Kevin Harvick already holds NASCAR’s all-time record for most wins at Phoenix Raceway. His nine wins, including four in a row, is more than double Jimmie Johnson’s second-best of four. But his success is bigger than that. With his eighteenth top ten at Sunday’s Ruoff Mortgage 500, he ties Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most consecutive top tens at a single track.
Harvick hasn’t finished outside the top ten at any race in Phoenix since 2013. He has enjoyed this success throughout his entire career. In his 38 starts, Harvick has an average finish of 8.8, which is the best of all active drivers, and an incredible 23% winning percentage. Next-best Denny Hamlin trails behind with an average of 10.5 in 33 starts.
Winner Chase Briscoe was just a senior in high school when Harvick’s streak began.
Harvick finished sixth on Sunday to keep the record rolling, just unable to really find the speed to challenge for a win late in the race.
“It was a good day for us,” he said. “Restarts weren’t 100% our strong point. We had a bit of a brake shake issue that kept pulling the car to the right under braking so I couldn’t get into corners like I wanted to. Still a good day and the car ran good. I just couldn’t really connect all the corners altogether through the day.”
He congratulated his winning driver, Chase Briscoe, as well, and said, “putting a SHR car in victory lane and running inside the top-five all day for us is always a good day.” The team will be hoping for a much-needed resurgence in the coming weeks.
Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt both achieved their top ten records at North Carolina’s North Wilkesboro Speedway between 1968 and 1977 as well as 1983 and 1992 respectively.
