“The ownership allowed me a lot of say in what we did”: Kevin Harvick reminisces why he joined forces with Tony Stewart’s SHR

Kevin Harvick discussed how winning a championship in his first year with Stewart-Haas Racing opened up opportunities for him to have a say in the team's direction. The 48-year-old veteran driver retired from the Cup Series last year and now works as a commentator for NASCAR on Fox.

After competing for Richard Childress Racing for the majority of his career, the 2014 Cup Series champion recalled his transition to Tony Stewart-led SHR. He claimed that his move was influenced by the SHR's alliance with Hendrick Motorsports and its resources which would have helped him pave the path for a championship title.

Speaking with Bob Pockrass, the former #4 Ford driver recalled also having control over the team's decision-making.

"The ownership gave me a lot of say in what we did, who we did it with, and all the things that came with the race team... I went to Stewart-Haas Racing to win a championship... For me personally, to accomplish that in the first year just allowed me to focus on other goals instead of being so intensely honed in on just one championship," Kevin Harvick said.

In his first season with SHR, the Bakersfield, California native rounded up five victories on his way to his maiden championship title. More than half of Harvick's all-time Cup Series wins came in his 10 years with SHR.

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"I didn't like my job anymore" - Kevin Harvick once revealed his "nervous" conversation with Richard Childress about his transition to SHR

Kevin Harvick started his Cup Series career with Richard Childress Racing in 2001, driving the #29 Chevy. Despite having numerous victory lane celebrations, Harvick couldn't turn his triumphs into a championship title.

In a 2016 interview with Graham Bensinger, he stated that telling RCR owner Childress about his decision to depart was the toughest part as he had already signed a deal with the Chevy team. He said:

"I wanted to go and tell Richard myself, so that was definitely the hardest part of the whole deal. I've never been more nervous in my whole life and at that particular point you know that once you sign that contract and you go in and tell them, that's it, there's no turning back." [2:55]

"We went through a lot of conversations and a lot of talk and just really felt like I needed a change because I didn't really like going to my job anymore and that wasn't healthy for everything at home. In the end it turned out okay," added Kevin Harvick.

After competing for RCR for 13 years, Harvick accumulated a total of 23 wins including the esteemed Daytona 500 race in 2007. He then went on to claim 37 more victories in the Cup Series with SHR and is placed 10th on the all-time win list.