through and managed to win only three races into his debut on the grand stage.

Kevin Harvick on his addition to NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers list

Speaking about his addition to the iconic list, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick commented on the achievement on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and said:

"I've been very fortunate to be in some good circumstances and be successful and win races as a hobby that turned into a job and then turned into a successful career. I'm glad I get to get my kids and family involved in that and just really appreciate all the people that I've been able to work with through the years."

Kevin Harvick will take to the Darlington Raceway this weekend as the sport prepares for its much-awaited throwback weekend. The #4 Ford Mustang driver will be seen sporting the yellow Sunny Delight paint scheme on his car, honoring his originally planned start in the Cup Series in 2001.

The Goodyear 400 goes live on Sunday, May 14, at 3:00 pm ET on FOX Sports (FS1).