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Former Cup Sries champion Kevin Harvick reflected on his first victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of NASCAR's return to the 2.5-mile oval. Harvick also revealed that then-team owner Richard Childress gifted him the #29 Chevy upon his retirement last season.
Harvick, worth $110 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, is one of the most successful NASCAR drivers at IMS, having won the crown jewel race three times (2003, 2019, 2020). His first victory at the famed oval came during his third season with Richard Childress Racing, behind the wheel of the #29 Chevy.
Kevin Harvick recently reminisced about his first victory at the Brickyard on his Happy Hour podcast. He highlighted that the crowd there treated the race with the same prestige as the Indy 500. He cherished the post-race victory lap in the pace car, which he shared with his wife, DeLana, team owner Richard Childress, and crew chief Todd Berrier.
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"The coolest part about winning that first Brickyard in '03 was that there were 300,000 people around the racetrack, treating it like the Indy 500. You would ride in the back of the pace car or one of the show cars. We rode around, and all the Indy fans, steeped in tradition, hadn't left. It was one of the coolest things we were able to do because of all the people still there, just taking that moment in of winning the Brickyard 400...," Harvick said. [26:40]
The 2014 Cup champion also remembered the post-race burnouts as one of his best ever. He revealed that Richard Childress gifted him the #29 Chevy in the exact condition from the victory lane celebrations as a retirement present.
"Another cool thing is Richard [Childress] actually kept the car like it was, kept the tire that I did the burnout going to Victory Lane, which was still probably one of the best burnouts ever. So Richard kept the car and actually gave it to me as a retirement gift," he added.
Kevin Harvick names his favorite driver to win the Brickyard 400
NASCAR returns to the oval configuration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, reviving the crown jewel race. Kevin Harvick won the last two editions of the Brickyard 400 before it was replaced by the road course race.
Harvick picked veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin as the favorite to win the Brickyard 400 this Sunday, July 21. The Fox Sports analyst was high on confidence with regard to Hamlin's current form and even predicted that the #11 Toyota driver would win his maiden championship this year.
"I kind of spilled mine earlier. I just keep picking the #11. I think I did pick the #11 last week. I think they're going to win. I think they're going to win the championship this year," Kevin Harvick said. [at 52:17]
Denny Hamlin needs a Brickyard 400 victory to complete his crown jewel quartet, having already won the Daytona 500 (3 times), Southern 500 (3 times), and the Coca-Cola 600 once.
