Getty Kevin Harvick has a new partner for the 2023 Cup Series season.
Kevin Harvick’s final season in the NASCAR Cup Series will feature a new primary scheme for multiple races. The 2014 champion will join forces with SunnyD.
According to a press release from Stewart-Haas Racing, the orange drink will serve as Harvick’s primary partner for two Cup Series races. SunnyD will also have a yearlong role as an associate partner.
The first race featuring the new scheme will take place at Darlington Raceway on May 14. SunnyD will then return to the No. 4 Ford Mustang on September 10 at Kansas Speedway.
Harvick has achieved success at both tracks during his Cup Series career. He has three wins at Darlington Raceway and another three at Kansas Speedway. He will pursue even more while showcasing a new company.
“As a Gen-Xer, I’ve grown up with SunnyD. It’s very fitting that I get to represent them in my last year in NASCAR,” Harvick said in a press release. “Our desire to win and compete for a championship is as strong as ever and I’m happy to have SunnyD a part of our race team.”
SunnyD Has Supported Multiple NASCAR Cup Series Drivers
GettyRicky Stenhouse Jr. (left) has extensive experience with SunnyD.
The move to Stewart-Haas Racing only further establishes SunnyD’s foothold in the NASCAR Cup Series. The company has supported multiple drivers over the years, primarily with Ford Performance.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has the most races in a SunnyD-branded Ford. He showcased the drink company during his time at Roush Fenway Racing — now RFK Racing — at a variety of tracks between 2016 and 2019.
Stenhouse also worked with SunnyD during his time at JTG Daugherty Racing. He reunited with the brand for two races in 2021, and then this number expanded to six races in 2022.
Chris Buescher also worked with SunnyD during his first season at RFK Racing (2020). He had the orange and blue scheme on his No. 17 Ford Mustang for six races, headlined by a ninth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Harvick Can First Break a Tie
GettyNASCAR Cup Series drivers race at Talladega Superspeedway.
The Closer will first showcase the new partner during Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway. However, that will not take place until May. For now, he will prepare for his 19th appearance at the Busch Light Clash.
Harvick will have an interesting opportunity during the trip to Los Angeles. He will enter the exhibition race with three career wins (2009, 2010, 2013). This puts him in a tie with three other drivers. Tony Stewart (2001, 2002, 2007), Denny Hamlin (2006, 2014, 2016), and Dale Jarrett (1996, 2000, 2004) all have three wins as well.
If Harvick can win his fourth Busch Light Clash, he will take sole possession of second place on the all-time list. The late Dale Earnhardt has the most Busch Light Clash wins at six. He first captured the race in 1980 before winning again in 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, and 1995.
Winning the Busch Light Clash doesn’t count in the points, but it serves as the first step toward repeating history. There are five drivers that have won both the exhibition race and the Cup Series championship in the same year.
Earnhardt has done this four times in his career — 1980, 1986, 1991, and 1993. He is also the only driver with multiple Clash wins and Cup Series championships in the same season. Darrell Waltrip (1981) Jeff Gordon (1997) Tony Stewart (2002), and Joey Logano (2022) have each done so once.