CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Harvick, who captured the 2014 Cup Series championship and won 60 races at the sport’s top level, was selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday along with fellow drivers Jeff Burton and Larry Phillips.
The induction ceremony is set for Jan. 22, 2027, bringing the total number of Hall of Fame inductees to 73.
Harvick’s career took an unexpected turn in 2001 when he was selected by team owner Richard Childress to replace
Dale Earnhardt after the seven-time champion was killed in a wreck at the Daytona 500.
Initially, Childress had planned to bring Harvick along slowly and have him gain experience at the sport’s lower level then known as the Busch Series, but Earnhardt’s death accelerated his rise.
Driving the renumbered No. 29 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet, it took Harvick only three races to find victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway, giving RCR an emotional victory. He went on to win NASCAR Rookie of the Year, establishing himself as a forced to be reckoned with in the sport for years to come.
Known as “The Closer,” Harvick, 50, won the 2007 Daytona 500 and then earned the Cup Series championship seven years later in NASCAR’s new elimination-style playoff format.
Harvick’s 60 Cup Series wins over 826 starts ranks 11th all-time.
Burton, 58, won 21 Cup races over his 20-year NASCAR career in 695 starts. He was the 1994 Rookie of the Year and his career highlights include winning the Coca-Cola 600 twice and the Southern 500. He won six Cup races in 1999.
Phillips was selected on the pioneer ballot.
Nobody can say for sure how many races Phillips won because he raced everywhere from dirt to asphalt and in places where record keeping wasn’t always a priority. His crew chief, James Ince, estimated Phillips won 1,000 times; maybe 2,000, according to NASCAR.
Lesa France Kennedy, the executive vice chair of NASCAR, was selected as the Landmark Award winner for her contributions to the sport. Kennedy spearheaded the revitalization of Phoenix Raceway and the Daytona Rising project at Daytona International Speedway.
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