· Earning It Since 2014: Harvick is in his 17th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and his fourth at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) with crew chief Rodney Childers at the helm. Since joining forces in 2014, Harvick and Childers combined to produce 13 victories, 14 poles, 62 top-five finishes and 89 top-10s; led 6,360 laps; won the 2014 Cup Series title; finished runner-up in 2015 to champion Kyle Busch and eighth in 2016.
· Points Position: Harvick arrives at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race ranked fourth in the standings with 787 points after his 13th-place finish last weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. He trails leader Martin Truex Jr. by 146 points.
· Playoff Bound: Harvick clinched his position in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as he scored his first Cup Series win of the season at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June. He started 12th, led 24 laps and had more than a five-second cushion when the final yellow flag waved to end the race under caution.Harvick and the No. 4 team have scored one race win and three stage wins to account for eight playoff points –seventh-most among Cup Series drivers.
· Harvick in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol: The Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race will mark Harvick’s 34th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol. Harvick has two wins (April 2005, August 2016), one pole (August 2014), 12 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s at the half-mile oval. He has led 876 laps, has an average starting position of 16.4, an average finish of 13.6, and has completed 97.8 percent (16,157 of 16,527) of the laps he’s contested there.
· Bristol Night Race Winner: Harvick started 24th and raced his way to the win in August 2016 in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol. The race was postponed due to inclement weather and raced during the day Sunday afternoon, when Harvick led 128 laps and beat runner-up Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the finish line by 1.933 seconds to score his second NASCAR Cup Series win at the .533-mile oval.
· Bristol Sweep:Harvick’s win in the 2005 Food City 500 at Bristol came in convincing fashion as he led three times for 109 laps and beat Elliott Sadler by 4.652 seconds. A prelude to that win was Harvick’s victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race the day before, giving him a sweep of the Bristol race weekend.
· Harvick in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Bristol: Harvick has made 29 starts in the Xfinity Series at Bristol. He has five wins (August 2000 and 2001, March 2003, April 2005 and March 2009), three poles (August 2000, March 2001 and 2006), 15 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s. He has led 1,217 laps, has an average starting position of 9.1, an average finish of 7.5, and has completed 99.0 percent (7,615 of 7,691) of the laps he’s contested there.
· Harvick in the Camping World Truck Series at Bristol: Harvick has five starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Bristol. In his most recent Truck Series start at Bristol in August 2011, he started sixth, led 103 of 200 laps and beat runner-up Johnny Sauter by .434 of a second. In addition to that win, he has two top-five finishes and four top-10s. He has led 227 laps with an average finish of 8.8.
· All-Time Wins List: After his 36th career Cup Series win at Sonoma in June, Harvick is ranked 22nd on the all-time wins list. His next Cup Series win will move him into a tie with Bobby Isaac for 21st on the all-time list. Among active drivers, Harvick ranks fourth behind leader Jimmie Johnson’s 83 career wins, Kyle Busch’s 39 wins, and Matt Kenseth who has 38 victories.
· On The Pole: Harvick has scored three Cup Series pole awards in 2017 – all coming on 1.5-mile racetracks. He scored his first of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a lap of 29.118 seconds at 190.398 mph. His second of the season came at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, when he made a lap at 27.217 seconds at 198.405 mph. His most recent came at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 with a lap of 27.918 seconds at 193.424 mph.
· All-Time Pole List: Harvick’s 20 career Cup Series poles has him tied with Benny Parsons and Neil Bonnett for 39th on the all-time list. His next Cup Series pole would move him into a four-way tie with Dick Hutcherson and SHR teammate Kurt Busch. He ranks seventh among active drivers behind Ryan Newman’s 51, Johnson’s 35, Kasey Kahne’s 27, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch each have 24, and Kurt Busch’s 21.
· Closing In on 11,000 Lap Led: Harvick also needs 214 laps led to become the 17th Cup Series driver of all time to lead 11,000 or more laps. Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kenseth are the only active drivers to accomplish the feat.
· Career NASCAR Cup Series Totals: Harvick has 36 wins, 162 top-fives, 298 top-10s and 20 poles in 597 career Cup Series starts heading into Saturday night’s race at Bristol. |