Kevin Harvick Makes Long-Awaited Move into NASCAR's Top Tier with 2014 Title

All season long, the story was the same: Kevin Harvick had one of the fastest cars, he won the most poles, he led the most laps, but he often found a way to lose races anyway.

Then, when it mattered the most in 2014, Harvick found a way to cross the finish line first.

With back-against-the-wall victories at the Phoenix International Speedway and Homestead-Miami the last two weeks, Harvick has taken his career to the next level as the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion. 

The No. 4 car is no longer just a contender—it's now a bona fide winner. #MyChaseNation shared the post-race victory celebration:

"You know, I just really don't even know what to say," an emotional Harvick said on ESPN immediately after the race. "I was just going to hold the pedal down and pray for the best."

The path to a championship has been a long and bumpy one for Harvick, who has been racing in the top level of the sport since 2001, when he was abrubtly pegged by Richard Childress Racing to take over Dale Earnhardt's car after the legend's untimely death. Improbably, Harvick found his way to Victory Lane in just his third race in the car.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

But in 12 Sprint Cup seasons with Richard Childress Racing, Harvick just never could make the push to topple top-tier talent and end the season with a championship. He finished in the top five six times, but he never finished higher than third.

With frustration mounting, Harvick made a drastic choice in 2013 by deciding to move to Stewart-Haas Racing—the team owned by his good friend Tony Stewart—for the 2014 season.

"Well, they just gave us all the resources we need," Harvick said after his big win Sunday, as he embraced Stewart and Haas. "They said, 'Whatever you guys think you need, go get.'"

Brant James of ESPN.com reported on Harvick's switch to SHR: 

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Harvick left RCR for what at the time was a struggling Stewart-Haas Racing team because of his trust in and friendship with co-owner Tony Stewart, a three-time Cup champion who pledged to build a winning program around him.

That he and Harvick are similar, Stewart said, in 'driving styles and attitude, temperament, everything across the board,' has been the reason why 'we've been such good friends for so long.'

But Harvick then needed to bond with crew chief Rodney Childers, who had three Sprint Cup wins in 288 races entering the season. Childers admits he had a preconceived notion of Harvick as a tempestuous character. It was unfounded, he said.

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Clearly, the move paid off. The chemistry between Childers and Harvick was instant—they had a successful speed test last December and started this year on fire, winning the second race of the season at the Phoenix International Speedway and then winning again at the Bojangles' Southern 500 in April.

However, he followed that up with a disappointing summer on the track. Harvick was consistently in the mix in races, winning a series-high eight poles and leading 2,137 laps, nearly 600 more laps than the next-highest driver, Brad Keselowski. But from the win at Darlington in April to the start of the Chase in September, Harvick's speed simply didn't translate into wins.

In fact, it wasn't until the fifth race of the Chase—the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte during the middle of October—that Harvick found the checkered flag again. 

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The new Chase format allowed Harvick and his team the time to find a rhythm. Points were reset after each elimination round, so it was OK for them to just skate by the first few rounds.

But then, with their season on the line last week in Phoenix, the No. 4 crew found another gear. Winning the last two races of the season to take the points title is the equivalent of a walk-off Grand Slam in the World Series, and it's just what NASCAR had in mind when it launched the new Chase this season. NASCAR on ESPN shared DeLana Harvick's happiness in seeing her husband's decisions result in him winning the championship:

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.@DeLanaHarvick "It's surreal. To make the change that he did to come fight for the championship ... they deserve and they're champions."

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) November 16, 2014"

Perhaps it goes without saying, but Harvick is a fan of the controversial new format.

"I think this Chase is the best thing that's happened to this sport over the last 10 years," he said on ESPN. "This new format has been so stressful, the racing has been phenomenal. … This format helped us build through the year."

On Sunday, Harvick held off spirited runs by the other three Chase contenders. Ryan Newman finished in second place, and although Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano finished seventh and 16th, respectively, they were in the top five for most of the race.

It turned out that a four-tire pit stop toward the end of the race gave Harvick the edge he needed. It was, of course, his new crew chief Childers who made the call. As Harvick's entire season proved, sometimes big-time risks lead to big-time rewards.

Harvick's fifth victory of 2014 finally brought him the big prize that had eluded him for the first 13 years of his Sprint Cup career.

Now, with all of the midseason kinks ironed out and his speed finally translating into victories in the most pressure-filled situations imaginable, Harvick and his SHR crew are poised to win more championships in the years to come.

Move over Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Co., and make some room for Harvick. There's no doubt about it: He's one of the big boys of NASCAR now.