Getty Kevin Harvick can tie Kurt Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series takes on Atlanta Motor Speedway for the first time in 2022 on March 20. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick can move up a historic leaderboard by leading 121 of the scheduled 325 laps.
The driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang is currently fifth all-time with 1,348 laps led at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is 120 behind David Pearson, who led 1,468 laps during his Cup Series career with four trips to Victory Lane. Cale Yarborough holds the all-time record with 3,307 laps led while Dale Earnhardt (2,655) and Richard Petty (1,867) round out the top three.
Harvick is the only active Cup Series driver in the top-10 on the laps-led leaderboard for Atlanta Motor Speedway. He joins some elite names in Bobby Labonte (10th), Tony Stewart (ninth), Bill Elliott (eighth), Bobby Allison (seventh), and Jeff Gordon (sixth).
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Harvick Has To Make Progress at Atlanta Motor Speedway
GettyKevin Harvick practices at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Harvick has not spent much time at the front of the pack during the 2022 Cup Series season. NASCAR credited him with one lap led during the Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway on February 27.
However, he turned in a strong performance overall at Phoenix Raceway on March 13 by securing points in all three stages and finishing sixth. He also matched a historic mark set by Petty and Earnhardt by posting his 18th consecutive top-10 finish at a single track.
Harvick can make moves up the leaderboard during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, but he will have to show signs of progress after one limited practice session. The driver of the No. 4 only turned in the 30th-fastest lap at 30.192 seconds and 183.625 mph. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., for comparison, topped the list at 29.708 seconds and 186.616 mph.
All of the Stewart-Haas Racing drivers will have to make moves during the 500-mile race considering that they were outside of the top 15 during practice. Harvick was 30th while Chase Briscoe was 26th. Aric Almirola had the 22nd-fastest time while Cole Custer was the fastest of the four-car organization at 18th.
Harvick Can Tie Another Champion
The race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will provide Harvick with the opportunity to move up multiple leaderboards. He can tie or pass Pearson’s mark for laps led while also potentially tying another champion in terms of wins.
Kurt Busch, the winner of the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart in 2021, has four trips to Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has the most among active drivers, but he is behind multiple other big names. Dale Earnhardt tops the list with nine wins, followed by Yarborough (seven), Petty (six), Labonte (six), Elliott (five), Allison (five), Gordon (five), and Jimmie Johnson (five). Pearson also has four wins at Atlanta.
Harvick sits just behind Busch with three wins of his own at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His first career win took place in 2001 when he suited up for only his third career Cup Series start and took the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Harvick achieved success early, but he did not win at the 1.54-mile track again until the 2018 season. He captured the second race of the year while driving for Stewart-Haas Racing and punched his ticket to the playoffs. Two years later, he returned to Victory Lane when he won the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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