HISTORY
“SPEED Congratulates Ron Hornaday and Kevin Harvick Inc., 2007 NASCAR Truck Series champions,” said SPEED broadcaster Rick Allen. These were the words Kevin and DeLana Harvick dreamed of hearing someday by a broadcaster in the world of NASCAR racing. Growing up on opposite sides of the country, with two vastly different backgrounds, the Harvicks came together with one common passion: racing.
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI®) began in 2001 by the Harvicks as a side project. “We ran the first KHI® entry back in 2001, a truck we built in Ed Berrier’s garage,” said team co-owner, Kevin Harvick. KHI® has now become a 70,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility housing two full-time NASCAR Truck Series teams and a full time NASCAR Nationwide Series entry.
Kevin Harvick competed in his first Truck Series event for KHI® in 2001 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. In his first run in the series Harvick lost a close battle to series veteran Jack Sprague. Sprague and Harvick battled all race, but when the checkered flag fell Harvick trailed Sprague by only .062 seconds. By achieving a second-place finish in his first attempt, Harvick decided to continue competing in the Truck Series on a limited basis with KHI® the following season.
In 2002 KHI® competed in five Truck Series events, scoring its first victory on November 8 at Phoenix International Raceway with team co-owner Kevin Harvick. By winning this event Harvick became the fifth driver in history to win a race in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions.
KHI® fielded an entry in six Truck Series events in 2003 with drivers Kevin Harvick, Ed Berrier, Brandon Miller and Randy LaJoie.
The following year KHI® teamed with sponsor GM Goodwrench to compete full time in the Truck Series with driver Matt Crafton behind the wheel. The team had a successful year finishing sixth in points earning six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.
In May 2004, Tony Stewart drove the first KHI® Nationwide Series entry at Lowe’s (N.C.) Motor Speedway. He started sixth and finished fifth, sending a message to the competition that KHI® was ready to compete in the Nationwide Series.
The 2005 season was a pivotal point in the history of KHI® as they fielded full time efforts in both the Nationwide Series and Truck Series. Tony Stewart scored KHI’s first Nationwide Series win in the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, setting the precedent for a great season. The No. 33 Nationwide Series entry completed in all 35 events, recording one win, five top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. The team also finished 10th in the Owner’s Point standings.
Veteran driver Ron Hornaday joined KHI®’s Truck Series program in 2005. Wasting no time he finished fifth in the year-end point standings by recording one victory at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, one pole, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.
In 2006, KHI® expanded to two full time Nationwide Series and one full time Truck Series efforts. Rookie Burney Lamar joined KHI® to drive the newly formed No. 77 Chevrolet team in the Nationwide Series, while Tony Stewart returned to KHI® and successfully defended his season-opening Nationwide Series victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in the No. 33 Chevrolet. Following that race the No. 33 team accumulated five top-five and 13 top-10 finishes placing them 10th overall in the final point standings.
The No. 77 team raced with rookie driver Burney Lamar for 29 events, Jeff Burton for one event and Bobby Labonte for five events in 2006. The No. 77 team finished 24th in the Nationwide Series Owner’s Point standings, earning one top-five and five top-10 finishes.
In 2006, Hornaday wheeled KHI®’s No. 33 Truck Series entry to a seventh-place finish in the standings by earning two victories, five top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.
With two seasons at KHI® under his belt, Hornaday and the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet team set their sights on the 2007 Truck Series title. In an epic battle with Mike Skinner the title chase came down to the last race at the Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway with Skinner 29 points ahead of Hornaday at the start of the race. On lap 25 Skinner began to have tire trouble and ultimately went 11 laps down to the field. Hornaday was able to capitalize and wheel the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet to a seventh-place finish and the championship title, the first series title ever recorded in KHI® history.
The 2007 season was also a year of success in the Nationwide Series. Sharing driving duties in the No. 33 Chevrolet were KHI® co-owner and two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Kevin Harvick, Sprint Cup drivers Tony Stewart and Tony Raines, road-course specialist Ron Fellows and newcomer Cale Gale. Among the five drivers, the team compiled a record of four top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, landing the team sixth in the Owner’s Point standings.
The No. 77 team also had success with drivers Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte, Ron Hornaday, Scott Wimmer, Brandon Miller and Kertus Davis. The team completed the season 15th in the Owner’s Point standings recording one win, three top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
The 2008 season will mark KHI’s fifth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions, fielding two full time Truck Series efforts with three-time Truck Series champions Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday. KHI® will also field one full time Nationwide Series effort with KHI® co-owner and two-time Nationwide Series champion Kevin Harvick, three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, and Rookie of the Year contender Cale Gale behind the wheel.