NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick reflects on his last hurrah at “one of his favorite places” this weekend

NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick and Kansas Speedway share a deep-rooted history. Kevin Harvick is set to bid farewell to what he affectionately calls "one of his favorite places" - the Kansas Speedway this weekend.

At the age of 25, Harvick was suddenly thrust into the national spotlight, tasked with the daunting challenge of filling the void left by the passing of the iconic Dale Earnhardt, who tragically lost his life in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500.

Kevin Harvick went on to carve out a Hall of Fame-worthy career, amassing an impressive 60 Cup Series victories over the next 23 years, securing his place as the 10th all-time leader in wins, and clinching the 2014 Cup Series championship.

Notably, a significant portion of his triumphs unfolded at Kansas Speedway, a track that made its debut during his monumental rookie year in 2001.

According to Kansascity.com, Kevin Harvick said:

"There wasn’t anything but a highway and a racetrack when I visited Kansas Speedway for the first time,” Harvick reflected. “I was there before the track was done. It was a big year in my career, but also, a lot was going on in the changing landscape of our sport from a standpoint of racetracks."

You look at it now, and it’s one of my favorite places to go, because not only the racetrack facility and the casino, the restaurants, and all the things you can do in such proximity is amazing to see where it started.”

2001 marked a series of firsts for both Harvick and the gleaming new racecourse, which soon became a prominent fixture on the NASCAR calendar, rejuvenating the landscape of western Wyandotte County.

As a remarkable footnote, Kevin Harvick is the sole driver to have participated in all 35 Cup races at Kansas Speedway.

Announcing his retirement at the outset of this season, the 47-year-old Harvick is poised to transition into a new role as a race analyst for Fox Television in 2024.

Kevin Harvick's career milestones at Kansas Speedway

Harvick stands among an elite group of four drivers who have triumphed in three Cup races at Kansas, boasting an impressive five second-place finishes and a remarkable 949 laps led, a record unmatched by any other competitor.

Harvick said:

"It’s been a good racetrack for us through the years,” said Harvick, in his 10th year driving the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing after 13 seasons with Richard Childress Racing."

“The results have been good, and we hope the results are good when we come back. We’ve been through a couple of tracks and configurations. You have those places that work for you, where things work out more often than not.”

Kevin Harvick's unwavering determination yielded impressive results, evident in his statistics. He boasts an unmatched record of 1,290 starts across NASCAR's premier series, including Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks, which stands as the highest total in history.

This surpasses the second-place holder, Kyle Busch, by 85 starts, as Busch has 1,205 under his belt. Harvick's remarkable 121 victories across NASCAR's top-three series place him third in the all-time rankings, trailing only behind the likes of Busch (229) and Richard Petty (200).

Additionally, his remarkable streak of 775 consecutive Cup starts ranks him third in history, following Jeff Gordon (797) and Ricky Rudd (788).

As Harvick embarks on his final race at Kansas Speedway, his storied career and enduring legacy will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on the world of NASCAR.