Kevin Harvick gears up for 800th start

This Sunday, Kevin Harvick will become the 10th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to compete in 800 points races.

Additionally, Harvick will have a shot to do what none of the other nine drivers ahead of him have done in start 800: Win.

“When you think about 800 races and you try to put it into perspective, you really start adding the years up,” Harvick said. “It’s a really wide body of work, and I think that’s what I’m the most proud of.

“Through those 800 starts, it’s not like we started the year cashing checks and just riding around. We’ve been competitive, racing at the front of the pack, leading laps and having the chance to win races.”

Of the previous nine drivers who have made it 800 starts, six of them are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, including five past champions.

Richard Petty and Mark Martin are the only two drivers to place inside the Top-10 in their 800th start. 

Petty’s second-place finish at Martinsville in 1979 is the closest a driver has come to winning on the eight-century mark start.

Harvick will start 11th in the GEICO 500 Sunday.