Stewart Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick who is in his final season in the NASCAR Cup Series will use a throwback livery and number for the upcoming NASCAR All-Star race on May 21.
For just the All-Star Race, Harvick will eschew his traditional No. 4 and bring back the No. 29. His Busch Light Ford Mustang from Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will sport a throwback paint scheme to the design Harvick used when he won in just his third career NASCAR Cup Series start on March 11, 2001 at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he drove for Richard Childress Racing (RCR).
Speakig about the news, Harvick said:
When I sat in the 29 for the first time, it really wasn’t by choice, but I definitely wouldn’t have done it any differently. “Dale’s passing changed our sport forever, and it changed my life forever and the direction it took.
“Looking back on it now, I realize the importance of getting in the Cup car, and then I wound up winning my first race at Atlanta in the 29 car after Dale’s death. The significance and the importance of keeping that car on the racetrack and winning that race early at Atlanta – knowing now what it meant to the sport, and just that moment in general of being able to carry on – was so important.
“I had a great 13 years at RCR and really learned a lot through the process because of being thrown into Dale’s car, where my first press conference as a Cup Series driver was the biggest press conference I would ever have in my career, where my first moments were my biggest moments.
“With this being my last year as a Cup Series driver, we wanted to highlight a lot of these moments, and many were made at RCR in that 29 car. So, with the All-Star Race going to North Wilkesboro – a place with a ton of history – we thought it made sense in a year full of milestones and moments to highlight where it all started.”
Krystyn Stowe, Head of Marketing for Busch Family Brands at Anheuser-Busch commented saying:
“As a proud sponsor, Busch Light has been along for the ride throughout Kevin Harvick’s celebrated career in NASCAR. “Kevin’s final All-Star Race is the perfect time for us to revisit a bit of history and bring back the iconic No. 29 paint scheme with our 2001 logo as the ultimate ‘cheers’ to one of Kevin’s most memorable wins. We’re looking forward to seeing some nostalgia on the track come raceday.”
Harvick has competed in every All-Star Race since joining the Cup Series in 2001. In the 38 previous editions of the event, Harvick has been on the starting grid for 22 of them, winning twice (2007 and 2018). This year’s All-Star Race returns to North Wilkesboro – a track that first appeared on the Cup Series schedule in 1949 but has been largely dormant since Cup Series cars last thundered around the .625-mile oval on Sept. 29, 1996 when Jeff Gordon took the victory over Dale Earnhardt. It was the track’s 93rd Cup Series race.
Harvick, who leads the champion right now concluded saying:
“I don’t know the last time the All-Star Race was the most anticipated event of the season. “Fans are going to show up in droves. North Wilkesboro is a great short track, the asphalt’s worn out, and I think it’s going to be a fantastic event.”