Festivities at Darlington Raceway brought about the usual throwback-oriented flavors commonplace for the much-anticipated race weekend, and Kevin Harvick certainly partook. As captain of the No. 4 Sunny Delight Ford, Harvick not only wheeled out a runner-up finish but additionally helped pay homage to a scheme originally scheduled for his Cup Series debut in 2001 as a 25-year-old.
After announcing his retirement from the Cup Series after the 2023 season, honoring the past will continue to be the underlying theme for the now 47-year-old driver this weekend leading up to Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This time around, Harvick will switch out the light blue and gray livery that usually adorns the No. 4 for the white-and-red stylized No. 29 that he flew during that same 2001 campaign.
RELATED: View Harvick‘s career NASCAR stats
The number‘s revival brings back long-lasting memories for not only Harvick but for the entire sport. After Dale Earnhardt‘s death in the Daytona 500, Harvick moved into Earnhardt‘s role, with Richard Childress Racing changing the car number from the iconic No. 3 to the No. 29. After his 14th-place finish at Rockingham Speedway in his official Cup debut on Feb. 26, 2001, Harvick went on to collect his first of two wins that season two weeks later at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the same scheme being honored this weekend.
A pair of wins, coupled with six top fives, 16 top 10s and 374 laps led, eventually netted Harvick a ninth-place finish in the standings and a Rookie of the Year Award triumph.
Even after joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 — the same year he won the Cup Series championship — Harvick wished to return to his roots in some form or fashion. And so, the idea of driving the No. 29 — the number planted on his RCR machine for 13 seasons — came to fruition.
One last time in the No. 29. #4EVER pic.twitter.com/QWyVPrMXNE
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) May 16, 2023
“Everything that started in my Cup career started at RCR. It wasn‘t supposed to start in the 29, but it wound up being my first in the 29 after Dale‘s death,” Harvick said in a release provided by the team. “And to be able to put that car back out on the race track is something that we all thought would not ever happen again. But with Stewart-Haas Racing and Richard Childress Racing working together and making my crazy idea work out and being able to see the first win paint scheme in the 29 and to have it on the race track at North Wilkesboro is something I think we‘re all excited about. I know the fans are excited, but for us, it‘s an honor and a privilege to drive it one last time. It will be a fun night for all of us.”
Of course, every idea starts on a drawing board somewhere. On the surface, such an idea of reviving the number sounded far-fetched. With RCR and Stewart-Haas being under the Chevrolet and Ford umbrella, respectively, the pickle certainly looked significant on paper.
When Harvick pitched his request during his retirement meeting, that notion remained.
Until it didn‘t, that is.
“It was really simple. We started the retirement planning at Stewart-Haas Racing and working through things, and we got done with what I believe was the second meeting, and I said, ‘Hey, by the way, I want to drive the 29 car at the All-Star Race.‘” Harvick said. “And they all kind of looked at me and were like, ‘You serious?‘ Everybody kind of slept on it and talked about it in the next couple of days, and nobody said no. So we went back to the next meeting, and I said, ‘What about the 29 car? Do you guys think we can pull that off?‘ They said, ‘Somebody‘s going to have to call Richard.‘
“I said I would call Richard, so I called Richard Childress and said, ‘Hey, we want to drive the 29 car at North Wilkesboro and run the first win paint scheme.‘ And he said, ‘Kevin, you can have whatever you want. Do whatever you want. You‘ve been great for RCR, and we‘d love to work with you guys to figure it out.‘ And they all figured it out, and here we are.”
MORE: All-Star Weekend format set to dazzle
And so, the occasion comes for one last drive at not only a historic venue but at an event Harvick has a knack for showing out in. In addition to winning the All-Star Race twice (2007, 2019), Harvick has seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 22 total All-Star Races. Since his 2001 debut, Harvick has been a part of every All-Star Race and is the only active driver to say as such. His 23rd All-Star Race appearance Sunday will also mark the most among all active drivers.
“I don‘t know the last time the All-Star Race was the most anticipated event of the season,” Harvick said. “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.”
As he prepares for his All-Star swan song, Harvick will look to do the usual — lead laps, attempt a winning move or two and potentially cement another victory to his already-abundant trophy shelf.
MORE: Full schedule for North Wilkesboro | See No. 29 paint scheme, others
But perhaps most importantly, Harvick will look to make one more go behind the No. 29 wheel a memorable one, like so many times before.
“Well, I think it‘s going to be strange just climbing into it, right? For me, there‘s a huge sense of pride in being able to be a part of something like this with both organizations,” Harvick said. “Going back in time and doing everything that weekend in the 29 car is something I‘m really excited about. And I think when you go out on the race track, the fans will be in the same boat. As you go by the first time, people are going to be, like, ‘I can‘t believe that actually happened.‘”