Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick rattled off his second consecutive win of the 2022 season on August 14. The Closer has now revealed that good people — not major strategy changes — have been the key to his continued success in NASCAR.
Harvick met with members of the media at Richmond Raceway and faced numerous questions about snapping a 65-race winless streak and making back-to-back trips to Victory Lane. He explained that the Cup Series is full of “killers,” which makes it difficult to regularly win. However, Harvick has been able to achieve success in his 40s due to the people surrounding him on a weekly basis.
To: The Haters
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“I feel like we work as hard as anybody,” Harvick said during his post-race media availability. “We’ve put in a lot of time to try to be good at it, and we have a good system that works with a group of people that loves to be around each other. I think that’s what makes it fun is when you have a group of people that you enjoy being around because this is hard to be able to do this.
“I think that’s 37 wins or so — I think it’s 37 at Stewart-Haas Racing, and they’ve all obviously been with [crew chief Rodney Childers]. I think as you look at a lot of the team, there’s a lot of those guys that have been there.”
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Teamwork & Longevity Created a Unique Atmosphere
As Harvick pointed out, his team has featured key members for a considerable amount of time. He and Childers, in particular, has spent nine seasons together. This longevity has created an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable together and can remain united while focusing on improvements.
“[Childers] can probably speak to maybe there’s something that sticks out more to him, but it’s just — nobody gets offended if you don’t agree with them or they tell me I’m doing a bad job and you need to do something better,” Harvick said. “We all want to achieve the same things, and that’s the great part about our group is nobody cares about you disagreeing or you saying something that isn’t going to offend them.
“Whether that’s right or wrong, that’s just the way that we do it. I think that just comes from years of trust, years of communication, years of talk. I think that’s the biggest key to progressing in a positive way.”
This teamwork hasn’t always resulted in trips to Victory Lane, especially during the 2021 season. However, it has helped the No. 4 team just keep digging and moving forward toward even more wins.
Harvick Turned a Corner After Joining SHR
GettyKevin Harvick celebrates a win at Richmond Raceway.
Harvick began his Cup Series career with Richard Childress Racing, and he was moved up to the No. 29 in 2001 after Dale Earnhardt’s death. He then went on to win 23 times between 2001 and 2013.
Harvick achieved success during his time at RCR, which included a five-win season in 2006. He also finished third in the championship standings in 2013 after winning four more races.
Once Harvick joined SHR, however, he began winning at a higher rate. He partnered with Rodney Childers in 2014, won five times, and ended the year as the Cup Series champion.
Harvick has been with SHR for nine seasons, and he has won 37 times while driving the No. 4. He set a new single-season mark for wins with nine in 2020, which surpassed his previous best of eight from 2018. The only season where he had fewer than two wins was 2021 when he went winless.
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‘Good People’ Drive Kevin Harvick’s Return to Victory Lane