No one has been better at Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series than Kevin Harvick. The 2014 Cup Series champion holds a record nine victories at the 1.0-mile track, including four straight victories spanning from November 2013 to March 2015.
Ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix, the soon-to-be NASCAR Hall of Famer reflected on his most significant Phoenix moment.
Kevin Harvick Reflects on 2014 Phoenix Win: ‘Probably The Biggest Phoenix Moment’
During an episode of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” the retired NASCAR star pointed to his 2014 November Phoenix win being his most important. Under the previous playoff format, Harvick was in a must-win situation if he wanted to advance to the Championship 4 race the following week at Homestead.
With his back against the wall, Harvick rose to the occasion.
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“My best win at Phoenix was definitely probably the one that we won in 2014 leading into the Homestead championship. It was one of those do-or-die moments. We were always expected to win the race at Phoenix and that one was the dagger in everybody that showed them that we weren’t going to go away and we had the capability of going to Homestead to still win the championship,” Harvick said.
Wheeling the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, Harvick put on a clinic in the desert on that November day. He led a race-high 264 of 312 laps to punch his ticket to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Who was Harvick’s biggest competition that day? If you have Harvick, they just had to prevent beating themselves.
“Our main rivals in that race were really us. We pretty much smoked ’em that day,” he said.
Also advancing through to the championship race after Phoenix included Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Ryan Newman.
Harvick’s Championship Quest Made Phoenix Win Crucial
The 2014 season was the first with NASCAR’s win-and-you’re-in, elimination style playoff format. Entering the season-finale race at Homestead, the highest finisher of the four championship contenders would win the title.
Following his win at Phoenix, Harvick would not be denied as he drove to victory at Homestead to claim his first and only Cup Series championship.
Without the Phoenix win, a championship in 2014 would not have been possible for Harvick.
That is why that victory, Harvick believes, was his most important Phoenix moment.
“Performing in those types of moments with the playoff format being new and all the pressure and everything that had mounted up until that point, and it coming down to that one moment at the racetrack that you were supposed to win at and we did and went on to win the championship, that was definitely probably the biggest Phoenix moment for me,” Harvick said.