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 start out the NASCAR weekend.
Harvick, 49, joins an illustrious record of the largest names and most profitable drivers on the Fort Price, Texas 1.5-mile oval. Harvick earned three consecutive Cup victories (2017-19), 5 Xfinity wins and a single Truck checkered from 2011.
Friday’s Texas Motorsports Corridor of Fame Luncheon offered 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 Government Vice President and Normal 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 that you may go to a racetrack and be part of being honored for one thing that you just did there to achieve success is at all times loads of enjoyable, and this race observe has simply been excessive on the success record for me personally,” Harvick shared after the ceremony. “Above and past all that, the Smith household and the entire SMI (Speedway Motorsports Included) group and every little thing that they’ve achieved for racing and in my profession and Marcus and I are nice buddies. So to have the ability to have this honor is kind of an honor.”
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 adorned resume, few match his total success at Texas Motor Speedway in his over 20 yr profession behind the wheel.
“Once you look again at these race tracks which might be profitable and–I am I used to be horrible at simply noticing, I knew the place our good tracks have been–however I by no means actually paid consideration to what number of instances you wished a race observe and we did not win as many Cup races right here as we should always have, however we undoubtedly gained our justifiable share, in all probability 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 convey these ideas and recollections again up. As a driver, you’d go to those locations and also you knew entering into, ‘Hey, this can be a weekend that it’s good to capitalize on,’ and we have been ready 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 run all through the years, and we have been capable of do it a number of years in a row too.”
He recalled the powerful battles on observe and hardest components of making ready for race weekends in north Texas. When it got here all the way 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 observe that’s simply full dedication. They’ve knocked the banking down some and in Turns 1 and a pair 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 would maintain down as a driver, so I at all times loved that facet of issues.”
Corridor of Fame Harvick. 🏆👌@KevinHarvick | @SCCTXpic.twitter.com/fbc2hC34hl
— Texas Motor Speedway (@TXMotorSpeedway) May 2, 2025
Eddie Gossage, long-time preliminary president of Texas Motor Speedway, labored on the observe from the bottom up. Harvick shared some recollections of Gossage and his management, previous to his retirement in 2021 and his passing a number of years later.
“I feel he’d be actually proud (of this achievement),” Harvick mentioned of Gossage. “Eddie and I at all times had an important relationship by the years and at all times I’ve achieved every little thing from Fandango to serve Slurpees on the on the again straightaway. There was at all times one thing happening and I bought that telephone name so much to have the ability to take part in these issues, and at all times wished to. It is a huge market whenever you have a look at the issues that occur on this a part of the nation, (and) in Texas typically. It is a place we have to be and it was an essential occasion. During my racing profession to have the ability to have success right here and entertain loads of sponsors and folks. That is what he did as effectively was entertained and I used to be at all times completely happy 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, after I began, I used to be simply completely happy to drive,” he chuckled. “After 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 achieved that was by no means one thing that I might have considered. I feel that the TV piece is simply type 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 folks.
“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 come back again and revel in stuff like this and likewise benefit from the occasions.”
And now, his most up-to-date occasion right here has grow to be a everlasting staple within the state of Texas.
Associated: Beginning Lineup for Texas NASCAR Cup Race, Carson Hocevar with First Profession Pole
