The GEICO 500 this weekend is more than just another race for Kevin Harvick. The Closer is set to make his 800th career Cup Series start. When the flag goes green on Sunday, Harvick is going to join nine other NASCAR drivers in the 800 starts club.
Kevin Harvick is already 10th all-time in starts. He is just behind Jeff Gordon’s 805. Soon after that, he will be passing up Darrell Waltrip at 809 later this season for 8th on the list.
This is a major milestone in the Cup Series champion’s career. It speaks to his longevity.
“We’ve been competitive, racing at the front of the pack, leading laps and having the chance to win races,” Harvick said, via NASCAR. “For me, that’s the thing that I’m most proud of, and I think from your colleagues and people from other race teams, they see that body of work and being competitive across that long period of time.
“You hear it all the time, ‘I can’t believe they’ve been that competitive for that long.’ And to me, that’s the part I’m most proud of, being able to do this at a high level for such a long time. But wrapping your arms around 800 of them is, for me, quite an honor, just because of the fact that you’ve been able to adapt and adjust to so many things and stick around so long. But being competitive is still the thing that I enjoy the most. Getting to that number is great, but getting there and being competitive is better.”
This is also going to be the 45th start at Talladega for Kevin Harvick. If you combine all of Harvick’s national series starts, he leads all drivers with 1,272 starts.
Kevin Harvick’s Talladega History
While Kevin Harvick has dominated at certain tracks, Talladega has often been harsh to the veteran driver. Last year he managed a P10 finish in this race. He was P29 in the October race for a disappointing day.
However, Harvick has had success at Dega. He won the 2010 GEICO 500. That was with Richard Childress Racing in the 29 car. Harvick also has two pole awards at the track to go along with eight top-five finishes and 19 top-10s.
In his final year in the Cup Series, each race feels more important than the next. This is the last spring Talladega race that he will be in. After this, The Closer closes the chapter on the GEICO 500 once and for all.
While he hasn’t had the best success there in recent races, Talladega is a chance for any driver to win. Why not Kevin Harvick in his 800th start? Only Richard Petty has won the same race as his 800th career Cup Series start.