Kevin Harvick has chance at NASCAR history
Kevin Harvick is making NASCAR Cup Series history just by starting the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The 2014 Cup champion will become the 18th driver in series history to start 700 races.
Yet, if Kevin Harvick finds Victory Lane at Texas — something he has done three times in his Cup Series career — he will be the first driver to win in their 700th start.
The highest any driver has finished in their 700th start was Jeff Gordon when he placed third at Darlington in 2013.
The first driver to hit 700 starts in the series was Richard Petty at Daytona in 1976.
Harvick will start fifth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. NBC Sports Network will carry the race live on Sunday (July 19) at 3 p.m. ET.
HOW OTHERS HAVE FARED IN START NO. 700
| DATE | DRIVER | TRACK | START | FINISH |
| 7/4/1976 | Richard Petty | Daytona International Speedway | 3 | 22 |
| 9/27/1987 | Bobby Allison | Martinsville Speedway | 17 | 8 |
| 5/3/1992 | Buddy Baker | Talladega Superspeedway | 36 | 31 |
| 6/21/1992 | Dave Marcis | Michigan International Speedway | 33 | 36 |
| 5/24/1998 | Darrell Waltrip | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 43 | 17 |
| 3/18/2001 | Ricky Rudd | Darlington Raceway | 10 | 8 |
| 9/23/2001 | Terry Labonte | Dover International Raceway | 33 | 17 |
| 9/5/2004 | Bill Elliott | Auto Club Speedway | 3 | 25 |
| 8/14/2005 | Kyle Petty | Watkins Glen International | 29 | 20 |
| 10/9/2005 | Rusty Wallace | Kansas Speedway | 33 | 7 |
| 9/3/2006 | Sterling Marlin | Auto Club Speedway | 27 | 29 |
| 10/22/2006 | Ken Schrader | Martinsville Speedway | 10 | 41 |
| 2/25/2008 | Mark Martin | Auto Club Speedway | 16 | 16 |
| 5/9/2009 | Michael Waltrip | Darlington Raceway | 36 | 40 |
| 5/5/2013 | Bobby Labonte | Talladega Superspeedway | 39 | 20 |
| 5/11/2013 | Jeff Gordon | Darlington Raceway | 8 | 3 |
| 7/5/2020 | Kurt Busch | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 2 | 13 |
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.