Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975 in Bakersfield, California) is an American race car driver and car owner, competing in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the #29 Shell/Pennzoil/Reese's Chevrolet in Cup racing full-time and the #21 AutoZone Chevrolet part-time in the Nationwide Series, and in the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series, where he drives cars and trucks that his own team fields. Harvick is the owner of the #2 and #33 Camping World Chevrolet Silverados in the Craftsman Truck Series, and the #33 Old Spice / RoadLoans.com and #77 Dollar General Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series.
Kevin Harvick began racing in karting after his parents Mike and JoNell bought him a go-kart as a kindergarten graduation gift in 1980. After high school, Harvick became a full-time driver and earned the honor of Rookie of the Year in 1995.
He then moved up to the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series in 1997, and in 1998 became champion of that series while driving for Spears Motorsports.
With roots as regional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR has grown to become the second-most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football League. Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S.,1 and has 75 million fans[1] who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other governing body.
NASCAR's headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, although it also maintains offices in four North Carolina cities: Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord, and Conover. Regional offices are also located in New York City, Los Angeles, Arkansas, and international offices in Mexico City and Toronto, Ontario. Additionally, owing to its southern roots, all but a handful of NASCAR teams are still based in North Carolina, especially near Charlotte. Cities in North Carolina that are home to NASCAR teams include: Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord, Statesville, Huntersville, Cornelius, Welcome, Wilkesboro, Kernersville, Randleman, Greensboro, High Point, Harrisburg, and Kannapolis
The team's Busch Series equipment was purchased from the former BACE Motorsports and Andy Petree Racing teams.