Kevin Harvick is making a big change for his final NASCAR All-Star Race. Stewart-Haas Racing announced on Thursday that Harvick will be driving the No. 29 car for the race instead of his current No. 4. Harvick drove No. 29 at the start of his Cup Series Carrer in 2001. At that time, Harvick was driving for Richard Childress racing and took the place of Dale Earnhardt who died while competing at the Daytona 500.
“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,” Harvick said in a news release from his SHR team. “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 race track 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.”
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The No. 29 career will feature a retro design that pays tribute to his first win 22 years ago in Atlanta. Busch Light, Harvick’s sponsor will also revert to the 2001 branding on the fenders and hood of the car. “As a proud sponsor, Busch Light has been along for the ride throughout Kevin Harvick’s celebrated career in NASCAR,” Krystyn Stowe, Head of Marketing for Busch Family Brands at Anheuser-Busch, said in a statement. “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.”
During the offseason, Harvick, 47, announced that the 2023 Cup Series campaign would be his last. He will join the Fox Sports broadcasting team in 2024. In his career, Harvick has won 60 Cup Series races and claimed the Cup Series championship in 2014.
“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,” Harvick said. “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.”
