FORT WORTH, Texas–Kevin Harvick, a nine-time NASCAR winner at Texas Motor Speedway, was formally inducted into the Texas Motorsports Corridor of Fame on Friday to begin the NASCAR weekend.
Harvick, 49, joins an illustrious checklist of the largest names and most profitable drivers on the Fort Value, Texas 1.5-mile oval. Harvick earned three consecutive Cup victories (2017-19), 5 Xfinity wins and a single Truck checkered from 2011.
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Friday’s Texas Motorsports Corridor of Fame Luncheon introduced by WÜRTH included a panel dialogue with PRN’s Brad Gillie and native FOX 4 sports activities anchor Mike Doocy as emcee for the occasion held contained in the Speedway Membership Ballroom.
Kevin Harvick (proper) poses along with his Texas Motorsports Corridor of Fame podium together with Speedway Motorsports President & CEO Marcus Smith (heart) and Texas Motor Speedway Govt Vice President and Common Supervisor Mark Faber (left) throughout Friday’s induction luncheon at Texas Motor Speedway.Getty Pictures for Texas Motor Speedway
For Harvick, it was a excessive and humble second for him.
“Anytime you could go to a racetrack and be part of being honored for one thing that you simply did there to achieve success is at all times quite a lot of enjoyable, and this race monitor has simply been excessive on the success checklist for me personally,” Harvick shared after the ceremony. “Above and past all that, the Smith household and the entire SMI (Speedway Motorsports Integrated) group and every part that they’ve carried out for racing and in my profession and Marcus and I are nice pals. So to have the ability to have this honor is kind of an honor.”
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As a NASCAR Cup Sequence champion from 2014, a Daytona 500 winner in 2007, three Brickyard 400 wins and different extremely notable victories throughout his embellished resume, few match his total success at Texas Motor Speedway in his over 20 yr profession behind the wheel.
“If you look again at these race tracks which are profitable and–I am I used to be horrible at simply noticing, I knew the place our good tracks had been–however I by no means actually paid consideration to what number of instances you wished a race monitor and we did not win as many Cup races right here as we should always have, however we undoubtedly received our fair proportion, most likely greater than we should always have on the Xfinity facet,” he mirrored. “It is at all times nice to have the ability to return someplace and produce these ideas and recollections again up. As a driver, you’d go to those locations and also you knew getting in, ‘Hey, this can be a weekend that it’s essential to capitalize on,’ and we had been in a position to do this right here at Texas so many instances. It took a very long time to get to Victory Lane on the Cup facet, however in the long run it was an excellent run all through the years, and we had been capable of do it a couple of years in a row too.”
He recalled the powerful battles on monitor and hardest components of making ready for race weekends in north Texas. When it got here right down to it, he used the phrase ‘dedication’ for the primary ingredient of success.
“It is simply quick,” he described. “I imply, this can be a race monitor that’s simply full dedication. They’ve knocked the banking down some and in Turns 1 and a couple of. It is nonetheless tremendous quick and extra technical than it was once, however this was at all times a spot (about) how a lot dedication you had and the way a lot throttle you might maintain down as a driver, so I at all times loved that facet of issues.”
Eddie Gossage, long-time preliminary president of Texas Motor Speedway, labored on the monitor from the bottom up. Harvick shared some recollections of Gossage and his management, previous to his retirement in 2021 and his passing a couple of years later.
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“I feel he’d be actually proud (of this achievement),” Harvick mentioned of Gossage. “Eddie and I at all times had an awesome relationship by way of the years and at all times I’ve carried out every part from Fandango to serve Slurpees on the on the again straightaway. There was at all times one thing happening and I bought that cellphone name quite a bit to have the ability to take part in these issues, and at all times wished to. It is a huge market if you take a look at the issues that occur on this a part of the nation, (and) in Texas on the whole. It is a place we should be and it was an essential occasion. All over my racing profession to have the ability to have success right here and entertain quite a lot of sponsors and other people. That is what he did as nicely was entertained and I used to be at all times pleased to be part of that as a result of I assume he thought I used to be considerably entertaining.”
However now for Harvick, it’s a brand new web page, a brand new chapter, for his motorsports profession. From driver to proprietor and now broadcaster with Fox Sports activities, he couldn’t have even envisioned the place he’s now.
“No, no, in no way. Look, once I began, I used to be simply pleased to drive,” he chuckled. “Once I got here right here the very first time, I used to be truly only a mechanic on the Spears truck and to have the ability to undergo that entire cycle of occasions to go from mechanic to driver to proprietor to Cup driver, no matter. I imply, we have been down each path from the NASCAR facet and to have the ability to expertise that’s one thing that I have been fairly lucky to be part of and lucky to achieve success in any respect of them. So to have the ability to have carried out that was by no means one thing that I’d have considered. I feel that the TV piece is simply sort of icing on the cake due to the truth that I nonetheless get to be right here each week, nonetheless get to be round all of the occasions and other people.
“So to have the ability to take part in all these issues and never have the strain of the driving piece of it has been fairly enjoyable for me to return again and luxuriate in stuff like this and likewise benefit from the occasions.”
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And now, his most up-to-date occasion right here has turn into a everlasting staple within the state of Texas.
