5 NASCAR drivers feat. Kevin Harvick with the most playoff wins in history

Kevin Harvick stands near the top of NASCAR’s playoff record book. With 16 playoff wins, he trails only Jimmie Johnson for the most in history. The playoff format, introduced in 2004, changed how championships are decided. Looking at the numbers, five drivers have set themselves apart, and Harvick is one of them.

#5 Tony Stewart

• Playoff wins: 11
• Career wins: 49
• Championships: 3

Tony Stewart is the only driver to win championships under three different systems. He won in 2002, 2005, and 2011. His 2011 season was historic. Stewart won five races in the playoffs and took the title in a tiebreaker. He also became the first owner-driver to win a Cup championship since Alan Kulwicki.

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#4 Denny Hamlin

• Playoff wins: 13
• Career wins: 58
• Championships: 0

Denny Hamlin is one of the best drivers without a championship. He has 13 playoff wins and more than 700 career starts. Hamlin is known for strong playoff runs, often reaching the late rounds. He has won big races like the Southern 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Still, he has never been able to close out a season with a title.

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#3 Joey Logano

• Playoff wins: 15
• Career wins: 37
• Championships: 3

Joey Logano has earned the nickname of a playoff specialist. He often wins races that allow him to move forward in the knockout rounds. His three championships came in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Logano’s aggressive style makes him tough to beat when everything is on the line.

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#2 Kevin Harvick

• Playoff wins: 16
• Career wins: 60
• Championships: 1

Kevin Harvick ranks second on the list. He often came up big in playoff races and made the Championship 4 five times in six years. His biggest moment came in 2014, when he won at Homestead to clinch his only title. With 60 wins, Harvick is one of the top drivers in Cup history. He has won on nearly every track in the series.

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#1 Jimmie Johnson

• Playoff wins: 29
• Career wins: 83
• Championships: 7

Jimmie Johnson is the all-time leader in playoff wins. He has 29 victories in the postseason. Johnson also won seven championships, tying him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. From 2006 to 2010, he won five straight titles, a record no one has matched. His playoff success is the best in NASCAR history.

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When Richard Childress brought back Kevin Harvick’s first winning car

As Kevin Harvick prepared for his final year of full-time racing, Richard Childress Racing honored him with a special tribute at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Childress drove the same No. 29 Chevrolet that Harvick took to his first Cup Series win in 2001.

Kevin Harvick had joined RCR under difficult circumstances. After Dale Earnhardt’s death at the 2001 Daytona 500, Childress put Harvick in the No. 29 car. Just three races later, Harvick edged Jeff Gordon at Atlanta in a photo finish, winning his first Cup race. That race launched a career that would end with 60 wins and a 2014 championship.

For his last start at Atlanta, Childress brought the historic car out of the RCR Museum in Welcome, North Carolina. He paced the field with it before the race, giving fans a chance to see the car that marked the beginning of Harvick’s career. Speaking to EchoPark Speedway, Childress said,

“Kevin Harvick meant so much to RCR over the years and we want to congratulate him on a successful career in NASCAR. The No. 29 Chevrolet has a home at the RCR Museum in Welcome, North Carolina, but we know that this Chevy has history at Atlanta Motor Speedway and we’re looking forward to bringing it out to the track so that fans can see this historic car take one more lap around the track.”

Kevin Harvick started the race in sixth position but finished 30th. The result mattered less than the moment. The return of his first winning car was a reminder of where his career began and the impact he had on RCR and NASCAR as a whole.