Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Agree on New Contract: Details, Reaction

Kevin Harvick's partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing will continue for a long time after the two sides agreed to a new contract.  

According to a release from Stewart-Haas Racing, via NASCAR.com, the terms of the deal were not available, but it is a "long-term contract extension."

Harvick said in the statement that continuing with Stewart-Haas Racing was a simple choice: "It was a big decision to join Stewart-Haas Racing and it has turned out to be my best decision. I came to Stewart-Haas Racing to win championships. We have one, but that only made us hungry for more. I'm very happy to have my future secure with a team so dedicated to winning."

Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart said on behalf of the team that Harvick's reputation and results have made everyone raise their game: "Kevin's results speak for themselves, and in addition to those numbers, he brings a presence to our team that makes everyone want to work harder. (Harvick) has made Stewart-Haas Racing a better team and he will continue to be an integral part of our future."

There was some thought that Harvick could end up leaving the team, though it wasn't coming from him based on his comments to R.J. Kraft of NASCAR.com in April:

"

As far as I know, I thought I had a team extension that had two more years on my contract anyway. I don't know what everybody is talking about because of the fact that I do have a relationship with SHR, the contracts that we are in, the situations that we're in are already there. I just let everybody just keep talking about it just because there is really nothing to it.

"

Tom Bowles of Frontstretch.com previously reported that Hendrick Motorsports made an offer to Harvick as a replacement for Kasey Kahne in the No. 5 car that he was considering. 

However, Jim Utter of Motorsport.com reported Hendrick Motorsports never made an official offer to Harvick. 

The 40-year-old Harvick originally joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 after 13 years with Richard Childress Racing. He made an instant impact for the new team, winning the Sprint Cup title in his first year with three victories over the final six races. 

Harvick leads the Sprint Cup standings this season with nine top-10 finishes and one victory in 12 starts. His greatest success has come driving the No. 4 car for Stewart-Haas, and there was never a reason for him to make a change at this point in his career. 

Now that Stewart-Haas officially has Harvick under contract for the long-term future, the two sides can focus on making sure he is able to finish atop the standings this year to cap what has already been a huge year for everyone involved.