Getty Kevin Harvick has a previous win at Martinsville Speedway.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick has just made a major move on a historic leaderboard. He won his 60th career NASCAR Cup Series race on August 14, which moved him into a tie with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch.
The driver of the No. 4 Ford entered the Richmond race weekend 10th on the all-time wins list with 59 trips to Victory Lane in the Cup Series. Busch was ninth with 60 career wins. Now the two champions sit in a tie for ninth all-time, just behind Dale Earnhardt. The Intimidator won 76 Cup Series races during his career, which is eighth all-time.
Kevin Harvick. 60th career Cup win in his 778th start. First back-to-back Cup winner of 2022.
Harvick is now the 10th driver in Cup Series history to win at least 60 career races. This list includes a standout group of champions and Hall of Famers led by Richard Petty with his 200 Cup Series wins.
Harvick is the seventh Cup Series driver to win multiple races during the 2022 season, but he is only the second Ford driver as he joins Joey Logano. Chase Elliott leads the group with four wins while the rest all have two wins each. Though Harvick is the only one that went back-to-back.
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Harvick Snapped a Longstanding Winless Streak at Richmond
GettyKevin Harvick has 2 trips to Victory Lane in 2 weeks.
The Closer nearly missed out on his second consecutive win on the final run to the checkered flag. He forgot to shift, which helped Christopher Bell get within striking distance on the last lap. However, Harvick hit his marks and held off the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
This win was historic for multiple reasons. It was Harvick’s 60th in the Cup Series, and it also snapped a winless streak at the Virginia short track. The last time he reached Victory Lane at Richmond Raceway was in 2013 when he drove for Richard Childress Racing.
Harvick had three previous wins at Richmond, all with RCR. This includes the 2011 race when he led 202 laps in the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet. The August 14 race marked the first time that he has taken a Stewart-Haas Racing entry to Victory Lane at the short track, and it came at a critical time.
Harvick Solidified His Playoff Spot
GettyKevin Harvick celebrates a win at Richmond Raceway.
Harvick entered the race weekend at Richmond as the projected 13th seed and in a tie with Kurt Busch and Daniel Suarez. He had very few playoff points, which meant that he would start the Round of 16 below the cutline.
Now, however, Harvick sits in a much better position. He has two wins, which solidified his spot in the playoff field. He also has even more playoff points, which will move him up to the projected seventh seed.
Oh, look at this fancy #NASCARPlayoffs breakdown from @NASCARonNBC.
Harvick will likely enter the playoffs ahead of other winners in Kyle Larson (eight points), Christopher Bell (seven points), and Kyle Busch (six points). This should help him potentially move beyond the Round of 16 after spending the majority of the season worrying about points.
Obviously, this situation could change in the two remaining races, which take place at Watkins Glen International and Daytona International Speedway. For now, Harvick can rest assured that more first-time winners won’t knock him out of the playoffs before they even begin.
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