NASCAR: 5 highest paid Cup Series drivers of 2022
By Asher Fair
Highest paid NASCAR drivers: No. 3 – Kevin Harvick
The fact that Kevin Harvick only has one title to his name is not quite indicative of how well he has run since his career began back in 2001, when he unexpectedly replaced the late Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing following his fatal crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500.
On points alone, his situation is similar to that of Jeff Gordon; he would have won three more titles than he has actually won without the playoffs. Interestingly, he wouldn’t have won the title in 2014, which is when he actually won it. His titles would have come in 2010, 2015, 2016, and 2020.
Harvick is one of only two active drivers to win all three of the Daytona 500, the Southern 500, and the Coca-Cola 600. While he has only won the Daytona 500 once, he is a two-time winner of both of the others.
Surprisingly, following a career-best nine-win season in 2020, Harvick had his first winless season since 2009 in 2021, ending an 11-year winning streak, though he won twice in 2022. The win drought he ended in 2022 was his longest since joining Stewart-Haas Racing from Richard Childress Racing in 2014.
Many believe that the 2023 season, the final year of the contract which he extended at the start of the 2020 season, will be his final year in the Cup Series.
But even if he doesn’t win another race, the 47-year-old Bakersfield, California native is a surefire Hall of Famer who has solidified himself among some of the greats. His 60 career wins put him in a ninth place tie on the all-time wins list and tied atop the list among active drivers.
Kevin Harvick salary: $10,900,000