On February 28, 2001, Kevin married DeLana Linville, whom he
calls his "best friend," in a beautiful Las Vegas ceremony.
Despite not having time for a honeymoon, Kevin and DeLana's
first year of marriage was filled with incredible moments
that DeLana called "wedding presents."
Those "wedding presents" included two Winston Cup wins - the first
coming in Kevin's third start - and a Busch Series Championship,
which Kevin earned on the strength of 20 top-5 finishes and five
wins. Kevin also earned "Rookie of the Year" honors on the Winston
Cup circuit, finishing 9th in points.
Kevin became the first driver in NASCAR history to run full-time on
both the Busch and Winston Cup series - a total of 70 races - in one
season, and the first to be named Winston Cup rookie of the year the
same season that he earned the Busch Series Championship.
In the fall of that same year, Kevin and DeLana ran their first
Kevin Harvick, Inc.(KHI)-entry in the Craftsman Truck Series. The
truck, built in a friend's garage, set the stage for what is now a
full-fledged racing operation. In August of 2004, Kevin and DeLana
opened a 70,000 square foot facility in Kernersville, NC that became
the home of KHI. The next year, KHI fielded its first full-time
Busch Series team, winning the season-opener at Daytona. Since then,
the company has grown to a competitive, multi-team organization that
fields two successful Busch Series cars and an impressive Truck
Series ride. KHI looks forward to its most successful year to date
in 2007, with a stellar lineup that includes Ron Hornaday, Bobby
Labonte and Tony Stewart.
Since his start in NASCAR's premier racing series six years ago,
Kevin has had several career moments, including a win at the 2003
Brickyard 400. He is currently one of only thirteen drivers who has
won a race in each of the National Series (Craftsman Truck, Busch
and Nextel Cup) and is one of only two drivers who has won at least
two races in each series.
Kevin experienced the most successful year so far in 2006. He earned
his second Busch Series championship in a runaway title effort that
saw him earn nine wins, 23 top-5 finishes and 32 top-10 finishes. He
was just one race short of tying Sam Ard's record for the most
victories in a Busch Series season, 10, set in 1983. Additionally,
Kevin clinched the title with four races remaining in the season,
mathematically eliminating any other competitor from taking over the
top spot in points at Lowe's Motor Speedway in late October.
While he was storming through the Busch Series in '06, Kevin was
also having his best Cup Series run to date. He earned five wins, 15
top-5 finishes and 20 top-10 finishes on the way to a fourth-place
finish in points, his best finish to date. It was Kevin's first
Chase for the Championship berth.
Kevin kicked off his 2007 is spectacular fashion, sweeping both of
the season-opening races at Daytona. The Orbitz 300 Busch
Series race on February 17 was his first win in the series at the
superspeedway. The following day, Kevin won his first Daytona
500 in a heart-stopping photo finish against Mark Martin.
Another first came for Kevin later in the season, when he won the
NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway. It was his
first All-Star victory and second $1-million-dollar-plus payday of
2007.
Kevin went on to finish the NEXTEL Cup Series season 10th in points on the
strength of one win, four top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes.
2007 was also a marquis
year for Kevin in the NASCAR Busch Series. After kicking off the season
with his first NBS career win at Daytona International Speedway, he went on
to add five more wins to his Busch Series tally, giving him a career total of
32 and putting him second on the all-time wins list. (Kevin earned his
32nd win at Texas Motor Speedway on November 3, a victory that moved him
ahead of Jack Ingram and put him within 15 victories of leader Mark Martin.)
In addition to that accomplishment, Kevin won the USG Durock 300 race at Chicagoland Speedway
on July 14, becoming
the first driver to win more than one Busch Series race at the track.
Then on August 4, Kevin made history by becoming the winner of the inaugural Busch
Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. Finally,
his win at Texas on November 3 landed him in the record
books as the driver with the most NBS wins at Texas Motor Speedway (four).
Where the Kevin Harvick story will end is left to the imagination.
He continues to raise the bar both at the wheel of a racecar and
from the owner's seat. He has many more chapters to fill and
championships to win...both on and off the track.
Kevin's Fast Facts
Date of Birth: Dec. 8, 1975
Hometown: Bakersfield, CA
Residence: NC
Wife: DeLana
Pets: 3 dogs, 2 cats
Years in Racing: 27 (and counting)
Hobbies: Remote control cars, vintage video games, skeet
shooting, riding ATV's and go-karts.
Kevin's win at Texas Motor Speedway on November 3, 2007 moved him up to
second on the all-time wins list for the NASCAR Nationwide series, one
position above Jack Ingram and just 15 races behind leader, Mark Martin.
Kevin Harvick: Driven To Win