Organization earns second NASCAR premier series title
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship tonight at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
It is Harvick’s first Sprint Cup championship and the second for SHR since its inception in 2009. SHR won the 2011 Sprint Cup title with driver-owner Tony Stewart.
The following are some anecdotes regarding the 2014 Sprint Cup Series Champions.
· This is Kevin Harvick‘s eighth driving title in his 33 years of racing. His other titles are:
— 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship
— 2006 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship
— 2002 IROC Series Championship
— 2001 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship
— 1998 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship
— 1993 Late Model Track Championship at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California
— 1987 World Karting Association National Championship
— 1985 World Karting Association National Championship
· This is Rodney Childers first championship as a crew chief in NASCAR.
· This is the second Sprint Cup championship as a car owner for team co-owners Stewart and Gene Haas.
— 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship with the No. 4 team of Harvick
— 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship with the No. 14 team of Stewart
· This is Stewart’s 21st overall championship as a car owner.
— Two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championships:
— 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship with Harvick
— 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship via himself
— Five World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championships:
— 2014 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship with Donny Schatz
— 2012 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship with Schatz
— 2009 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship with Schatz
— 2008 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship with Schatz
— 2001 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship with Danny Lasoski
— Fourteen USAC Championships:
— 2013 USAC Sprint Car Championship with Bryan Clauson
— 2013 USAC Silver Crown Championship with Bobby East
— 2011 USAC Sprint Car Championship with Levi Jones
— 2011 USAC Silver Crown Championship with Jones
— 2010 USAC Sprint Car Championship with Jones
— 2010 USAC Silver Crown Championship with Jones
— 2008 USAC Sprint Car Championship with Jones
— 2007 USAC Sprint Car Championship with Jones
— 2006 USAC Sprint Car Championship with Josh Wise
— 2005 USAC Silver Crown Championship with J.J. Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
— 2004 USAC Silver Crown Championship with Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
— 2003 USAC Sprint Car Championship with Yeley
— 2003 USAC Silver Crown Championship with Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
— 2002 USAC Silver Crown Championship with Yeley (Stewart co-owned team with Bob East)
Anecdotes:
· Harvick joins Bobby Labonte and Brad Keselowski as the only drivers to earn both a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship and a NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. Harvick is a two-time Nationwide Series champion (2001 and 2006).
· Harvick is only the third Sprint Cup driver since 2000 to lead more than 2,000 laps in a single season. Harvick led 2,137 laps in 2014. Jimmie Johnson led 2,238 laps in 2009 and Jeff Gordon led 2,320 laps in 2001. Both Johnson and Gordon went on to win the championship in those years.
· Harvick led a lap in 27 of the 36 Sprint Cup races in 2014. His longest streak of consecutive races with at least one lap led was nine, beginning Aug. 23 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and continuing through the Oct. 19 race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. His longest stretch of races without a single lap led was three, starting June 28 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta lasting through July 13 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
· The most laps Harvick led in a single Sprint Cup season prior to 2014 was 895 laps in 2006.
· In nine seasons prior to 2014, teams led by crew chief Rodney Childers led a total of 879 laps. Among the seven drivers Childers worked with during this span, Mark Martin was the leader with 295 laps led during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
· Of the 24 track qualifying records set during the 2014 Sprint Cup season, Harvick accounted for six of them. No other driver had more than four.
— April 5 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (Round 1: 27.234 seconds at 198.282 mph)
— May 9 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas Speedway (Round 2: 27.741 seconds at 194.658 mph)
— June 13 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (Round 3: 35.198 seconds at 204.557 mph)
–This was the fastest pole-winning speed since April 1987 when Bill Elliott set the all-time Sprint Cup qualifying record of 212.809 mph at Talladega Superspeedway.
— July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Round 1: 47.753 seconds at 188.470 mph)
— Aug. 22 at Bristol Motor Speedway (Round 2: 14.607 seconds at 131.362 mph)
— Oct. 3 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (Round 2: 27.304 seconds at 197.773 mph)
· Harvick won a career-high eight poles in 2014. In his previous 13 years as a Sprint Cup driver, Harvick won a total of six poles.
— April 11 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
— May 9 at Kansas Speedway
— June 13 at Michigan International Speedway
— July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
— Aug. 22 at Bristol Motor Speedway
— Aug. 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
— Sept. 26 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway
— Oct. 3 at Kansas Speedway
· Harvick finished among the top-five in the Sprint Cup championship standings six times prior to 2014. His previous career-high point finish was third, which he did three times (2010, 2011 and 2013).
· Harvick finished 25 of 36 Sprint Cup Series races with a driver rating better than 100.0, including four races with a driver rating better than 140.0. Harvick scored his only perfect driver rating (150.0) Nov. 9 at Phoenix International Raceway where he led three times for a race-high 264 laps en route to the victory.
· Harvick ended the 2014 season as the leader in the following loop data categories:
— Driver Rating: 110.5
— Fastest Early in Run: 4.710
— Fastest Laps Run: 1,233
— Fastest Green Flag Speed: 4.387
— Most Laps Led: 2,137
— Mileage Leader: 2,716.86
· Harvick’s championship is the 30th driver title for Team Chevy in the Sprint Cup Series.
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