NASCAR: Kevin Harvick ties Jeff Gordon’s unwanted record
By Asher Fair
Kevin Harvick’s dramatic elimination from 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship contention put him in an undesirable category with Jeff Gordon.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick was seen as a lock to advance to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway due to his success throughout the regular season and throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Harvick entered the round of 8 with 67 playoff points, including 45 from his nine victories, 15 from winning the regular season championship and seven from his seven stage wins.
He entered the round of 8 with a massive 45-point lead over the Championship 4 cut line. Even after Team Penske’s Joey Logano won from below the cut line to open up the round at Kansas Speedway, Harvick still held a 40-point lead over the cut line, and even after a disappointing 16th place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, he still held a 42-point lead.
More from NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
- NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500
But at Martinsville Speedway, things went downhill quickly. He did not score any stage points, and the success of the other round of 8 drivers, including a victory by Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott from below the cut line, left him on the outside looking in.
He tried an aggressive last-lap move on Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch to spin him out and score the one additional point he needed to advance on a tiebreaker over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, but that move did not pay off.
As a result, Harvick has tied Jeff Gordon for an undesirable all-time record.
Gordon, a four-time champion, won all four of his championships (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001) before the playoffs were introduced in 2004. In the playoff era, he won three unofficial “points” championships in 2004, 2007 and 2014, but he wasn’t able to secure another official title. He retired with seven “points” titles and four official championships.
Because of his shocking elimination, Harvick has now won three more unofficial “points” championships than he has won official Cup Series championships, just like Gordon.
Additionally, he has now won four “points” championships in seasons he did not win the official title, a new all-time record. Gordon won three.
Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark
Harvick, the 2014 champion, clinched the overall points titles in 2010, 2015, 2016 and then again this year. He clinched this year’s title with two races remaining on the schedule.