A future NASCAR Winston Cup star was born on December 8th, 1975. That was Kevin Harvick. Kevin's father, Mike, was into racing when Kevin was born. While his father worked in the race shop, Kevin wouldn't be too far away in his playpen.

The majority of racecar drivers began racing when they were very young.  The same is true for Kevin Harvick.  His parents purchased him a go-kart in 1980 as a kindergarten graduation present.  It is amazing how a go-kart can make such an impact on a child's life.  Kevin didn't just let it sit in the garage; nope, he wound up racing go-karts for ten years.  Within those ten years, he won seven National Championships (he should have been considered the "king" of go-karts).  Kevin also earned two Grand National Championships.  He added several trophies, plaques, and ribbons to his name during that time.

Early on, Kevin Harvick learned the value of dedication and felt the feeling of success.  These became the important characteristics that would make him the fierce and determined racer he is today.

After getting too big for go-karts, it was time for Kevin to move on to larger, more expensive, and faster racecars.  In 1992, he began competing in NASCAR's Featherlite Southwest Series getting that valuable seat time in a stock car that he would certainly benefit from in the future.  In 1993, Kevin became a NASCAR Late Model Champion at the Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California.  While finishing up high school, Kevin ran a limited schedule for two years until he ran the full schedule in 1995.  Kevin won a race at Tucson Raceway Park and finished 11th in the final standings.  At the end of the Featherlite Southwest Series season, he was named Rookie of the Year.

In 1996, Kevin competed in one race in the NASCAR Winston West Series.  Then during 1997 while attending Bakersfield Junior College, Kevin ran three Winston West races, two of which he finished in the top ten.  He also completed twelve races in the Craftsman Truck Series.  It was at that time Kevin needed to decide what he was going to do with the rest of his life, continue his education or race.  Never looking back, he chose to pursue a career as a racecar driver.  Knowing Kevin wanted to continue racing, his father, Mike, mother, JoNell, and sister, Amber, backed his decision and continued to support him like they always had.

Throughout 1998, Kevin devoted his time to competing in the Winston West and Craftsman Truck Series.  In Winston West, he ran fourteen races, won five, finished in the top five eleven times, and in the top ten twelve times.  He was crowned the Winston West Champion at the end of the season and was named the Motorsports Press Association's Closed-Wheeled Driver of the Year.  Driving the No. 75 Spears Chevrolet in the Truck Series, he accumulated three top fives and five top tens, finishing out the season seventeenth in the standings.

The majority of Kevin's time in 1999 was devoted to the Truck Series.  He competed in all 25 races, scored six top fives and eleven top tens.  He placed twelfth in the final standings.  Also in 1999, Kevin ran two ARCA races, one at both the Lowe's Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.  He finished second and third, respectively.  It was during this season that Kevin's talent caught the eye of Winston Cup team owner, Richard Childress.

For the 2000 season, Childress offered Kevin the opportunity to drive the No. 2 AC Delco Monte Carlo in the Busch Grand National Series.  Kevin obviously accepted the move that would later become the biggest move of his racing career.  At Richard Childress Racing, Kevin was teamed up with crew chief, Todd Berrier.  Together, they won three Busch races in 2000 at St. Louis, Bristol, and Memphis.  They won the Bud Poles at both Dover and Bristol.  Kevin finished out his rookie season an impressive third in points with eight top fives and sixteen top tens.  Kevin also tied two NASCAR Busch Series Rookie Records for Most Wins (3) and Highest Final Position (3rd).  He set two NASCAR Busch Series Rookie Records for Most Points Overall (4,113) and Most Money Won ($995, 274).

The year 2001 may have been the biggest year in Kevin Harvick's life.  When Dale Earnhardt was killed on February 18th, Richard Childress needed a driver to complete the 2001 season in the GM Goodwrench Service car.  He called upon his Busch driver, Kevin Harvick.  Kevin rose up to the occasion in such an emotional time within the sport.  Driving the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Service Monte Carlo, with the help of crew chief Kevin Hamlin, Kevin Harvick drove the former Dale Earnhardt car to victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 11th after a spectacular race with Jeff Gordon.  One can't forget that prior to the victory, Kevin got married in Las Vegas to DeLana Linville on February 28th.  She would definitely have to be supportive of Kevin especially since how he was running the full schedules from both Winston Cup and Busch in 2001.  He was nothing short of successful in both series.

After scoring his first Winston Cup career win in his third start, Kevin went on to win one more time and to finish in the top five six times and in the top ten sixteen times. He went on to finish ninth overall in points and won "Rookie of the Year" honors.  In the Busch Series, Kevin won four poles, five races, had 20 top fives and 24 top tens in 33 starts.  He clinched the 2001 Busch Championship at The Rock, one week prior to the season finale.  It was the first Busch Championship for Richard Childress and made Childress become the first car owner to win a championship in all three of NASCAR's premier series.
   
In 2002, Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 team struggled at times throughout the season.  There was a stretch of eight races where they couldn't finish any better than 25th and fell back to 34th in the standings due to that.  They spent the rest of the season rebounding from that period of down time.  They wound up 21st in points after Homestead with one pole, one win, only five top fives and eight top tens to their name.  Kevin did miss the eighth race of the season at Martinsville after being "parked" by NASCAR.  He had been involved in an altercation with Greg Biffle in the Busch race at Bristol and an altercation in the Martinsville Truck race with Coy Gibbs.

So how well does the NASCAR fan know Kevin Harvick?  Well, he or she will now know that he resides in Winston Salem, North Carolina with his wife DeLana.  His nickname in "Happy Harvick."  His favorite food is Mexican and his favorite TV show is "Friends." He also likes the movie "Remember the Titans" and the color yellow.  He and DeLana also have a few dogs.

The future continues to look bright for Kevin Harvick.  In 2003, he will continue to drive the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet Monte Carlo and work with crew chief Gil Martin.  The 29 will also be sporting a different look.  Kevin is going to run a limited schedule in the Busch series, driving the No. 21 PayDay racecar for Richard Childress Racing.  He may even drive a few races for himself in the Truck series.

For any aspiring stock car racers, an excellent role model is Kevin Harvick.  Lately you hear stock car drivers emerging from open wheel cars like from CART and IRL or from quarter midgets to sprint cars. Not Kevin. He had been in a NASCAR stock cars series almost from the get go. He has clearly moved up through the NASCAR ranks over the years. Now he is competing with the best of the best and certainly has the potential to become a NASCAR Winston Cup champion in the in near future.